Wakasagi – The Key Forage Fish in Japan

In many Japanese bass fishing lakes, a small baitfish called wakasagi plays a crucial role.

During summer and fall, more bass begin feeding on wakasagi schools (spring also sees this pattern, but we’ll set that aside here).

As the water warms, bass move deeper and chase these shoals.

Since the spread of forward-facing sonar (FFS), Japanese anglers have developed a wide variety of new techniques. Among them, the micro hover-strolling technique, which uses an ultra-small plastic worm to swim naturally in front of bass, has become standard in Japan.

Two Smallmouth Lakes that Shape Japan’s Tournament Scene

Most of Japan’s bass lakes are dominated by largemouth bass. However, there are two famous smallmouth lakes: Lake Nojiri and Lake Hibara. These are the only tournament lakes in Japan where smallmouth thrive.

Because top-level JB tournaments are held there regularly, many groundbreaking techniques are born from these venues. In fact, Japanese pros like Kyoya Fujita and Yui Aoki, now competing in B.A.S.S. tournaments in the U.S., once crushed the competition on these lakes with explosive winning weights before moving stateside.

The Rise of Heavy Drop Shot Rigs

Recently, the winning patterns in Japanese tournaments have leaned toward ultra-heavy rigs.

In September at Lake Hibara, Natsuki Fujita (Kyoya’s brother) won the JB Top 50 Championship using a 2oz drop shot rig paired with a DEPS Sakamata Shad 5-inch.

https://www.jbnbc.jp/_JB2025/view_result.php?t_id=10040&page=pattern

Just last week at Lake Nojiri, Masaki Tomizawa won the JB Masters event with a 2.5oz (70g) drop shot sinker rigged with an OSP HP Minnow 5-inch.

https://www.jbnbc.jp/_JB2025/view_result.php?t_id=10110&page=pattern
 

This “speed-trigger” style—forcing smallmouth to bite by making the bait move unnaturally fast—was first revealed in 2023 by Yui Aoki at Lake Hibara, shocking many anglers.
https://www.jbnbc.jp/_JB2023/view_result.php?t_id=10040&page=pattern
 

With FFS now widespread, Japan continues to invent new strategies. Among them, this fast-moving heavy drop shot method has become a staple in smallmouth tournaments. Still, Japan’s lakes are relatively small, meaning bass quickly become pressured—pushing anglers to constantly refine their approach.