Some lure companies quickly gain a reputation based on creative design. Others gain notoriety through pure fish-catching power. Still others gain fame just because the baits look cool. We recently found one bait that combines all three of these factors. Kanji International, Inc. is out of Hartsdale, N.Y., but its baits are built in Japan.

The company has taken precision craftsmanship, intricate paint schemes and body designs, plus unique action, and developed a line of lures that is unmatched in the industry. From spinnerbaits to creatively painted tungsten weights and frogs, Kanji has hit the mark dead-on.

A recent addition to the Kanji line is a combination jerk- and wakebait called the Accel Jerk Fyra (joint minnow). This four-jointed, 40-gram jerkbait is not for the timid. It looks natural in nine eye-catching colors, but also incorporates #4 Cultiva Hooks, side-to-side swagger derived the rear joints and an up-down motion that stems from the head design. The unique action makes this bait a shallow-water killer for spring bass. It's also great for cold-water and open-water applications where jerkbaits have grown more popular.

The line tie, which is located approximately 1/4 inch below the nose, allows the bait to be twitched or cranked and because it's jointed, it also has a unique rattle not found in other jerkbaits. Our favorite colors for our tests were bluegill and shad, and another standout feature is the large, parabolic glass eyes. To sum it up, this bait flat-out angers bass. We found it gets hits while moving or suspending and one of the best applications we found was waking the bait just under the surface the stopping it dead. Fish blast this bait and the blowups are phenomenal.

The jointed feature of the Fyra makes the bait lifelike even when at a standstill and creates a convincing imitation of a dying or wounded shad. The floating model can be fished to a depth of 4 to 6 feet on 12-pound mono, and will dart below the surface (1 to 2 feet) on braid. And it's virtually indestructible because it's built with Kanji Tungsten X-Metal technology.

The entire Kanji line looks more like art than something you'd throw at a little green fish, and the Fyra makes us hungry to throw it in pre- and early spawn conditions. These baits can be purchased through the BassFan Store beginning in mid-December.