Over the past few years crawler baits have been one of the most popular lures for trophy bass fisherman overseas in Japan. Crawlers by Deps, Vans, Monka, Kuoroto and Raid can be found hanging from big largies mouths on Instagram & throughout the internet. These lures are easy to identify with their lengthy metal wings and are often accompanied by fancy paint jobs & large treble hooks. Sizes vary from bait to bait and can range from a 1/4 ounce bug style to oversized crawlers upwards of 3 ounces.
Swimbait Underground has done a couple collaborations with crawler bait makers. First was the SU x Kurato Lures Battle Wing and most recently was the SU x Monka Lure Works FP Crawler. Monka was nice enough to answer some questions for us regarding crawler baits & his company.
Who is Monka?
I am Monka. It’s my nickname that stuck with me since I was a child.
How long have you been fishing?
I’ve been fishing for as long as I can remember. Started out with live bait fishing, then naturally moved onto lure fishing. Looking back, I have roughly 35 years of experience as an angler.
How did you learn about Swimbait Underground?
I noticed my buddy Hiro from DAWN Custom Rods and the crew from Monka Lure Works (M.L.W.) were wearing Swimbait Underground gear, as well as Swimbait Underground stickers on tackle boxes.
How long have you been making baits?
My career in lure building has been about 10 years - relatively recent compared to my angling experience. It’s been only 2 years since I became a full-time lure builder.
What is the inspiration behind your baits?
Before I answer that question, I will have to explain the reason why started building crawler baits.
There are countless small farm ponds in my neighborhood and many of them are inhabited by bass. I knew that in every one of those tiny ponds, there’s always that one beast. Cunning and hard to catch.
One day, I realized that the trophy class fish tend to react well to the Creeper from the company Fi-Fin. By continuing to catch large fish with the Creeper, little did I know my life would change dramatically. I became increasingly dissatisfied with the performance of the Creeper. I needed to build a crawler that would cover more casting distance than the Creeper, with increased stability, as well as a feature to instantly adjust the bait’s action to the conditions. Countless hours were spent in developing my ideal crawler, and the fruit of my labor is the Original FP Crawler. No doubt the Fi-Fin’s Creeper was a huge inspiration, and the FP carries its lineage. In other words, it’s the modern evolution of the Creeper.
What do you believe crawlers imitate?
I did not want to design the FP Crawler to resemble something in particular. I’m good at custom painting a bait. There’s no shortage of crawlers that have been manufactured to look like little creatures and vehicles. If the shape of the crawler already resembles something, it limits my creativity. When inspiration hits, it’s necessary to have a ninja-like base that can transform into anything I please. Therefore, rather than imitating a particular living thing, I think of it as an evolving organism that I call Monka.
Why do you think crawlers are so popular in Japan?
The answer is simple. It’s because you can catch large bass. Fishing spots in Japan are under much higher pressure than what American anglers may think. Japan consistently has too many anglers targeting a dwindling bass population. Most Japanese anglers are eager to catch fish using very small soft baits with certainty (finesse fishing). But we [large swimbait enthusiasts] are obsessed with fishing with large crawlers. That’s because the rewards are big.
Any tips for fishing your baits or crawlers in general?
The M.L.W. crew and I, as well as the core M.L.W. fans, reel in crawlers extremely slowly - much slower than what Americans imagine. Slowly moving the crawler along the water surface agitates the older bigger bass and provokes them to bite.
Prior to shipment, all M.L.W. products go through strict swim checks and quality control, and any adjustments needed are made by me. Crawlers for domestic use (JDM version) are adjusted to perform optimally at a dead-slow crawl, and the U.S. version of the crawlers are adjusted to perform optimally at a faster retrieve. In the vast environment of the United States, I figured the dead-slow action would yield poor results, so I’ve adjusted those baits to perform accordingly.
And - this is very important - regarding the wings of the M.L.W. crawler, with continuous normal use and the occasional accidental cast into hard surfaces, these factors will alter the wings’ original factory settings. As a result, the bait itself will potentially fall out of tune now and then. All it needs is a little adjustment to return it to its original setting. Once you’ve grasped how to adjust it, you’ll be able to tune the action, from a dead-slow crawl to higher paced retrieve settings, helping you adapt to the situation at hand. We’re planning on producing a video of how to tune this bait, so please stay posted.
Meanwhile, If you need help with any adjustments of your crawler, please send them to M.L.W. I will readjust them for you and send them back. There is no fee for readjustments, but we cannot be responsible for the shipping cost. If the wings or any parts need to be replaced, we have replacement parts for sale as well.
Do you believe the US can expect similar results on crawlers compared to what Japan has had?
A bass will be a bass no matter where in the world it lives, and although a fish’ ecology differs depending on the environment, I believe that a bass’ true nature does not change. So whether in the United States or in Japan, I think that an U.S.-made crawler will display its efficiency anywhere in the world.
What is next for M.L.W.?
My buddy Hiro is very fond of Black Dog Baits’ original Lunkerpunker. He would often tell me that he wants a Lunkerpunker with the face of a FP Crawler, as well as a request to create an easier-to-control Lunkerpunker type of bait with more splash control. I initially had to turn down his request since I couldn’t imagine any Japanese anglers would be interested in a giant topwater swimbait, let alone buying one. But with Hiro’s continued relentless requests, I finally gave in. I named this first prototype “SUSANOH” and is currently in the process of being tested. “SUSANOH” is the name of a wild and unruly god who appears in ancient Japanese mythology. Japan is currently in the middle of winter, so the testing phase has stalled, but we will resume development in the beginning of spring. Not only are we planning on testing this topwater swimbait here in Japan, but Hiro will be sending prototypes to his American friends to test them out in the U.S. Hiro has very high standards when it comes to baits - the completion date of “SUSANOH” will yet to be determined.
Our final words:
We at M.L.W. would like to deeply thank Swimbait Underground for shining a light on a local bait builder working from the Japanese countryside that’s only been in business for two years. Thank you very much for giving us a supporting hand, and to all the anglers who have enjoyed using M.L.W. baits.
Kazuhito Monma
Thank you for the interview Kazuhito. Be sure to follow Monka Lure Works on their Instagram page @monkalureworks.
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