Japan has a long history of bringing unique and highly technical fishing lures to American anglers. The list of famed brands is endless, and more continue to arrive yearly. One of those is ValleyHill and its sister brand, Whiplash Factory. If you haven't heard about their quality bass lures yet, you're about to.
Here's more information about Whiplash Factory and how they got started. (Video Below)
Whiplash Factory Origins
While it's still a relatively small brand, Whiplash Factory has a long history in Japan. The brand was started in 1993 by Mr. Kuni Niinomi, a passionate angler who does it all. Mr. Niinomi designs all of the lures, doing everything from planning and designing to testing. This gives the baits a consistent theme and is one of the brand's hallmarks.
Mr. Niinomi is a descendant of the samurai and the traditional Japanese way of life but is also a big fan of some parts of American culture. He's a big hard rock and heavy metal music fan and likes old-fashioned American bass fishing lures. The blending of these two cultures is evident in his designs, which all started with his first bass fishing experience as a child.
"When I was 12, I caught my first bass," said Niinomi. "At that time, bass fishing in Japan was in its infancy, and my lure was a cheap spinner with a copper blade, fluorescent green body, and white feathered treble hook that people use for trout. I caught four bass that day and still remember the thrill and excitement."
That experience set off a path to learn more about bass fishing and researching trends from America. "I became fascinated with American brands like Heddon, Fred Arbogast, and Bomber," he said. "I wanted to use plugs and not just spinners and spoons. Back then, Japanese lures were mainly cheap copies of foreign products and did not work well. The exchange rate was hard, and only having a boy's allowance and buying just one American lure a month was a challenge, so talking to an American publication now is surreal."
That desire for new lures set off the creative wheels in his mind, and the young Niinomi began experimenting with making his own.
"Around that time, I met a boy at school who was making lures, and he showed me his handmade wooden lures, but they were of poor quality compared to what I was used to, commercial lures I was buying," he said. "I thought to myself, "I can make something much better," and I started experimenting. The first lure I tried to replicate was the Storm Hot'N Tot, and while it didn't look anything like the original, this primitive lure caught plenty of bass for me and gave me a huge boost in confidence when fishing."
Taking it to the Next Level
As Niinomi grew older, college and other interests got in the way, but fishing eventually returned and helped shape what is now Whiplash Factory. "I continued to fish, but my passion calmed until I met some people who made and sold their handmade lures," he said. "Their craftsmanship was on a different level and reignited my passion for lure making. With their help and much trial and error, I began building baits at a new level."
One of the first bait styles he mastered was a slim, balsa "minnow pencil" or topwater walking bait. These designs are still evident in current baits' shape and profile, such as the Spittin' Wire, Live Wire, and Drivin Wire topwater baits.
"My original baits were wood and covered with aluminum foil for a scale pattern, and they worked very well," he said. "One time, I was fishing with a magazine writer and catching fish, and he told me, 'You need to release this as an ABS injection-molded model. I'll be waiting for it!' and that original wooden bait became the prototype for my first ABS injection molded bait, now the Live Wire."
More ABS... Still From Scratch
While several more ABS baits have been released since then, the process still starts from scratch. "The development for all baits starts as a piece of wood," he said. "Some companies send rough illustrations and have molds made, but I prefer to draw my concept sketches by hand, craft wooden prototypes myself, and test them by fishing. Then, when I'm satisfied and see a need in the market, I will turn them into injection-molded lures. I also personally paint the color samples before sending them to the factory."
Mr. Niinomi is an avid bass angler, but he also travels overseas to target peacock bass, paraya, and arapaima in South America and barramundi and mahseer in Southeast Asia. These trips have helped him develop baits for Whiplash Factory that catch giant hard-fighting fish, and no matter the bait he designs, the process of making new baits will continue the same way.
"There are always ways to improve, and I still have plenty of new ideas for new baits," he said. "The possibilities for new lure design can go in many different directions, which is why bass are still one of the most fascinating fish when it comes to lure-making."
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