Ajing Lures
Soft Baits, Jigheads, Action and Everything You Need to Know
Ajing lures are small, highly specialised lures designed for the ultra-light presentation that makes Ajing so effective. But an Ajing lure is not simply a small soft plastic.
Its softness, buoyancy, size, colour and behaviour during the fall can completely change how fish respond to it.
This is especially important when targeting horse mackerel (Aji), which feed by suction and can be extremely sensitive to the way a lure behaves in the water.
At Ajing Store, we spend a lot of time testing these small differences because, when fishing with extremely light jigheads, small differences become big differences underwater.
What Is an Ajing Lure?
An Ajing lure is an artificial lure designed to be presented using the light tackle and highly controlled techniques associated with Ajing.
Most Ajing lures are small soft plastics, often used with very light jigheads.
However, what makes a good Ajing lure is not simply its size.
A good Ajing lure needs to work with the jighead and the conditions to create the presentation you want.
Important characteristics include:
softness
buoyancy
size
shape
action
colour
fall behaviour
how it interacts with the jighead
This is why two soft plastics that look almost identical in the packet can behave completely differently once they enter the water.
Ajing Soft Baits
Soft baits are at the heart of Ajing.
They are normally extremely small compared with conventional saltwater soft plastics and are designed to be used with very light jigheads.
For me, softness is one of the most important characteristics of an Ajing soft bait.
Horse mackerel feed by suction.
When the fish attacks the lure, it sucks it into its mouth rather than simply biting it aggressively.
If the soft bait is too stiff, it doesn't fold naturally when the fish takes it.
That can create the classic Ajing problem: You feel the bite, but the fish doesn't hook. This is particularly noticeable with smaller horse mackerel.
When the fish are larger, they have a better chance of engulfing the entire lure. With smaller fish, the softness of the bait can make a significant difference.
Looking for the right soft bait for your next Ajing session? We stock a carefully selected collection of Japanese Ajing and LRF soft baits, including ultra-soft profiles from Clear Blue, TICT, Bait Breath, Arukazik Japan and other specialist JDM brands. Explore the complete Ajing Soft Baits collection
This is one of the reasons I prefer genuinely soft Japanese Ajing plastics rather than simply choosing the cheapest small soft bait available. If you want to understand why Japanese tackle is so different and why these design principles matter in Ajing, read our full article on What Makes JDM Tackle Different for Ajing.
You can save money on lures, but you can’t get back a day of fishing without a single fish. A quality lure isn’t an expense, it’s an investment in the days you’ll remember.
Ajing Lure Buoyancy
One of the most overlooked characteristics of an Ajing lure is whether it sinks, floats or remains close to neutral buoyancy.
There is a very simple way to investigate this before you even go fishing. Take a small glass or container and fill it with saltwater. Then place the soft bait inside without a jighead. Watch what it does.
Does it sink? Does it float? Does it remain almost suspended?
This simple test can tell you a lot about how the lure may behave once you add a jighead.
A Sinking Ajing Lure
If the lure naturally sinks, I generally prefer a lighter jighead when I want to fish the lure during the fall. The lure already has its own downward movement.
Adding unnecessary weight can make the presentation fall too quickly. The lighter jighead can give you a slower, more natural fall while still allowing you to reach the area where you believe the fish are feeding.
The important part is the last point: The jighead still needs to be heavy enough to reach the fish.
There is no benefit in using an extremely light jighead if your lure never reaches the feeding zone.
A Floating Ajing Lure
If the soft bait naturally floats, the opposite can be useful.
A slightly heavier jighead can bring the lure down and create the fall you need.
The combination of: floating soft bait + jighead weight can produce a very different presentation from: sinking soft bait + light jighead.
This is why I don't select an Ajing jighead independently from the soft bait.
I look at the two as one system.
A Suspended Ajing Lure
If the soft bait remains almost suspended in the water, this can be particularly interesting when fish are feeding from below upwards.
This happens regularly when targeting horse mackerel.
Instead of constantly falling through the water column, the lure can remain longer in the area where the fish are feeding.
That can make a suspended presentation extremely useful in the right situation.
Ajing Lure Size
If I had to choose one size as the most versatile starting point for Ajing, it would be approximately:
2 inches
A 2-inch Ajing soft bait gives you a very useful balance between:
profile
attraction
movement
casting
hook presentation
versatility
But size should always be related to the conditions.
Calm and predictable water
When the water is calm and predictable, I often reduce the lure size.
For example: 1.6 inches and in some situations: 1.2 inches, can make a significant difference.
More disturbed water
When the water becomes more active, I normally increase the lure size.
A larger profile can make the lure easier to control and maintain a more visible presence in moving water. However, when I am specifically targeting Ajing, I personally don't go beyond approximately 2.2 inches.
The objective is still finesse.
Ajing Lure Action
The action of an Ajing lure is just as important as its size.
When specifically targeting horse mackerel, one of my favourite presentations is very subtle. I cast the lure and allow it to fall while keeping the line controlled.
During the fall, I make very small movements with the rod tip.
I'm not trying to make the lure dart aggressively.
The idea is more like:
shake → fall → shake → fall
The lure continues its natural descent while receiving tiny vibrations from the rod tip.
This creates a subtle signal without destroying the natural fall of the lure.
For me, this is particularly effective when I am specifically looking for horse mackerel.
Ajing Lure Action for Horse Mackerel
There is an interesting difference between a subtle presentation and a more aggressive darting action.
In places where horse mackerel are competing with other species, I've found that a more stationary and predictable presentation can produce more horse mackerel.
When I make the animation more aggressive, closer to a darting action, other species can become more interested.
So if my objective is specifically: horse mackerel I generally prefer: small movement + controlled fall + predictable presentation.
The goal isn't to make the lure move as much as possible.
It is to make the lure behave in a way that matches what the fish are responding to.
Ajing Lure Colours
Colour becomes particularly interesting around dusk and at night.
Personally, I have had very good results with glitter colours during the beginning of the night and during the transition from daylight to darkness.
My three personal choices for a night Ajing session would be:
I also particularly like Orange Glow and Clear Blue's Glow colours during the night.
Other colours I consider essential to have available include:
green
blue
transparent orange
transparent colours with glitter
UV finishes
Glow finishes
The idea isn't to carry every colour available.
It is to have enough variation to change the visual presentation when the conditions or fish behaviour change.
For a deeper look at how different colours perform and which patterns are worth having in your Ajing tackle box, read our dedicated guide to the best soft bait colours for Ajing.
5 Ajing Lures I Would Start With
If I wanted to build a small but versatile Ajing lure selection, these are five soft baits I would start with.
My first choice when I want to find out whether there are horse mackerel in the area.
This is my search lure.
If there are mackerel around, however, be prepared to lose them quickly.
Sometimes it really can be: one mackerel → one soft bait.
Another excellent 2-inch option.
I particularly like it when I believe mackerel may still be present but want something slightly less fragile than the Sexy-B.
My choice when the horse mackerel are smaller and I want to introduce a little more animation.
The smaller profile is particularly useful when the fish are difficult or the water is calm and predictable.
I like the Brilliant when the fish are feeding more actively during the retrieve rather than primarily during the fall.
It gives me a different presentation from my more fall-oriented soft baits.
This is useful when I want to change the visual presentation.
It gives me access to different glitter combinations and colours that aren't always available in my other main choices.
Find Your Next Ajing Soft Bait
From ultra-soft 1.2" and 1.6" finesse baits to versatile 2" and larger profiles, our collection covers different Ajing conditions, presentations and fishing styles.
Ajing Lure + Jighead: One System
One of the biggest mistakes beginners make is choosing the soft bait first and then simply attaching whatever jighead is available.
I don't look at it that way. I think about:
Soft bait
Buoyancy
Jighead
Water
Depth
Fall speed
Fish behaviour
All of these factors determine what the fish actually sees.
For example:
A naturally sinking soft bait with a 0.2g jighead can behave completely differently from a floating soft bait with the exact same jighead. The weight may be identical.
The presentation isn't.
What Makes Ajing Lures Different?
The real beauty of Ajing is that the lure can be incredibly small and yet incredibly sophisticated.
A difference of: 0.2g in jighead weight, 0.4 inches in lure size, or a small difference in softness can completely change the way the lure behaves.
This is why Ajing is not simply about using the smallest lure possible.
It is about understanding what the lure is doing underwater.
And once you start paying attention to that, Ajing becomes much more interesting.
Final Thoughts on Ajing Lures
There isn't one universal best Ajing lure. There is only the lure that gives you the right presentation for the situation you are fishing.
In calm, predictable water, I often go smaller.
In more disturbed water, I increase the size enough to maintain control.
When targeting small horse mackerel, softness becomes extremely important.
And before changing your jighead, lure or colour, sometimes the most useful thing you can do is simply put the lure in saltwater and watch what it actually does.
Understand the lure first. Then choose the jighead.
That is one of the simplest ways to start understanding Ajing.
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