Wind X

Wind, written ワインド in Japanese, is a specific darting technique rather than a general term. The angler rigs a flat-sided dart jighead with a soft plastic shad and works it with continuous short upward jerks of the rod tip, taking up slack between each one, so the lure kicks sharply left and right on the fall. It is walk-the-dog action run below the surface, and the appeal is that a fish committing to a hard direction change hooks itself cleanly. The primary target is tachiuo, the largehead hairtail, a long ribbon-shaped predator with a mouthful of teeth that pushes into harbors, piers and breakwaters at dusk and is one of the most heavily fished species in western Japan. The second is sagoshi, juvenile Japanese Spanish mackerel, taken on the same retrieve. Two models cover it: 83M at 2.51 m (8'3") rated 7 to 21 g, 135 g, and 86MH at 2.59 m (8'6") rated 11 to 28 g, 145 g, both PE 0.8 to 1.2 and both two-piece. Wind X is an entry rod and the specification reflects where the stress actually falls. Braiding X carbon tape reinforces the butt against twist during hours of jerking, the top guide is SiC because the constant line movement abrades it fastest, and the fore grip is oversized EVA for the supporting hand.