As I’ve tirelessly researched the Japanese travel rod market, I’ve continued to unearth new brands and products – some exceptionally purposeful, some decidedly odd.

Obviously fly fishermen figured out a long time ago that various species of fish eat bugs – it’s kind of their raison d’etre – but that doesn’t mean that they have the market cornered on insect-imitating baits. Indeed, within the bass world alone there are lots of lures that would tickle an entomologist’s fancy, and they’re all castable on “normal” tackle.

Now that I’ve caught the bug and gotten over my fears that multi-piece rods would feel subpar, I’ve started to explore additional options. If you look to foreign markets like Japan and Europe and Australia, there are many more models than you can find here – including some at bespoke prices – but for purposes of this piece I’m going to limit it to items that are fairly easy to acquire within the U.S.

I’ve yet to go popping for big yellowfin tuna or GTs. The former is scheduled for Panama next April and the latter has yet to be put on the calendar – but it’s definitely going to happen. In the meantime, I have to content myself with days at the keyboard, watching YouTube videos and surfing for new gear.

Are peacock bass cannibalistic? I don’t know, but even if they’re not certainly there are other species in Amazonian waters (as well as those elsewhere, like South Florida) that eat young peas. Indeed, they’ve served as the inspiration for some killer paint jobs that are more exciting than standard old blue/chartreuse and Tennessee Shad.

For those of you not particularly obsessed with mail-order swimbaits and JDM lures, you might not yet be aware of Carolina Fishing Tackle in Mooresville, NC, close to Lake Norman. Owner Doyle Myrick has not only assembled an incredible selection of hard-to-find gear at reasonable prices, but he also seems to get a lot of the good stuff first. I’ve yet to visit his store, but I inspected his selection at the last Greenville Bassmaster Classic, and I fully intend to make a detour the next time I’m headed down I-77 or I-85.

Love ‘em or hate ‘em, snakeheads are in many of our waters to stay, and if we’re not careful they’ll continue to spread. During this time of COVID-19 shutdowns and extreme cautiousness, they can provide a taste of exotic species at a time when most of us are unable or unwilling to go to where. I was reminded of this when I hooked my first snakehead of the year on Friday May 8th while chasing bass. The bite should only get better as the weather warms up.