Nishine: Lessons from the Builder
Posted by Pete Robbins on May 12th 2020
With the worldwide slowdown in movement and services, my ability to get JDM tackle fresh from the source has been impeded. I recognize that in the grand scheme of things it is not a huge deal, just another way in which we’ve been inconvenienced, but the changes in mail services present a conundrum for an unrepentant hoarder like me.
Fortunately, the amount of JDM and JDM-caliber tackle available stateside has grown exponentially over the past decade, but until recently I wasn’t aware of another brand that fits the bill but which now hails from North America – Nishine Lure Works of Ontario.
Last week I obtained a selection of their baits, and I’ve been wowed by the quality, the innovation and the paint jobs – watching the videos about creator Hiroshi Nishine, it reminded me that my understanding of fishing tackle and techniques is often dictated by the ways that the pros use them. I’ve fished with Kevin VanDam, Aaron Martens, and Keith Combs, among others. I’ve been in the boat with Skeet Reese, Rick Clunn. In each of those instances I’ve learned something about the sport and about the pursuit of little green and brown fish.
But I’ve also fished with innovative lure designers like Lonnie Stanley and Lee Sisson. From them I’ve learned similar but slightly different lessons about their vision for the sport and about why they made their products the way that they did. As a young man in Japan, Nishine was a friend and confidante of Takahiro Omori. They both ended up in the fishing industry in North America, albeit for slightly different roles. We can learn lessons from both camps.
When this crazy pandemic slows down, and the border opens up, I hope to head up to Canada for a day or two on the lake with Nishine. I am sure that anyone who pays such incredible detail in his products can help me understand more about catching fish.
