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Russ "Bassdozer" Comeau
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Interview With Japan's Top Trophy Bass Hunter: Shimada

Story by Matt and Chinami Paino, Dr. Rogelio Villarreal and Russ Bassdozer

September 9, 2009

We are pleased to present four of Japan's top trophy bass hunters in this epic interview series:

  1. Shimada (the previous 19.15 record holder)

  2. Kurita (the new 22.5 record holder)

  3. Okumura (deps tackle company owner)

  4. Yasumura (monster bass hunter)

Each trophy hunter's interview will be published one-by-one in coming weeks.

In light of the recent world record bass spotlight on Japan, it's be a great time to do this.

The series presents a compilation of interviews with Japan's leading trophy bass hunters. Via a translator, we asked each trophy hunter identical questions about trophy bass in Japan, and their answers translated to English for you.

There have been trophy bass in Japan for many years, but  trophy hunters there have always felt that Japan did not get enough recognition for its trophy bass potential.

So these are some of the first stories to ever cast Japanese trophy bass fishing in a true light - as told by the top trophy hunters themselves.

It is a special honor for us to be able to tell the world about Japan's trophy fisheries and fishermen in their own words.

It's a story that really has not been told yet, but deserves to.

Indeed, our series presents some of the best trophy bass information ever to be published within or outside of Japan!

And although many of us may never fish in Japan, the interviews have lots of key info that's useful to try to relate how these trophy hunter's game plans can help you catch some of the monster bass on your own home waters.

Here now is Shimada's story. Please enjoy!

Epic Interview with Japan's Top Trophy Bass Hunter: Shimada

Question #1: Domo arigatou gozaimashita, Shimada-san. How long have you been fishing for trophy bass? How did you get started?

Shimada: Thirteen years. Growing up I saltwater fished for a favorite species called Gure fish but I wanted to catch something that would pull harder and be more impactful, so I started fishing for trophy bass.

Question #2: Please tell us a brief "fishing bio" about yourself (200 words or less) such as: how many days do you fish, if you are pro tournament angler, if you are in the fishing tackle business, if you are sponsored by companies in the fishing tackle business, if you are a fishing guide, if you have written or been written about in trophy bass articles/books, on fishing TV shows or videos - none of those things are necessary, but just establishes who you are with the unfamiliar reader. Basically, please share 200 words or less "fishing bio" about yourself.

Shimada: Within Japan there are two places where the world record may certainly exist. One is Lake Biwa in Kyoto and the other is Lake Ikehara in Nara. Because of its natural beauty, I am most attracted to Lake Ikehara. To be completely honest, I believe any angler at all has a chance of catching the world record at Biwa because of its size and structure but it takes a different breed - a trophy hunter for Lake Ikehara, and that is where and what I am.

In my pursuit of the world record, I have fished San Diego, California lakes for the past three years straight during the spring time. However, I strongly believe Lake Ikehara is #1 in the world for lunker largemouth in regard to overall numbers of monster bass, overall weight, plus its scenery.

In terms of media coverage, please check my newly released DVD “Giant Bass Panic” which was released in August, 2009.

My main tackle sponsors are Evergreen International, Decoy Hooks, Optimum Baits, Madness, Gancraft, Active.


Shimada lifts Japan's previous record bass - 19.15 pounds caught in April, 2003 on Lake Ikehara.

Question #3: How many trophy bass have you caught (definition/size of a "trophy" is whatever you prefer)? What is the size of your biggest trophy bass?

Shimada: I go fishing about 50 days a year on Lake Ikehara, and I’ve caught a total of 40 fish weighing over 10 pounds in my career.

I’ve caught 5 bass over 7 kilograms (15.43 pounds) and I am the only person in Japan who has caught more than 3 bass over that massive 7 kilo mark.

The biggest fish I caught was 8620g (19.15 lb). This fish was caught sight fishing on a bed. I caught this on April 22, 2003, and it was the national record for Japan until recently with Kurita's new 22.5 record.

Question #4: What rod and reel combos do you use most often for trophy bass hunting? What line and pound test do you use most often (mono, fluoro, braid) for trophy bass hunting? We are not asking so much about brands and models, but about general features of the rods, reels, lines you most often use for trophy bass hunting. Also, we are not asking about every rod, reel, line you use - that can be many different outfits. We wish to give the reader (who may be unfamiliar with trophy bass hunting in Japan) a general feel for what you most often would prefer to use in terms of rod, reel, line - understanding it is not the only outfit you use - but the one you would prefer to use, or tend to use most often.

Shimada: The most integral factor in successfully landing a monster bass is in the butt power of the rod for both solid hook sets and getting the bass up out of structure and landing quickly. The second most important characteristic of the rod is in the taper in relevance to how to land the fish and also to how responsive the tip is when the fish strikes the lure and ensures a stout hook set. I currently use the world's first 4 axis (directional carbon blank) cross made full power light version power rod by Evergreen. For the most part I use the Shimano Antares AR reel. The reason being that the drag at full lock pulls ideally off the reel and performs flawlessly when fighting a ten pounder. I love and  solely use Bass Seil (by Evergreen) 25 pound test fluorocarbon line. This line's main characteristic is that it’s the ultimate softness (limp) and its strength. Using a line that is touted as thick and strong and rigid is definitely out of the question for trophy fishing.

Shimada-san's latest monster bass:

Question #5: What are your top three techniques for catching giant bass?

Shimada:

  1. A very, very slow retrieve with a big bait. Covering the complete water column with a large swim bait, either soft or hard, but slow retrieve is key. This helps narrow down the depth where big bass are located too.
  2. Sight Fishing on spawning fish with a heavy drop shot rig with nail sinkers in the head of the bait. Key is the drop shot keeps it there and the nail shot makes the lure fall quickly.
  3. Making your line seem invisible. Big bass are very keen to the sight and sound of the line. Trying to keep as little as possible tension on the line with the lure is key so bass is not spooked. Try to imagine how a coin falls back and forth under water. I think if you can emulate this free-falling or unfettered act with the lure, the fish cannot notice the line as easily.

Question #6: What are your top three lures for attracting trophies?

Shimada:

  1. Large swimbaits, either soft or hard, or other big hard baits
  2. Rubber skirted jigs
  3. Heavy dropshot rigs (for spawning fish while sight fishing)

Question #7. What is the best time of the year for trophies in Japan?

Shimada: The spawning season of April through June is the easiest time to catch trophies. However catching trophy happens year round in Japan. So it would not surprise me if the world record was caught at any time throughout the year.

Question #8. What role do electronics play for you when hunting for trophy bass?

Shimada: For my style of fishing I only use it primarily for checking water temperature. I shut it off when sight fishing because I think it spooks the fish. When not sight fishing I use it for looking for baitfish and topography.

Question #9. Once you are on the water, how do you divide your fishing day trying to locate trophy bass?

Shimada: In Lake Ikahara’s case, the water clarity is gin clear and I can see all the bass, so I will take the approach of locating good-looking points and submerged tree areas and make long distance casts to those areas in order to locate bass there. I typically do a run-and-gun style until I find fish. Then I slow down.

Question #10. What is the main trophy bass forage in Japan's lakes?

Shimada: There are bait fish such as hera funa (a type of carp), nijimasu (trout), ugui (eels), and ayu. I often see bass eating hera funa up to 30cm long (11.8 inches) at Lake Ikehara. The bass’s ability to grow so large is definitely related to the available baitfish size and abundance however I think the variance or substantial difference of water temperature throughout the year and the depth the bass reside throughout the year play just as an important role in developing into monster size bass. And even though the temperature and seasons do change, at Lake Ikehara it is common to see monster bass within 7 meters (23 feet) distance or depth in both summer and winter as well.

Question #11. Do you do any night fishing for trophy bass?

Shimada: No I don’t night fish. It is not allowed to fish at night at Lake Ikehara.

Question #12: Do you feel there is a particular time of day or night when it is best to catch trophy bass?

Shimada: I do not give it much thought nor importance but Japanese data shows that the majority of 10 pounders and over are caught from afternoon to just before sunset.

Question #13: What do you feel that trophy bass do different, that ordinary size bass do not do?

Shimada: Big bass act independently for the most part. Sometime they school with other bass but they have this capability (drive) that refrains them from moving a lot and always keeping close to the optimum conditions. Conditions refer to water temperature, fresh water and plenty of bait. I think these bass identify or mark their own territory and stick to it while it holds optimum conditions.

Question #14: What do you do different when hunting trophy bass, that you do not do when fishing for ordinary size bass?

Shimada: All facets of my game are different when I fish for trophies. It is like a spirit comes over me and I am transformed. One difference is it is my style to choose a lure over 8 inches when trophy hunting. I also like to target bass that are short and fat like footballs. For example bass that are 50 cm long but 4 kg (19.7 inches but 8.8 pounds). That shape bass is ideal to target. I seek out where they exist. They are the chosen ones. When I fish, I do not have catching small fish on my mind but only large ones. I can’t feel this much excitement in my normal life as when I am fishing for trophy bass. It's like I am obsessed. I’d have to say this power or spirit that I feel from the trophy bass, it is stronger than any other force in my life.