Sawamura One Up Shad 7" – 180mm Big Fish Soft Lure

The Sawamura One Up Shad is one of the most popular soft lures in France, yet here in the UK I still think these outstanding paddle tails deserve far more recognition!

The big 7" (180mm) version is a serious lure designed for anglers targeting larger predatory fish. With its substantial baitfish profile and incredibly natural swimming action, it's a fantastic option for big bass, pollack and other powerful predators, particularly when fishing deeper water, reefs and wrecks.

What makes the One Up Shad so special is the remarkable softness of the material. Even in this large 7" version, the body remains beautifully supple and the paddle tail responds to the slightest movement.

This means you can fish a substantial soft lure at surprisingly slow speeds without losing that lovely tail action. There's no need to wind quickly just to get it swimming, which is a huge advantage when you want to keep your lure working slowly through an area holding fish.

Like the smaller One Up Shads, this model also features its own distinctive scent, very similar to the aniseed-style scent of the legendary Megabass Xlayer.

The 7" One Up Shad can be fished on a conventional jig head, a hook-out style jig head or rigged weedless for working around rougher ground. It's a very versatile large soft lure, but getting the hook size right is particularly important with something this big.

Mick's Tip – Choosing the Right Hook

With a lure this size, you need a substantial hook to ensure the point sits in the correct position and has enough clearance to hook larger fish properly.

For weedless fishing, you'll generally need a 7/0, 8/0 or even certain 10/0 hooks, depending on the design and the fish you're targeting.

My recommendations are:

• Decoy Worm 26 Magnum 8/0 – An excellent choice for unweighted weedless rigging.

• Decoy Worm 126 Magnum 8/0 – The weighted version, ideal when you want a little more casting weight or need to fish deeper.

• Xorus Texas Power 7/0 – A great matching weedless jig head for this lure.

• Hook-out style jig heads – A suitable 6/0 can also work very well, depending on the head design.

Don't be afraid to fish this big lure slowly. That incredibly soft paddle tail is one of its greatest strengths, even when targeting larger predators.

Specifications

• Length: 180mm / 7"

• Weight: 32g

• Type: Scented soft plastic paddle tail

• Action: Extremely supple body with excellent tail movement at slow speeds

• Quantity: 3 lures per packet

• Recommended weedless hook sizes: 7/0–10/0, depending on design

• Hook-out jig heads: Suitable 6/0 models

• Ideal for: Larger bass, pollack and other predatory fish