HINOTSU - BALLISTIC METAL LEAD 55g/75g/95g/120g/150g SQUID HOOK SQUID BAIT SQUID FISHING

Hinotsu Ballistic Metal Lead 55g / 75g / 95g / 120g / 150g Squid Jig

The Ballistic Metal Lead is the metal-and-lead jig at the centre of ika-metal fishing — the boat method where a weighted metal squid jig is dropped straight down and worked vertically, rather than cast and swum like a traditional sutte. The slim, bullet-shaped body sinks fast and keeps the line close to vertical, which is what lets it reach squid holding deep or sitting under current that would sweep a cloth-bodied sutte off the mark. Luminous and reflective finishes with 3D eyes give squid something to home in on at depth or under boat lights, and the stainless crown hooks hold without tearing. Five weights from 55g to 150g cover slack tide on shallow ground through to a fast drift over deep water.

Key Features

• Streamlined ballistic body — fast sinking and a stable posture in current
• Five weights: 55g, 75g, 95g, 120g and 150g for different depths and drift speeds
• Luminous and reflective finish for night fishing and low-light depth
• 3D eyes and colour patterns RH (red head), RHYB and BHBG
• Stainless steel crown hooks for a secure hold with minimal tearing
• Lead body with a tough coating for repeated saltwater use

How To Fish It

• Choosing the weight — Pick the lightest jig that still keeps your line near vertical. As a starting point: 55–75g for shallow ground or slack water, 95–120g for moderate depth on a working tide, 150g for deep marks, running current or a boat drifting fast in wind. If line streams out at an angle and you cannot feel bottom, go heavier; if the jig drops like a stone and bites are absent, go lighter.
• Ika-metal versus traditional candat sotong — Traditional candat swings several sutte through the light line on a stiff rod and heavy line. Ika-metal uses a short light rod with a soft solid tip, thin braid, this metal jig at the bottom, and one dropper sutte on a short branch 30–50 cm above it. The squid usually takes the dropper; the metal gets the rig down and gives it rhythm.
• The retrieve — Drop to the bottom or to the depth showing squid, lift with small sharp shakes over 3–5 turns of the handle, then stop dead and hold for 3–10 seconds. Squid attach on the pause, not on the shake. Search upward in stages until you find the holding depth, then work that band.
• Never strike, never stop winding — A bite feels like added weight, or a tip that simply fails to spring back. Lean into it slowly to load the rod — do not swing — then wind at one steady speed all the way to the boat. Any pump-and-drop puts slack in the line and the squid pulls free, because crown hooks have no barbs.

Target Species By Region

• Southeast Asia — Sotong (bigfin reef squid) and cuttlefish on night boat trips from Malaysian, Thai and Indonesian ports, and deeper drifts over reef edges and wrecks where lighter sutte cannot hold.
• North America — Market squid and Humboldt squid on Pacific night trips, and squid taken as fresh bait on the same drifts that produce rockfish and lingcod.
• Japan & East Asia — The home ground of ika-metal: kensaki-ika and yariika from Sea of Japan and Kyushu boats, plus aoriika where the drift runs too deep or too fast for shore eging.
• Australia, Middle East & Europe — Southern calamari and arrow squid off Australian and New Zealand boats; cuttlefish in the Gulf; European squid and cuttlefish on Mediterranean and Atlantic night marks.

Specifications

Colour codes: 01 - RH, 02 - RHYB, 03 - BHBG.

Recommended Pairing

• A short ika-metal or light boat rod with a soft solid tip, rated to carry the weight you intend to fish
• PE 0.4–0.8 braid with a 2–3 m fluorocarbon leader of similar breaking strain — thin line is what keeps the jig vertical
• A small 2000–3000 size spinning reel or a light baitcaster with a smooth, low start-up drag
• One dropper sutte on a short branch line 30–50 cm above the jig; carry a luminous and a non-luminous pattern for each weight