Daiwa Presso Step Dart 40S
The Daiwa Presso Step Dart 40S is a 1.5" 1/8oz "dart" lure with two single barbless hooks.
Almost from the very start of Finesse-Fishing.com, people have asked me if I was going to carry Japanese lures. The Daiwa, Shimano and Forest spoons have been extremely popular - and extremely effective. I am pretty sure the Daiwa Presso Step Dart 40S will prove to be just as effective - especially for larger fish.
As with the spoons, the Daiwa Presso Step Dart 40S does not have treble hooks. After a trip to Montana in which I hooked two trout that managed to get four of the six hooks on a pair of trebles firmly stuck in their mouths, which took much too long to remove, I decided I would not carry lures that had treble hooks. (I eventually bowed to customer demand and started importing lures with trebles, but I tape a single hook to each package to encourage fishing with single hooks.)
Although lures that come with single hooks or a pair of single hooks are hard to find in the US, they do exist in Japan, where they are often required for fishing in "Areas" (managed, stocked pay-to-fish lakes). Some streams in the US are restricted to flies or single-hook lures. The Daiwa Presso Step Dart will not require replacing hooks to fish in those streams.
Daiwa Presso Step Dart 40S with front hook removed for fishing in a "single barbless hook" stream.The first time I used a Daiwa Presso Step Dart 40S I was fishing one such stream. Because of the single barbless hook regulation, I removed the front hook. As you can see from the photos below, the rear hook was sufficient to hook and hold nice fish.
Daiwa Presso Step DartThe spoons are less expensive, but the Step Dart has a completely different action. It has a fast wobble on a steady retrieve - which is effective at drawing trout from quite a distance. With a stop-start, jerky retrieve, the Step Dart does indeed dart to the left and right, almost like taking steps (probably why it is called a Step Dart). That action can mimic a fleeing crawfish or sculpin, and seems to convert followers into takers.
It is also completely unlike the steady speed and straight line retrieve that most spin fishermen use when fishing spinners. If you want to show the fish something they've never been caught with before, show them something that other fishermen don't use!
Daiwa Presso Step DartI have been very impressed with the Daiwa Presso Step Dart 40S - not only with its effectiveness but also with the size of fish it has caught.
Barbless hooks come out of the net easilyIf you fish in places were there isn't a single hook restriction, you will find that some fish will get hooked on the front hook. You will also find that the barbless hooks are very easy to remove from your net. That is another reason not to use plugs with two sets of barbed trebles!
Length 1.5" Weight 1/8 oz
The Step Dart comes with front and rear single barbless hooks.
If the button says Add to cart, the item is in stock.
Shipping to US address - $5 via USPS Ground Advantage
Header photo: Tenryu Rayz RZ4102B-UL, Shimano Calcutta Conquest BFS-HG ('17)
Warning:
The hooks are sharp.
The coffee's hot.
The fish are slippery when wet.
Seriously, all the hooks sold on Finesse-Fishing.com, whether packaged as loose hooks or attached to lures, are dangerously sharp. Some have barbs, which make removal from skin, eyes or clothing difficult. Wear eye protection. Wear a broad-brimmed hat. If you fish with or around children, bend down all hook barbs and make sure the children wear eye protection and broad-brimmed hats. Be aware of your back cast so no one gets hooked.
Also, all the rods sold on Finesse-Fishing.com will conduct electricity. Do not, under any circumstances, fish during a thunder storm. Consider any fishing rod to be a lightning rod! Fishing rods can and do get hit by lightning!
Whatever you do, do it with finesse!