April 26, 2015
By Ned Kehde
In the eyes of scores of Midwest finesse anglers, Damiki's Fishing Tackle USA's three-inch Armor Shad is a shad-shaped worm. It is similar to the one that Shin Fukae of Palestine, Texas, and Osaka, Japan, used to win the Walmart FLW Tour tournament at Beaver Lake, Arkansas, during the first week of April in 2006.
The Armor Shad is not a new bait. In fact, Daniel Kim of Brea, California, who is Damiki's national sales manager, says it has been an integral part of their catalog since Dimiki arrived in California from South Korea in 2008.
It is three inches long, which is an inch shorter than the shad-shaped worm that Fukae used and still uses, and it is interesting to note that many Midwest finesse anglers have found that a three-inch soft-plastic finesse bait can often be more effective than a four-inch one.
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It was designed so that anglers can easily create a darting-and-gliding presentation when they retrieve it. Thus, it should be especially effective when Midwest finesse anglers utilize their swim-glide-and-shake retrieve or the straight-swim retrieve. And when Midwest finesse anglers employ the Armor Shad, they will affix it to a small mushroom-style jig.
It is fabricated with extremely soft plastic. The Armor Shad's head is flat. Its torso is exceptionably soft, and it is encircled with ribs. According to the lure designers at Dimiki, the ribs and soft texture of the torso enhances the Armor Shad's flexibility. The back of its torso is flat, and it possesses an arch-shaped belly, which replicates the belly configuration of a gizzard shad. The belly is also endowed with a hook slot. The circumference of the torso diminishes significantly between its belly and its tail, and this accentuates the way the torso and tail undulates during a typical retrieve. Its tail is forked.
It is impregnated with salt and scent.
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It is available in the following colors: Baby Bass, Green Pumpkin Black, Pearl White, Pro Blue, Pro Blue Black Flake, Pro Purple, Smoke Black Silver, Watermelon Black, Watermelon Red-Black, and White Silver.
A package of 15 can be purchased for $4.59.
Endnotes
(1) For more information about how to implement the swim-glide-and-shake retrieve and the straight-swim retrieve, please read the story at this link: http://www.in-fisherman.com/midwest-finesse/six-midwest-finesse-retrieves.
(2) Here is a link to a gear guide about Damiki's Water Crawler: http://www.in-fisherman.com/midwest-finesse/damiki-fishing-tackles-water-crawler .
(3) Here's a link to a gear guide about Damiki's Kaiser Jig: http://www.in-fisherman.com/bass/damikis-kaiser-jig/ .
(4) Here is a link to the gear guide about Damink's Spoon Tail Miki: http://www.in-fisherman.com/bass/damikis-spoon-tail-miki/ .
(5) Here is a link to the gear guide about Damiki's Air-Pocket Worm: http://www.in-fisherman.com/gear-accessories/damikis-air-pocket-worm/ .
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