Yo-Zuri's Sashimi Jointed Suspending Minnow - Shifting colors in 3D.

Yesterday I took a trip to my favorite local tackle shop to spend a little money I don't really have - ok, a lot of money I really don't have, but in my defense it is fishing tackle were talking about here - and that monkey is impossible for me to shake (for most fishermen I’d imagine). In any event, after a waiting my turn at key peg locations, I happened upon a lure I had seen online and was interested in, but hadn't purchased. It’s one of those baits that you really have to see in person to appreciate it. In fact, I appreciated Yo-Zuri's Sashimi Jointed & Suspending Minnow (in Chameleon Fire Tiger) right to the cash register.

Sashimi primarily consists of very fresh, raw seafood sliced into thin pieces and served with a dipping sauce (e.g. soy sauce with wasabi paste or other condiments such as grated fresh ginger, or ponzu - depending on your taste and the fish being served) and simple garnishes such as shiso and shredded daikon radish. Sounds tasty, I know. The Yo-Zuri Sashimi series of lures is just as tasty to the eye, as these innovative baits are - as far as I know - the first "3D" colour changing lures widely available on the market today. With the Sashimi Jointed & Suspending Minnow, Yo-Zuri's used their patented color change technology to put different (but complementing) colours of paint on either side of raised ridges along the body - Think of those louver-like, picture changing stickers you had when you were a kid, where, depending on the angle you viewed them, Scooby Doo and Shaggy would either be running from a ghost or standing there with a look of terror on their faces - always amazed me.

This Sashimi Jointed lure is 4" long and weighs in at 5/8oz. I would throw this lure on a thin diameter super line, spooled onto a quality medium action spinning reel and rod combo. It is available in the following colours: Chameleon Ghost Shad; Chameleon Gizzard Shad; Chameleon Clown; Chameleon Fire Tiger; Chameleon Gold Copper; Chameleon Tennessee Shad.

When designing the Sashimi line, Yo-Zuri’s lure designers made a number of observations that are common to all baitfish: they sometimes change color to blend into the environment, they darken or lighten due to stress or illness, or they flash when they are excited (during breeding or sparing). All these colour changes stand out to a predator, indicating an easy or distracted prey item. Yo-Zuri’s Sashimi baits take full advantage of these facts by incorporating the same visual cues. These jointed lures are also highly-detailed, with molded in features like lateral lines, gill plates, rear stabilizing fins and pectoral spots. They also sport top notch hardware and candy coated, chameleon paint applications. One detail that really sticks out, aside from the obvious colour change capabilities of the bait, is the blue iris around the 3D eye - a very, very nice touch.

Topwater Bottom Line: When I first saw these baits on the pegs at my local shop, I thought immediately of Lucky Craft lures and packaging, and if you know their merchandise, that’s a good thing. The Sashimi Jointed & Suspending Minnow is a premium lure, and as such commands a price of 16.99 per unit. To me this is fair value when you consider the quality bait you are receiving. It’s a lure that swims with a natural fish action, with the joint proving exaggerated motion when the bait is jerked. Most importantly, it is also a lure that is able to change colour depending on its position in the water column – something that game fish probably haven’t seen before (outside of their natural prey items that is). Finally, it is a bait that comes to anglers in premium packaging, which is a very nice thing when you are a lure collector like me. As always, please practice catch and release with this lure.

Topwater Rating:

5 out of 5 bobbers

Pictures don't do the effect justice - The actual shift between colours is quite refined and even subtle in some colour combinations, brilliantly mimicking a flashing or injured baitfish.