Ultra-Realistic Premium Handcrafted Baits by Japanese Artisans: Maki Handmade Lures Have Arrived!
We've received a limited quantity of Maki Handmade Lures' most premium offerings featuring Hakusei finishes, each meticulously crafted by Japanese artisan! These rare baits are impossible to mass-produce, as they require several hours of precise craftsmanship to apply carefully selected genuine fish skin to the balsa wood body. Due to the small workshop size, most models won't be restocked until spring, so don't miss out!
1. What is HAKUSEI Finish?
HAKUSEI means ‘taxidermy’ in English. Taxidermy is a preservation technique used for creating animal specimens for academic research, display, and appreciation. Hakusei finish refers to the meticulous process of hand-applying real fish skin to the bait body.
The stunning beauty achieved through this process far surpasses that of mass-produced painted baits. The natural silver scales create a unique shimmer and texture, with delicate color gradations that will take your breath away. In sunlight, these baits become even more spectacular as the scales produce subtle shifts between silver and iridescent hues depending on the angle.
2. Natural Fish Skin Creates Authentic Flash and Realistic Appearance
Beyond aesthetic beauty, Hakusei finish outperforms conventional painted baits functionally. Using real fish skin produces incredibly natural flash that artificial paint simply cannot replicate, effectively drawing in bass from a distance. This is particularly effective in clear water and bright sunlight conditions.
Of course, when bass approach, the ultra-realistic appearance triggers strikes without hesitation.
3. Available Colors: HAKUSEI WAKASAGI and HAKUSEI HIMEMASU
This time, we’ve received two colors—the core of Maki Handmade Lures’ HAKUSEI series: HAKUSEI HIMEMASU and HAKUSEI WAKASAGI.
[ HAKUSEI HIMEMASU ]
The Himemasu, or “Princess Trout,” is a delicate freshwater fish native to Japan, and its name captures both grace and elegance—hime meaning “princess,” and masu meaning “trout.”
It is a landlocked form of sockeye salmon, known academically as the kokanee salmon, but unlike its ocean-going relatives, the Himemasu is smaller and more refined in appearance—thus its fitting name, symbolizing a small yet beautiful presence.
Found only in the pristine, cold lakes of northern and mountainous Japan, this rare fish is admired for its ethereal charm. Its silvery body subtly blushes with pale red hues during the spawning season, blooming like a single flower on the surface of a quiet lake.
This understated beauty, rooted in the Japanese aesthetic of wabi-sabi, is a quiet, natural elegance—far from flashy, yet deeply captivating.
Maki Handmade Lures has reinterpreted the serene beauty of the Himemasu in their HAKUSEI HIMEMASU color. Each lure is handcrafted using real Himemasu skin, carefully applied scale by scale.
The base is a soft, matte silver-white, with delicate natural scale patterns emerging beneath the surface. Depending on the light, gentle reflections shimmer across the body, revealing subtle shades of lavender and blue along the back and sides—just like a fish swaying beneath the surface.
This depth, this shifting interplay of color and light, is something that simply cannot be replicated with paint or print. It’s not just a color—it’s the living essence of the Himemasu, preserved and transformed into beauty.
[ HAKUSEI WAKASAGI ]
The Wakasagi—a slender silver fish whose name literally means “public fish”—has long been cherished in Japan. Once presented as a delicacy to the imperial court, its name reflects not only tradition but also a deep connection with the Japanese winter lifestyle.
These fish are most famously pursued through holes in frozen lakes, a wintertime ritual across Japan. From late autumn through spring, they form large, glittering schools in clear lakes and ponds, casting a soft silver glow across the water—an image of serene beauty drawn by nature itself.
Maki Handmade Lures captures this pure, natural beauty with HAKUSEI WAKASAGI, crafted using real Wakasagi skin applied by hand, one scale at a time. No artificial coating could ever replicate the overlapping hues or the way light subtly bleeds across the surface—this is realism born of nature.
The base is a pale white with a hint of translucent yellow, offering a clean, glass-like clarity. Along the back, a dense bronze-brown gradient flows into the sides, giving the body a three-dimensional presence. Iridescent flashes of soft lavender and blue shimmer across the sides, while a bold blue-gray stripe running down the center brings definition and presence.
The ultra-fine texture of the scales creates delicate flashing with every shift in light—just like the flicker of a real fish gliding through water.
First arrival features skin from Wakasagi*, a flash-producing baitfish that maximizes the effectiveness of the Hakusei finish (*Wakasagi is a silver-colored native Japanese baitfish known for its flash).
(Pthoto: Premium Wakasagi skin, hand-selected for quality)
4. Introducing Two Available Series
For our first arrivals of 2025, we’ve prepared two series.
ST Series
This is Maki Handmade Lures' basic minnow model. True to the philosophy of Maki Handmade Lures—“We never make a lure that only looks real but doesn’t move like a real fish”—this model is tuned for a natural wobble at slow retrieves and a rolling wobble at higher speeds. It’s easy to use—just a steady retrieve is enough to mimic a fleeing baitfish.
Available in two stunning lifelike color patterns: HAKUSEI HIMEMASU and HAKUSEI WAKASAGI.
It comes in four sizes: 65mm, 75mm, 95mm, and 110mm, covering everything from creeks trout to big lake monsters.
TR Series
First released in 1998, the TR Series is the signature topwater-bait from Maki Handmade Lures. Originally developed to target smallmouth bass feeding on baitfish near the surface, this lure has quietly gained a following among trout anglers. In recent years, it’s been used as a secret weapon for tempting big trout that hunt young trout during the spring and summer.
(Photo: The scars from a trout’s strike make it even more special.)
What makes the TR truly stand out is its unique curved body. Designed to catch fish even when left untouched, it floats with a natural tilt, showing its side just beneath the surface—perfectly mimicking a dying baitfish drifting with its last bit of strength. Even when left motionless, its arched body gives off the illusion of a dying baitfish’s final flicker of life. This eerie realism comes from the body’s intentional arch, crafted to trigger strikes from cautious predators.
And of course, with a light twitch of the rod, it comes alive with a wide, belly-flashing walk-the-dog action that draws explosive strikes. Its “so-real-it-works-even-when-doing-nothing” performance has earned it a loyal following among hardcore anglers. In fact, the design is so iconic that a major Japanese bass lure brand once released a lure with an almost identical look.
5. Next Restock Not Until End of 2025
Due to Maki Handmade Lures' small workshop setup, carefully selected fish skins, and meticulous artisan crafting of each bait, production quantities are limited. Most models won't be restocked until end of this year, so don't miss this opportunity!
6. Great as Display Pieces and Gifts for Fishing Friends
(Photo by MAKI HANDMADE LURES)
These Hakusei finish baits transcend mere fishing tools, representing items of exceptional value. As premium handcrafted baits by Japanese artisans, these masterpieces combine unmatched beauty and functionality that mass-produced items simply cannot achieve. While the natural flash from genuine fish skin proves devastating on the water, their visual appeal makes them equally suitable as display pieces. These baits, combining artisanal craftsmanship with natural beauty, are more than fishing tools - they're pieces of art. As gifts, their premium quality and unique character make lasting impressions.
7. About Maki Handmade Lures
Maki Handmade Lures has been crafting handmade baits since the early 2000s in Utsunomiya City, Tochigi Prefecture, about two hours from Tokyo. In this quiet, nature-surrounded environment, artisans carefully handcraft each bait, achieving quality and attention to detail impossible through mass production. They particularly excel at leveraging Japanese craftsmanship and extensive experience for meticulously calculated designs and finishes.
Maki Handmade Lures' artisans aim to deliver surprise and excitement to anglers. In their words,
"We strive to create baits that first amaze visually while remaining easy for anyone to use. We want customers to experience that 'Wow!' moment of excitement when they first see and touch our baits."
Indeed, our staff was breathless when first handling these baits.
Born in Utsunomiya City, Tochigi Prefecture - a quiet town known for lake trout fishing - this brand deeply understands angling enjoyment and continues providing trusted products to anglers. From performance as fishing tools to the special value felt from first touch - that's the magic of this brand's baits.
