ISAJIG

The Final Answer

For the wary big fish,
stainless steel, not lead.

A solid-stainless jig conceived and made by angler Mr. Isaji.
Its lower specific gravity than lead gives it a distinctive pause and flow.
Not painted, but bare metal polished to a mirror flash —
a shine unlike any hologram, drawing in even the most cautious targets.

“ISAJIG — a polished solid stainless steel semi-long jig. With a lower specific gravity than lead, it produces a unique pause and flow that lead jigs cannot. Mirror-polished bare metal, handmade in Nagoya, Japan.”

Why ISAJIG

Bare Stainless

The distinctive pause and the painterly shine that only bare stainless can give.
A shape unlike any other — the one jig that works on wary big fish.

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Mirror Flashing

Four mirror faces

Mirror surfaces on all four faces — front, back, and both sides — maximise the flashing effect. It is the shine of the bare metal itself, not paint, giving an appeal quite unlike a hologram.

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Low Specific Gravity

The pause and flow of low density

A lower specific gravity than lead gives it the feeding pause and flow that a lead jig cannot produce. It doesn't over-work, and the absence of erratic vibration is especially effective on bigger fish.

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Press-Made in Nagoya

Hand-finished by Nagoya craftsmen

Made entirely in Japan, press-formed on a large machine and finished by hand, one by one. It elevates low-impact stainless steel into an industrial object that verges on art.

A detail of three mirror-finished ISAJIG jigs laid out on a workshop bench

Stainless, Not Lead

Stainless steel, not lead.

The pursuit of a better approach to wary big fish led, in the end, not to lead but to stainless steel. Its low density creates the feeding pause and flow that a lead jig cannot. That gentle action tells on big amberjack too — it doesn't over-work, and the absence of erratic vibration is especially effective on the larger, more cautious fish.

Tough Condition · Final Answer

Mirror Finish

The mirror shine of four faces.

Unpainted, a mirror finish polished into the bare metal. The four faces — front, back, and both sides — create the flashing effect, drawing in wary targets with a shine unlike any hologram. Spinning, baitcasting, electric jigging, drifting, vertical — it answers to any method, and thanks to its shape, line-slap is surprisingly rare.

Solid Stainless · Four Mirror Faces

Metal Work

One by one, from a small Nagoya machine shop.

The jig ISOLABLEU had long awaited is finally finished. Mr. Isaji, who runs an auto-parts manufacturing business in Nagoya, helped from design supervision through to production to make it real. The stainless steel is press-formed on a large machine and finished by hand, one by one. A metal jig with a shape unlike any other, it can be fished either way up and lands with real impact.

The large press machine in the small Nagoya machine shop — A small machine shop in Nagoya — the large press machine.

01 — The Maker

Mr. Isaji — conception and manufacture

A craftsman who runs an auto-parts manufacturing business in Nagoya. He tested the ISAJIG himself in Ise Bay and the Sea of Japan, and saw it through from design supervision to production. The mirror finish, drawing on the qualities of stainless steel, has a shine like a true mirror. Made purely in Japan and born one at a time from a craftsman's hands, it is an industrial object that verges on art.

A craftsman's handwork machining an ISAJIG — A craftsman finishes each one by hand, one at a time.

02 — The Proof

The extraordinary results it put up in testing

Its developer, Mr. Isaji, tested it in Ise Bay and the Sea of Japan, then passed the baton to our owner. Trialled off the Genkai Sea, the Tsushima area, and the waters of southern Kagoshima, it was already recording extraordinary catches at the testing stage. On amberjack drift-fishing charters the difference in results was enough to surprise the other anglers aboard — it is a jig whose edge you feel most when you're surrounded by lead.

“Aboard the Kagoshima charter boat Momotaro, a 23 kg amberjack on the 300 g test prototype. First cast after switching jigs — one hit, and it was on.”

— POLISH ISAJIG 300g / one shot

Weight & Price

Seven Weights

Seven weights in all, from 200g to 500g. Since this is a one-jig, mirror-finish play, simply changing weight makes it easy to read the day's pattern.

Weight Length × Width Price (incl./excl. tax)

200g 170 mm × 14 mm ¥4,840¥4,400 excl. tax

250g 210 mm × 14 mm ¥5,390¥4,900 excl. tax

300g 250 mm × 14 mm ¥6,050¥5,500 excl. tax

350g 225 mm × 18 mm ¥6,490¥5,900 excl. tax

400g 252 mm × 18 mm ¥7,150¥6,500 excl. tax

450g 283 mm × 18 mm ¥7,590¥6,900 excl. tax

500g 315 mm × 18 mm ¥8,250¥7,500 excl. tax

A size-comparison chart of all seven ISAJIG weights: 500g, 450g, 400g, 350g, 300g, 250g, 200g — From left: 500g, 450g, 400g, 350g, 300g, 250g, 200g. There is no top or bottom.

About the sizes: 200g–300g are 14 mm wide; 350g–500g are a little thicker at 18 mm wide. With four faces formed front, back, and on each side, there is no top or bottom. By the nature of the material and finish, every jig looks a little different.

Care & Notes

As it is an unpainted, bare mirror finish, it will cloud with use — but polishing it with Pikal or a stainless polish brings the mirror back. It is a jig you can enjoy for years to come.

In fast or complex currents, we recommend a weight 50g–100g heavier than your lead jig. When everyone around you on a charter is fishing lead, try it for that one decisive moment.

Stainless steel costs many times more in material than lead. There is none of the colour of a painted jig. The bare material is deliberate — this is a jig meant to be enjoyed for the simple pleasure of the fishing itself.