Baits manufactured in Japan continue to raise eyebrows in the fishing market when it comes to innovation and attention to detail. But sometimes it can be too much of a good thing for American anglers.

Specialty Tackle out of Novato, Calif. is making new baits that are the best of both worlds. The company is building Japanese-style baits – complete with the requisite detail, precise running quality out of the box and cool designs – with the specs, action and color-preferences of American anglers.

The lures are produced by Zenith Lures in Japan specifically for Specialty Tackle, and they flat catch fish. Here are our reviews of a few of their products:

> The Big Bite Z65 is a large-bodied, shallow-running crankbait with a deadly wide wobble that big fish can't stand. Ed Jerbic, owner of Specialty Tackle, noted: "The Big Bite 65 looks like a VW Beetle only it catches fish. It's one of the hottest baits going right now in the California Delta." A long, hollow, deep-toned rattle chamber combined with a large ball bearing adds sound, and the unique body shape creates "pressure waves" from the sides, front and behind the bait. Because of its weight, long casts even (against the wind) are a breeze, and its large 3-inches size casts a shadow that appears to make bass to aggressively blast it. It's very buoyant and really displaces the water when cranked slowly. Fished easily through pads, over grass and through treetops, this lure's strength is its versatility. Whether ripped rapidly at high speed or slow-cranking, we found the strikes to be equally aggressive.

> The Junior D, the flagship bait of the Specialty line, is a sleek 2-inch bait that tank tests to 11 feet on 12-pound mono. That makes it one of the only baits this size that reaches these depths, but the best part of the bait is its suspending ability. Stop reeling, and the Junior D stops dead. No floating, sinking or erratic side-to-side sway – just nose-down stopped. Most of the fish we've caught on this bait hit when it was stopped. We found it actually suspended for 15 seconds.

> Topwater enthusiasts will love the Specialty Z Claw that can be fished "walking the dog" or with fluorocarbon line waked just below the surface for some fantastic explosive strikes. Manufactured in 21 colors, our favorites include red-dog, ghost shad, hot skeleton shad and green ghost ayu.

> The 3" Z75 runs an amazing 18 feet deep and also suspends in the sweet head-down fashion of all Specialty baits. This lure is perfectly balanced, and its hump-backed appearance allows the bait to look much larger than it really is. Colors we liked in this model were citrus shad, brown ayu and the iridescent Pro Plum which changes colors when turned in different directions.

All Specialty Tackle products run true out of the box and have an excellent price point that many times isn't found in other Japanese lines. For our money, Specialty Tackle is the best line of Japanese/American baits we've seen.

For more info or to order, click here to go to the Specialty Tackle web site.