DECOY - DJ-89 TACHI PIKE HOOK MADE IN JAPAN

Decoy DJ-89 Tachi Pike Hook — Made In Japan

"Tachi" is short for tachiuo, the Japanese cutlassfish (largehead hairtail) — a ribbon-thin fish with a mouth full of blade-like teeth. "Pike" is the name of a hook shape in Decoy's range, not a species. The DJ-89 Tachi Pike is the member of the Pike assist family built for that fish and for the other sharp-toothed species alongside it, such as Spanish mackerel (sawara) and frigate mackerel.

A cutlassfish presents two problems no ordinary assist rig solves. The first is that it cuts: teeth that shear through braid will part a standard assist cord in one bite. The DJ-89 answers this with a 49-strand SUS304 stainless steel wire assist in place of braid — enough strands to stay supple and let the jig move naturally, but with the strength to survive a large cutlassfish or a sawara closing on it. The second problem is the body shape: a long, slender fish that bites at a jig rather than engulfing it rarely presents its jaw where a single fixed hook waits. The answer is the stepped wire system — the hooks are set at different distances along the wire rather than side by side, so a bite anywhere along the jig meets a point. The hooks are Pike AS-03, chosen for fast, low-force penetration, and the rig runs at the nose or the tail.

Within the Pike range the DJ-89 is the toothy-fish specialist. The DJ-88 Twin Pike is the general light jigging twin on braid, the DJ-79 Long Pike is the long single for slow work, and the DJ-100 Grand Pike is the heavy-wire power version.

Key Features

• Stepped (offset) wire assist system for the cutlassfish's biting attack
• 49-strand SUS304 stainless steel wire in place of braided assist cord
• Bite-resistant against cutlassfish and Spanish mackerel teeth
• Pike AS-03 hooks for smooth, fast hook-ups
• Can be fitted as a front hook or a rear hook

How To Rig It

• Front hook on a cutlassfish jig — Split-ring it to the nose eye. The stepped hooks cover the front and middle of the jig body, which is where a biting take usually lands.
• Rear position — On the tail ring it covers fish hitting the back of the jig; front and rear together is a common cutlassfish setting over clean bottom.
• Work the column — Cutlassfish suspend at a depth that shifts through the day. Count the jig down in stages, jerk it back through each layer until you find the level, then repeat that count.
• Do not skip the leader — The wire assist protects the rig, not the line. Use a heavy fluorocarbon leader or a short wire trace above the jig, or a cut-off will still take the whole lure.

Target Species By Region

• Southeast Asia — Cutlassfish (ikan timah / layur) off jetties, harbour walls and inshore boats, plus Spanish mackerel (tenggiri) and barracuda on jigs where the teeth would cut a plain assist.
• North America — Atlantic cutlassfish, king mackerel and bluefish off Florida and the Gulf; barracuda on jigs off both coasts.
• Japan & East Asia — The home use: tachiuo jigging from boat and breakwater, plus sawara and hagatsuo on the same casting jig tackle.
• Australia, Middle East & Europe — Spanish mackerel and hairtail off northern Australia; kingfish (kanaad) in the Gulf; bluefish and bonito in the Mediterranean.

Specifications

Model DJ-89 Tachi Pike, made in Japan by Katsuichi (Decoy).

Recommended Pairing

• Light jigging or casting jig rod rated to roughly 60–120 g, 3000–4000 reel
• PE 0.8–1.5 braid to a 30–50 lb fluorocarbon leader, or a short single-strand wire trace
• Metal jigs of roughly 30–100 g in a slim cutlassfish profile
• Heavy-class split ring at the jig eye; keep spares, as teeth mark the wire