Daiwa Flat Junky Rodem 4 Review: A Flatfish Soft Plastic That Stays on the Hook

Jig-head soft plastics are the easiest flatfish lures to fish well – but anyone who has used them on a beach knows the annoyance: after a few casts, or one short bite, the plastic slides down the hook and the lure swims crooked. Daiwa’s Flat Junky Rodem is one of the more serious attempts to fix that, with a jig head that holds the plastic in three places.

Flat Junky is Daiwa’s flatfish range; in Japanese it is written with the characters for hirame and “mania”. This review covers the 4-inch Rodem 4.

What it is

• A 4-inch plastic for the middle to late season, when bait is bigger. Mainly for flounder and flathead. (A 3-inch Rodem 3 also exists.)
• Duck Fin Tail – a tail shape inspired by a water bird’s webbed foot. It grips water, so it kicks even on a very slow retrieve and while falling.
• Three worm keepers on the jig head, which is what stops the plastic sliding.
• Bottom Touch Sensor – a head design that makes the moment of touchdown easier to feel at long range.
• Two line eyes (2-Way) – one for running deeper, one for keeping it higher in shallow water.

Specification

Colours cover gold, sardine, kisu (Japanese whiting), glow, matt pink and UV “real” sardine and kisu patterns.

How it fished

It spins in the air on a full cast

Many modern lures are designed to fly straight. The Rodem tends to rotate in flight when you put everything into the cast, which costs some distance. A smoother cast helps.

Very good range control and feel

On the retrieve, it is easy to keep it at the depth you want, and you can feel the tail working through the line. It is a lure you can fish while picturing exactly what it is doing – which I enjoy.

Lots of flash – and an awkward size gap

There is a lot of glitter in the plastic, which reflects light and adds appeal. The flip side: on days when fish will not take the 4-inch but the 3-inch feels too small, the Rodem 4 can look bigger than it is, and that made it harder to use in those in-between conditions.

So it shines when fish are active: use the two line eyes to search a lot of water, shallow and deep.

How to fish it

1. Straight retrieve just above the bottom – enough on its own most of the time.
2. No bites? Add irregular pauses, let it fall, or use a tension fall (letting it sink on a tight line) so the tail keeps kicking on the drop.
3. Still nothing? Drop to the Rodem 3 or change colour.

How it compares

The plastic most Japanese surf anglers learn on is the DUO Beach Walker Haul. The Rodem is the one to try if you keep losing time to plastics sliding down the hook, or if you want the option of two running depths from one head. For other soft-plastic options, see five lures for Japanese flounder.

Verdict

The Rodem 4 does what it promises: the plastic stays put, the tail works at slow speeds, and the feel through the line is excellent. It is not the longest-casting plastic, and it can be too much lure on fussy days. Keep a few Rodem 3s alongside it, and it is a strong tool for active flatfish across a wide beach.

Read next

• DUO Beach Walker Haul review
• Five lures for Japanese flounder from the beach
• Japanese flounder (hirame): a guide for visiting anglers
• Shimano Nessa Spin Breeze review
• Water temperature for surf fishing

MINAGIMAN

JAPAN ANGLER

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Born in 1994. Originally from Hyogo Prefecture, I moved to Iwata City in Shizuoka Prefecture in search of the sea. I am an Enshunada surf angler who enjoys surf fishing. I am also active on YouTube, and my fishing grounds range from Irago to Iwata.