JDM Lure Technique from Japan #5 Naoya Hiramura’s Early-Spring Soul Shad Technique on Lake Biwa

Lake Biwa is Japan’s most famous bass fishing lake, and it has produced countless big bass over the years.
Today, we introduce an early-spring technique from Naoya Hiramura, one of the most experienced and respected fishing guides on Lake Biwa.

Naoya Hiramura is a true veteran guide who has spent many years studying Lake Biwa. He knows the lake’s seasonal changes, bass behavior, and fishing patterns extremely well. Among Lake Biwa guides, he is one of the most knowledgeable and trusted names.

This technique is for the very early spring period, when the water is still extremely cold. In Japan, this is often around February, when the water temperature is around 8°C or even lower.

At this time of year, Naoya uses a shad plug: the Jackall Soul Shad.
https://www.jackall.co.jp/bass/products/lure/minnow-shad/soulshad/

In Japan, shad plugs are used much more often than crankbaits in many bass fishing situations. They are small, precise, and very effective when bass are not aggressively chasing larger lures.

There are two main types of shad plugs.

One type is designed to swim very straight and stable on a steady retrieve.
The other type moves more erratically from side to side, almost like a jerkbait.

The Jackall Soul Shad belongs to the first type.

Its biggest strength is straight-line stability. Even when retrieved fast, it does not easily lose balance or break its swimming action. This makes it very useful when you want to cover water with a consistent, natural-looking presentation.

Naoya’s early-spring method is simple, but very important:

Do not stop the lure.

Instead of adding pauses like a jerkbait, he retrieves the Soul Shad slightly fast and straight. The lure continues swimming cleanly through the cold water, keeping its action stable from start to finish.

This is not a numbers technique.

In early spring, the water is cold and the bass are not always easy to catch. But when a fish does react to this presentation, it can be a very big Lake Biwa bass.

That is why this technique is so interesting. It is not about catching many fish. It is about getting one serious bite from a giant.

For anglers outside Japan, this is also a good example of how Japanese bass fishing often uses small hard baits in very specific ways. A shad plug may look simple, but the retrieve speed, lure stability, and timing are all extremely important.

Naoya Hiramura also speaks English very well and is highly experienced in guiding anglers from overseas. If you are interested in real Lake Biwa bass fishing with one of Japan’s top veteran guides, please check out his Instagram.

Naoya Hiramura Instagram:
https://www.instagram.com/naoyahiramura/

Naoya Hiramura website
https://www.truth-biwako.com/english/