DECOY - VJ-31B VIOLENCE BALL JIG HEAD MADE IN JAPAN

Decoy VJ-31B Violence Ball Jig Head — Made In Japan

The VJ-31B Violence Ball is the plainest head in Decoy's bass range, and that is the point of it. A ball head has the least surface area of any shape for its mass, so it casts well for its weight, sinks fastest per gram, and can be dragged, hopped, swum or shaken from any angle without planing off line. Where the VJ-31B differs from an ordinary ball is the balance: Katsuichi bias the weight rearward, so the head holds a horizontal swimming posture through a curve fall and breaks into a spiral on a free fall. That is a lot of control from a basic shape — swim a 4 inch grub on a straight wind, then curve-fall or spiral-fall a 4 inch straight worm on the same head simply by changing how much line you give it. The "Violence" half of the name is the wire: a strong-gauge hook meant to hold a big fish without bending, not a finesse blank. Black nickel finish; Masaki Shimono's basic select model.

Key Features

• Ball head — lowest water resistance for its weight, fastest sink per gram, works from any retrieve angle
• Rear-balance design holding a horizontal swimming posture through a curve fall
• Spiral action on a free fall, so one head covers three presentations
• Strong-wire hook specified to handle big fish without opening
• Double keeper for easy rigging that stops soft baits sliding down the shank
• Black nickel finish; store range is #2 at 0.9 g and 1.8 g

Choosing Between Decoy's Bass Heads

• Ball (VJ-31B) — the neutral shape: the plastic supplies the action, the head only controls depth and fall.
• Football (VJ-70 Powerful Egg, VJ-73 Egg Two-One) — wider than tall, sits upright and crawls rock; heavier weights, for dragging bottom.
• Guarded and finesse (VJ-75 Plus Guard, VJ-74 Plus Magic) — a weed guard for pitching into cover, or a finely stepped weight ladder for pressured fish. The VJ-31B is the stronger-wire, open-hook alternative in the same light weights.

How To Rig It

• Thread the bait straight — Enter the nose square, run the hook down the body's centre line, bring the point out on top and seat the plastic back onto the double keeper. Rigged off-centre it spins and the fall is lost.
• Swimming a grub — Count down to the level holding fish, then wind just fast enough to keep the tail thumping. The rear balance keeps the head level so the grub swims rather than nose-dives.
• Curve fall — Cast past the target, keep a tight line and let the head swing back on a pendulum. Takes register as the line stopping short or moving sideways.
• Spiral fall — Feed slack and let a straight worm drop on a free line. The head rotates and the tail follows — a different look for fish that have seen a straight drop all day.

Target Species By Region

• Southeast Asia — Hampala barb (sebarau) in rocky rivers, peacock bass and tilapia around reservoir stickups, small barramundi (siakap) and mangrove jack at jetties.
• North America — Largemouth and smallmouth bass on grubs and straight worms, plus crappie, perch and walleye on the same fall-based presentations.
• Japan & East Asia — Reservoir and canal black bass, the fishery this head was developed for; also kasago and mebaru on rock where a strong-wire head suits.
• Australia, Middle East & Europe — Australian bass and estuary perch around snags; perch, zander and chub in European lakes, rivers and canals.

Specifications

Model VJ-31B Violence Ball. Made in Japan by Katsuichi (Decoy).

Recommended Pairing

• Light to medium-light spinning or bait finesse rod with a tip that loads on 1–2 g
• PE 0.3–0.8 braid with a 4–10 lb fluorocarbon leader, or straight 4–8 lb fluorocarbon
• 3–4 inch grubs for swimming, 4 inch straight worms for curve and spiral falls
• 0.9 g in shallow or calm water, 1.8 g for depth, wind or current