Daiwa Morethan Burst Upper 180F: A 60.5 g Topwater for Lunker Seabass Only

Autumn into early winter, lunker seabass come close to shore chasing gizzard shad and spawning sweetfish – the best chance all year to meet a really big one.

Right on time, Daiwa’s topwater Morethan Burst Upper has gained a surprising 180 mm, 60.5 g model. It ignores medium seabass and targets only lunkers over 80 cm – a very focused lure. Here is when I would throw it.

The Burst Upper is the topwater in Daiwa’s Morethan seabass brand, known for producing a “fish-catching wake” with nothing more than a cast and retrieve. It has grown through 80F, 110F and 140F; the 180F is the largest, supervised by Masaya Konuma and aimed at seabass over 80 cm.

All sizes compared

All floating. The 180F was released in September 2026, the 110F in April 2026. The 180F is about twice the weight of the 140F – treat it as a different lure altogether.

Features

1. A size that skips the medium fish and selects the lunkers

At 180 mm, medium seabass struggle to eat it and only big ones take it. The size matches lunkers feeding on big bait: juvenile mullet, gizzard shad, spawning sweetfish and halfbeak. According to Masaya Konuma, big fish can be suspicious of smaller lures and reluctant to bite; the 180F is designed not to put them off.

2. An I-shaped action with restrained roll

It does not over-swim: a straight, “I-shaped” action with the roll held back. Without flashy movement, pressured big fish are less likely to see through it.

3. A thick tail, unique to the 180F

The tail is thicker than on the other sizes. Even just floating, the eddy behind the tail makes it wobble naturally – it looks like weakened bait without being wound.

4. Rattles in every colour

Every 180F colour has a glass rattle. It clicks when you start winding, and when you start again after a pause, alerting seabass below the surface.

5. Mouth cup and moving weight

A shallow cup at the lower centre of the flat water-catching face throws sound and bubbles along with splash. Every size has a moving-weight system, so even the big 60.5 g body flies level and stable.

Why a “too big” lure works

Matching the bait is the rule in seabass fishing. But for autumn lunkers, selecting the size of fish matters too. Throw a 140 mm or 125 mm lure and 60 cm seabass often get there first. That is fun – but on a night when you only want a lunker, a lure too big for small fish to eat first is a weapon.

Lunker hunting is also about enduring the hours without bites. Few fish, but anything that comes is over 80 cm. The 180F is for anglers who can commit to that and keep throwing a big lure.

Compared with similar lures

1. Burst Upper 140F

The 140F, at 30.5 g, casts on a normal seabass rod – a big advantage. For all sizes of seabass, the 140F; for lunkers only, the 180F. I would start with the 140F, and switch to the 180F when the bait is big and big fish are clearly looking up.

2. Morethan Soft Wake 150F

Also from Morethan, an elastomer wake bait: 150 mm, 33 g, with a bellows tail that pulses even when stopped.

The Burst Upper makes fish break the surface; the Soft Wake gets them to eat just under it. On days fish will not commit to the top, use the Soft Wake; when they are hitting the surface, the Burst Upper.

3. Megabass Dog MAX SW

Also a surface lure, but the Dog MAX SW is a pencil you swing side to side with the rod – 130 mm, 33 g, and good for pelagics too. The Burst Upper is “just wind”; the Dog MAX SW is “work it with the rod”. For drifting in rivers and night fishing, the Burst Upper; for searching the surface widely by day on beaches and harbours, pelagics included, the Dog MAX SW.

How to fish the 180F

1. Dead-slow straight retrieve

The basic method: wind slowly, raising a wake as it comes. At night, slow is everything.

2. Drift

Let the river or tidal flow carry it without winding. Thanks to the thick tail, it wobbles even while drifting – a weakened baitfish.

3. Stop-and-go

Wind, stop, wind again. The rattle clicks as you start winding, so restarting after a pause is the prime bite moment.

4. Fast retrieve up-current in strong flows

In fast shallow runs, winding quickly against the current is said to work: the wake stays modest and the action stable.

Colours

Eight colours, all with rattles.

For the sweetfish pattern, Ochi-ayu without hesitation. For the gizzard shad pattern or river mouths at night, Lime Pearl Sand or Matt Lime Chart for a clear silhouette.

Tackle

60.5 g exceeds the lure rating of most seabass rods. Always check your rod’s upper limit. With lunker fights in mind, go heavier on line and leader too. (See how to set your drag.)

Things to note

• At 60.5 g, most standard seabass rods cannot cast it.
• 3,500 yen – the most expensive in the series.
• Medium seabass struggle to eat it, so it is not for numbers.
• Too big on days with small bait (tiny mullet, micro-bait).

Summary: a lure for anglers committed to lunkers

• 180 mm, 60.5 g, 3,500 yen; released September 2026.
• Supervised by Masaya Konuma, built for lunkers over 80 cm.
• I-shaped action, extra-thick tail, rattles in every colour.
• A size that selects big fish rather than numbers.
• Choose between it, the 140F, the Soft Wake and the Dog MAX SW by depth and situation.

The 180F is not a lure for everyone. But for anglers serious about lunkers, there will be moments when it feels like the only lure to throw. In gizzard shad and sweetfish season, raise a big wake at a river mouth at night.

Read next

• Japanese seabass in autumn
• Megabass Dog MAX SW
• Shimano Konoshiro Pencil 185F Slide Tune
• Daiwa Vertice R 156
• Eclipse Full Flow 120F
• Daiwa Morethan Soft Wake 150F
• Duel Sonic Boom SB Wake 165F
• Shimano 25 Exsence

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.