IMA is a spectacular Japanese brand of lures mainly focused on saltwater game. Inspired by the word, Imagine, the aim of the company was to develop products that work hand in hand with the angler's Imagination which has no boundaries. Lure fishing is all about using your imagination. There are no hard and fast rules when it comes to lure fishing. Imagination was also the driving force behind the creation of its products. With bold designs and new concepts in lure technology, the people behind IMA Company created cutting edge products that delivered results like no other lures in the market. It is easy to recognize an IMA product with their distinctive finishing, ‘pac-man’ eyes and unique color coordination.
Creating a premium lure brand today is not easy, IMA staff were hand-picked from amongst the best graduates who majored in the fields of marine engineering and marine science. As a bonus, some of them were already keen anglers before they got the job which many of us would die for. The amount of research and development efforts put in by the company towards its products is indeed impressive. IMA company uses only the best of everything, investing heavily in CAD software and state of the art CNC machines.
The outlook and image of the company reflects very well the character and style of its creator, my dear friend Mr Igarashi San. Those people who know him will understand what I mean. A well dressed gentleman with good taste and class, he sets very high standards on himself and believes in attaining only the highest quality possible. This man is literally the essence of high quality. There is a marked resemblance between the company image and its owner, they both exude the same high levels of charm and grace. With such a capable man of excellent character standing at the helm of the company, I am surely looking forward to exciting new products from this most forward company.
IMA lures have a well deserved reputation in Japan as a hot favourite for sea bass hunting. In just a few short years from the launch of their first product in APRIL 1998 - IMA KOMOMO. They quickly rose to become one of the top lure brands in Japan, carving a niche for themselves in the saltwater sector. Today, there is a very impressive range of IMA lures for almost every saltwater situation imaginable. New lures are regularly being introduced to cover BAY AREA, FLAT FISH, LIGHT SALTWATER GAME, SALTWATER JIGGING. This company never stops moving. New lure designs, accessories, limited edition colours are constantly being introduced every 3 months. Daunting tasks such as changing the entire existing range of lure colours every 1-2 years are considered normal.
It was with a fair bit of luck on how IMA lures got to Singapore. After 2 years of relentless pleading, IMA finally agreed to let us represent them in Singapore and the rest of South East Asia. On August 10th 2006, the first shipment of IMA lures arrived in Singapore. A certain group of hardcore anglers that form the backbone of the lure angling fraternity of Singapore were the first to try out these new lures. Catch reports came in fast and furious. The IMA SASUKE 120 worked wonderfully well on our very own local seabass ( barramundi) population. By word of mouth, the reputation of IMA spread like wild fire amongst the Singapore lure anglers. Like the IMA Gunpeki for example, it quickly overtook the competition and established itself as the most popular and effective jig in the local market.
Over the next 2 years that followed, Ima lures featured heavily as the ammunition of choice for lure anglers. With each new discovery of “what works for what”, the anglers literally drove themselves into a frenzy ‘sweeping’ up the lures before the stocks ran out. And yes, the stocks did ran out for prolonged periods of time as IMA struggled to keep up with the overflowing demand in Japan, there was just not enough lures for export purposes.
It was undeniable that many memorable fish were landed on Ima lures in Singapore. Typically, the Barramundi brigade would pursue their midnight madness to the wee hours of the morning, followed by another motley crew of Ima Lurers ready to rock the schools of Queenfish at the break of dawn. We probably witnessed the hottest Barramundi and Queenfish sessions ever recorded in Singapore over the last 2 years. ( I know what you are thinking, we will go into details later on when the photos are ready. ) Silently in my heart, I felt that IMA lures played a major part for the record breaking catch rates. For years, we always knew the fish were there, but it was never possible to go out and catch as many fish back then. It is impossible to put a definite answer there, but for all those who were present during the ‘good old days’, I would leave it to you to judge for yourselves.
A surprising side of things was that IMA lures were also wrecking havoc on the freshwater predators of Singapore. Ima lures originally meant for saltwater fishing, were outperforming many of the regular top performers in a big way.
Just like it happened in Japan, in just 2 short years, Ima lures have become firmly established amongst the lure anglers of Singapore. I have never before seen the general level of confidence and expectations of lure anglers so high. And from what I see, much credit has to be given to IMA lures for being a major contributing factor. To a point that many anglers has this crazy belief that if the fish were there, one of the Ima lures will get the job done. It would be quite impossible to find a regular lure angler without a single Ima lure in his lure box these days in Singapore.
This web blog is dedicated to IMA and the anglers of Singapore. Firstly, it will showcase the highlights of the past 2 years catch reports on IMA lures by our local boys. I always believe that photos tell the best stories. Here, you will see just for yourself just how effective IMA lures have been on the local fish population. This web blog will also be the link for Singapore lure anglers to show the world the kind of fishing that we have here in Singapore. Secondly, It will be an information centre for IMA lures with direct regard to the local fish species and recommendations for ‘what Lures catch what species of fish’. Lastly, it would serve as a journal in writing to track the fishing quality and catch rates of lure fishing in Singapore. My dream is that some day, we can track the fishing cycles and make some kind of analysis as to ‘what happens when’, why some months or years are better than others and so on.
Here, I invite YOU to follow me and even be a part of this journey. I would appreciate any material contributions in writings or photos to increase the contents of this site. There is only so much I can do alone, but with your help, this site will go a long way and serve as a place where we keep good memories alive.
To my thinking, IMA lures has started a lure fishing revolution, a revolution that will someday change the lives of lure anglers all around the world. For those who do not know yet, I feel this revolution has already begun amongst the anglers of Singapore. Let us look forward to many more good years of fishing to come.
