2026.10.07

Shimano Exsence Konoshiro Pencil 185F Slide Tune: A Gizzard Shad Lure for Big Seabass

minagiman

Every autumn, huge schools of konoshiro – gizzard shad – push into Japanese bays and river mouths, and the biggest seabass of the year follow them. Fishing that “konoshiro pattern” with big lures has been a craze in Japan for about a decade. The result: the fish have seen a lot of big lures, and simply throwing one out and winding it does not work like it used to.

Shimano’s answer is the Exsence Konoshiro Pencil 185F Slide Tune, a reworked version of its well-known 185 mm gizzard shad pencil. Here is what changed and why it matters.

Contents

What was wrong with the original
What the Slide Tune fixes
Specification
Colours
When to use it
- A simple way to fish it
- Tackle
Verdict
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What was wrong with the original

The original Konoshiro Pencil 185F was good, but it had a habit: on a slide action, the head would dive. That made it hard to work well unless you had a lot of time on it. It also sat tail-down when you paused – and the pause is often exactly when a following seabass decides. A big shad hanging at an unnatural angle gets refused.

What the Slide Tune fixes

A cleaner slide. The action changed from a sharp “quick turn” to a smoother, wider slide that stays stable. It is easier for anglers of any experience to work, and easier to lead a following fish into a bite.
Near-level on the pause. When you stop, it holds close to horizontal – like a weakened shad – instead of dropping its tail.
Tungsten rattle. Louder than the old rattle and better for weight balance, so it can call fish even from inside a big school of real bait.
Seabass-specific hooks. Finer-wire trebles than other Konoshiro Pencil models: they penetrate more easily and get inhaled more easily, so more bites turn into hook-ups. Less water resistance also makes the action more responsive.
Scale Boost finish – realistic scales that reflect light like a real baitfish.

At 78 g it casts easily and flies stably, which also reduces tangles – not a small thing with a lure this size.

Specification


Model	Shimano Exsence Konoshiro Pencil 185F Slide Tune
Type	Floating
Length	185 mm
Weight	78 g
Casting distance (Shimano test)	57 m
Swimming angle	17 degrees
Hooks	#2/0 x 2
List price (excl. tax)	3,500 yen
Released	October 2024

Colours

Colour	Notes
Konoshiro	The natural gizzard shad – start here
Matt Chart	High visibility for stained water and low light
Florida	A bold attractor pattern
Orange Konoshiro	Shad pattern with an orange belly for murky water
Watermelon (Suika) Konoshiro	Green-and-red shad variant
Clear Konoshiro	Subtle, for clear water and pressured fish

When to use it

This is a lure for one job: the late-autumn gizzard shad run, typically November on the Pacific side. When shad schools bulge the surface in a bay, harbour or river mouth, big seabass are usually underneath. The rule of thumb is big bait, big lure – and with shad you run the lure right through or under the school, not along its edge. (The full month-by-month picture is in Japanese seabass in autumn.)

A simple way to fish it

Start with a straight retrieve to find the depth and speed the fish want.
Add slides – rod twitches that kick it side to side – to show a fleeing shad.
Pause between slides. With the Slide Tune, the pause is a strength: it hangs level, like an injured fish.

Tackle

A 78 g lure needs a rod rated for it – a dedicated big-bait seabass rod or a shore-jigging rod in the MH-H range – and a reel in the 4000-5000 class with PE 1.5-2. Standard seabass rods rated to 40-50 g are not enough.

Verdict

The Slide Tune takes a proven gizzard shad lure and fixes the two things that cost bites: an unstable slide and a tail-down pause. If you fish the late-autumn shad run for big seabass, it is the version to buy. If you do not fish that pattern, this is not a general-purpose lure – but for that one window, it is a serious tool.