It stands up on the bottom, even in a winter crosswind. The final Jado Egi 3.0 V2 prototype on the first trip of the year in northern Kyushu
Jado Egi, the egi for targeting spear squid and Japanese flying squid from shore in midwinter, is about to gain a size 3.0 V2. Refined in response to requests from Hokuriku and northern Kyushu, the final prototype weighs 16 g, with a thinner, larger sinker set further forward so the egi stands up on the bottom and holds steady in a 5–6 m/s crosswind and cross current. In northern Kyushu at the start of 2026, Keystone evangelist Kubo fished it for the first time with salted kibinago wrapped on its back, and landed a good-sized bigfin reef squid and a spear squid (called sasa-ika in northern Kyushu).
What the Jado Egi 3.0 V2 is
Jado Egi is an egi built to take bait, for targeting spear squid and Japanese flying squid from shore in midwinter. The current range is size 3.0 in V0 (11 g) and V1 (12 g), and size 3.5 in V0 to V3. A size 3.0 V2 is about to join them. Since the 3.0 came out, anglers in Hokuriku (Toyama, Ishikawa, Niigata) and northern Kyushu (Yamaguchi through Kitakyushu, Fukuoka and Nagasaki) have asked for a slightly heavier version; after a year of adjustment, the final prototype was finished around December 2025. In northern Kyushu at the start of 2026, in a 5–6 m/s crosswind, Keystone evangelist Kubo fished it for the first time with salted kibinago wrapped on its back and landed a good-sized bigfin reef squid and a spear squid (called sasa-ika in northern Kyushu).
Field Data
- Country
- Japan
- Region
- Northern Kyushu
- Season
- Winter
- Target
- Spear squid (sasa-ika) / bigfin reef squid
- Wind
- Crosswind
- Lure
- Jado Egi / JetChaser
- Size
- 3.0 V2 (prototype, approx. 16 g) / 3.5 V2 (19 g)
- Method
- Jado eging (bait-wrapped, from shore)
- Angler
- Keystone evangelist Kubo
Line-up and design
On windy days and in fast-moving water, the key has been the 3.5 V2 (19 g); there is also a heavier 3.5 V3 (27 g). Kubo points to three things in the design of the 3.0 V2. First, the sinker is thinner, larger and set slightly forward: the 3.0 body has less volume than the 3.5 and so less buoyancy, and the sinker’s position and size make up for it. Second, the egi stands up on the bottom. A thicker, more compact sinker was an option, but it sometimes left the egi lying flat on touchdown, so the design that pops upright was chosen. Third, it weighs about 16 g, 17–18 g with bait. The jerk is light and the egi holds steady in a cross current, so it works from high footings and in spots with tidal flow.
One more was laid out as a test colour: JetChaser 2.5 Full Glow White / Yellow Glow Green (20 g). It is an idea for anglers who would rather not wrap bait, or find preparing it a chore; a small body carrying 20 g suits deeper water and windy conditions. Whether it goes on sale depends on this winter’s testing. The bait is salted kibinago wrapped on the back; how to wrap it and prepare it is covered in a separate record. Charge it with a light before casting and the appeal changes.
The Lure's Role
Jado Egi®
Jado Egi is an egi made so that bait can be wrapped on its back, for targeting spear squid and Japanese flying squid from shore in winter. Size 3.0 comes in V0 (11 g) and V1 (12 g); size 3.5 in V0 (15 g), V1 (16 g), V2 (19 g) and V3 (27 g) — size and sink rate combine to match depth, wind and current. The 3.0 V2 (prototype, about 16 g) weighs the same as the 3.5 V1 in a body one size smaller. The small body, with the weight and bottom posture of a 3.5 V1.
The day began with the 3.5 V2, checking how it held in the current, before moving to the final 3.0 V2 prototype. Its stability underwater felt just like the 3.5 V1, and it did not snag once all day. The good-sized bigfin reef squid that took it on the first cast, thrown outward, had chewed at the bait on its back — the wrapped bait doing exactly its job. The target spear squid (sasa-ika) was a single female, newly arrived and with eggs not yet mature. In January 2026 the water was one to two degrees warmer than usual, and the result matched the call: bigfin reef squid were responding better than spear squid.
From the Workshop in Arita
The egi used in this video are genuinely made in Japan — designed, engineered and developed at Keystone’s own factory in Arita, Saga Prefecture, the town of Arita porcelain. We put our soul into each and every egi.
MADE TODAY IN ARITA
Everything above is the record of this video: the first trip of 2026, 10 minutes 36 seconds. At the time of filming, the 3.0 V2 was a final prototype.
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