Biwaa hard swimbaits: What first caught our eye were Biwaa's multi-jointed hard swimbaits which featured extremely realistic patterns. These swimbaits feature a solid plastic body sections that are held together with a mesh woven fabric. use of fabric versus traditional plastic swinging joints gives the lure a more natural S-Swimming action. When we asked about the durability of the mesh we were told that the breaking strength was approximately 50lbs., which is more than most hard hinged baits which crack under that pressure.

All of these swimbaits feature premium treble hooks composed of Japanese steel and are black nickel finished. The split rings are stainless steel and pressed to re-enforce their strength.

The finish on these baits are extremely impressive and each swimbait is painted one by one with a multi-layered painting process that includes airbrushing. For durability each bait is then finished with a double layer of varnish. These baits come in a variety of form factors including baby pike, sunfish/perch and trout styles. When we asked about availability we were told the company was setting up distributors in the U.S. and the baits would retail for around $30-$38 dollars depending on style and size. Not bad at all!

SubMission: Biwaa also offers a soft plastic swimbait called the SubMission which features a large paddle style tail that creates a subtle lazy kick as the lure is retrieved. This lure is designed to entice fish to strike in clear water conditions.

The SubMission utilizes a thru-wire construction to achieve the highest durability and the internal stainless steel wire harness has a 1.5mm diameter making the lure very hard to pull apart. The bait can be rigged with two hooks on this wire and will be available unrigged in two packs or rigged as a single lure. Each bait is 8 inches in length and is available in varying styles including slow sinking, sinking and fast sinking actions. Each rigged SubMission will retail for around $21 dollars

Both the multi-jointed Hardbait and the SubMission both look like very interesting offerings that exhibit excellent construction at reasonable prices. We look forward to seeing these French lures come to U.S. shores in the very near future.