Behind Daiwa’s Laser Impact® Technology

FOOTHILL RANCH, CA – Julio T. Buel is generally credited with developing the first fishing spoon, which hit mercantile shelves around 1848. The story goes that he deliberately dropped a dinner spoon in the water, it flashed and wobbled on its tumble and was struck by a fish. Eureka!

Centuries before, Nordic anglers were making lures from iron, bronze, and copper, using their flash and flutter to imitate baitfish. So, this concept of fish responding to flash is nothing new.

Fast forward to the roaring 2020’s, and the ambassadors of innovation, DAIWA, introduced the most advanced delivery mechanism for flash ever introduced into a lure: LASER IMPACT®.

LASER IMPACT’s ability to broadcast reflected light is unequalled in modern manufacturing. Hard stop.

At the epicenter of LASER IMPACT are three-dimensional, pyramid-shaped polyhedrons embedded within the lure’s body – a polyhedron is a three-dimensional geometric shape with flat faces, straight edges, and vertices. The assembly is engineered to reflect light in multiple directions, not just a single plane, creating a natural and highly realistic visual effect that closely resembles the flash and flicker of live baitfish.

The LASER IMPACT prism captures and reflects light in a full 360-degree pattern, too, making the bait visible from all directions, significantly increasing its drawing power over the two-dimensional foils found in most lures.

The combination of the pyramid-shaped polyhedrons and a built-in mirror reflector inside the lure results in intense, high-brightness flashes. These flashes can be seen from a distance and are also effective at attracting fish even in deep, shaded, and nighttime environments, as well as in stained and murky water. Even the slightest amount of light activates the LASER IMPACT prism.

“LASER IMPACT provides an incredible level of visibility to fish,” said DAIWA Field Marketing Manager, Chris Martin. “The prism captures and reflects light 360-degrees, vastly widening the field of visibility.” Compare that to your average flash foil that kicks light in one or two directions – maybe the wrong ones.  

DAIWA currently offers a quartet of lures with LASER IMPACT technology. Although engineered for saltwater fishing, they’ve proved equally as effective on freshwater game species.

LASER IMPACT LAZY FASHAD 90S

DAIWA’s LASER IMPACT LAZY FASHAD puts the personality of a swimbait in a saltwater-grade twitchbait and incorporates a sluggish slalom.

On a straight retrieve, the LASER IMPACT LAZY FASHAD winds through the water like a relaxed baitfish – one destined to become a meal. The floating lure dives up to three-feet when engaged, precise depth dictated by the speed of retrieve and weight of the line, thinner pulling deeper.

And, unlike a swimbait motoring with limited wobble, the LASRE IMPACT LAZY FASHAD rolls and shows its sides while in motion, broadcasting a subdued flash that says come and get me. 

The LASER IMPACT LAZY FASHAD’s curious slalom action is produced by a conspicuous fin centered on the head of the bait – sort of looks like a miniature aquatic rhinoceros. Despite the diminutive nature of the fin, though, it really moves the bait around.

The innovative lure can be fished more aggressively, too. Technically considered as a twitchbait, snapping the LASER IMPACT LAZY FASHAD affects a sudden dive followed by a slow rise on the rest. And, because of the fin, each pull sends it in another direction. Essentially, it’s two lures in one: a slow swimmer and a ripper.

Internally, the LASER IMPACT LAZY FASHAD features a dual-purpose metal ball chamber. On the cast, it’s a weight-transfer system to impart exceptional launch distances, even bucking the wind. While retrieved, it emits subtle ticks that produce auditory responses – strikes – from inshore predators like redfish, trout, jacks, snook, calico bass, and others. 

Externally, the durable LASER IMPACT LAZY FASHAD sports refined cosmetics, to include realistic eyeballs, gills and mouthparts, and scale patterns that capture light and throw color. Choose from a palette of proven saltwater patterns, including 3D KONOSIRO, SKELETON CHART BACK, SKELETON RED HEAD, SKELETON MULLET, HOLO SARDINE, and PINK CLEAR HOLO.

LASER IMPACT LAZY FASHAD 90S FEATURES:

• Unique rolling and slalom swim
• Can be fished slow or fast
• Floats and dives up to three-feet
• Size: 90mm (3.5-inches)
• Weight: ¾-ounce
• Hooks: premium #3 trebles
• LAZER IMPACT 360-degree reflective technology

• Durable body
• Realistic eyeballs, mouthparts, and gills
• Detailed scale patterns
• 6 colors: SKELETON CHART BACK, SKELETON RED HEAD, SKELETON MULLET, HOLO SARDINE, 3D KONOSIRO, PINK CLEAR HOLO

MSRP $16.99

LASER IMPACT LAZY FASHAD 100S

The imaginative lure designers next introduced the four-inch LAZY FASHAD 100S, a slightly larger and sinking version of the original with the same proprietary LASER IMPACT® technology. 

LASER IMPACT LAZY FASHAD 100S FEATURES:

• LAZER IMPACT 360-degree reflective technology
• Slow sinking
• Unique rolling and slalom swim
• Can be fished slow or fast
• BKK 3X Hooks for superior holding power and higher hook-up rate.
• Durable ABS plastic body
• Realistic eyeballs, mouthparts, and gills
• Detailed scale patterns
• SIZE: 100mm (4-inches)
• WEIGHT: 21.3g (¾-ounce)
• COLORS: CHART HEAD MULLET, CHART HEAD SARDINE, BLUE PINK, RED HEAD, and MAX LASER

MSRP $24.99

LASER IMPACT Salt Pencil 110F

DAIWA champions hybridization. Their engineers merge the strongest genetic traits from different lure classes to create something exceptional. And that’s precisely what you have in DAIWA’s LASER IMPACT Salt Pencil 110F, the result of crossing a topwater popper with a twitchbait.

“It chugs and pushes water like a topwater but also darts and can go subsurface like a twitchbait,” explained DAIWA Field Marketing Manager, Chris Martin. “Its combined action and ‘utility sizing’ make it effective for saltwater species like redfish, snook, seatrout, and stripers, as well as largemouth and smallmouth bass in freshwater.”

The most prominent physical feature of the 4.5-inch LASER IMPACT Salt Pencil 110F is its gaping mouth and flared gill design. “The idea is to take water through the mouth and out the gills to amplify the lure’s action and surface turmoil,” said Martin. From a resting position on the surface, a quick jerk pushes a wake forward, while water also travels through and out the gills, creating secondary mayhem in the form of a bubble trail.

“The bubble trail it leaves behind is unlike anything else on the market,” said Martin of the LASER IMPACT Salt Pencil 110F’s unique talent.

Technique-wise, rhythmically walk-the-dog on the surface while the lure belches water. For heightened drama, rip the LASER IMPACT Salt Pencil with some haste, and send the bait subsurface in a trail of alluring bubbles. 

Construction attributes include the LASER IMPACT Salt Pencil 110F’s wire-through design. Unlike the typical topwater – where hooks are affixed to the body alone – DAIWA runs stout wiring from the line-tie, through the body, and all the way to the rear. The hooks are then anchored by the wire and capable of taking tremendous strikes. The hooks themselves are BKK 3X treble hooks, which are known for their strength, corrosion resistance, and reliable hookups. 

Internally, the LAZER IMPACT Salt Pencil 110F houses a rear weighting system that serves three key purposes. For one, the supplemental weight augments casting distance, stability, and accuracy, even breaking headwinds. The weighting also intensifies the lure’s side-to-side sashaying on the retrieve. Lastly, the precisely-positioned weight drops the rear while the lure rests on the surface, tempting fish to inhale what appears to be a hobbled baitfish.

LASER IMPACT Saltwater Pencil 110F FEATURES:

• Aggressive topwater
• Panicked baitfish action
• Water-through gill system creates splashes and gurgles
• Durable wire-through design
• LAZER IMPACT 360-degree reflective technology
• Tough ABS body
• BKK 3X treble hooks
• LENGTH: 4.33″
• WEIGHT: 1.5 OZ.
• DEPTH: Surface
• COLORS: CHART HEAD MULLET, CHART HEAD SARDINE, BLUE PINK, RED HEAD, and MAX LASER

MSRP $22.99

LAZER IMPACT Switch Hitter

It’s sleek but muscular 3 ¾-inch baitfish silhouette says jerkbait, aka twitchbait, but its effective range and locomotion shatter the norms. “The LASER IMPACT Switch Hitter’s performance is something altogether new, and based on testing and feedback, something fish have been craving,” said DAIWA Field Marketing Manager, Chris Martin.

“We call it a ‘tail-sliding’ action,” Martin continued, referring to the lure’s amplified action. “You don’t have to work the Switch Hitter as rapidly, because as you twitch the bait, the tail inherently follows the direction of the head, but as it slows down, the tail moves naturally to the other side and readies to dart again.”

So that’s the twitch of it. But don’t dare categorize the LASER IMPACT Switch Hitter as a garden-variety slow-sinker – it’s neither. “Purposefully, it falls faster than your average sinking twitchbait, which lends the opportunity to fish the Switch Hitter at a variety of depths,” said Martin. “It’s proven effective on west coast calico bass in over 20-feet as well as Gulf of America redfish and trout in less than 5-feet. The Switch Hitter is that versatile.”

Perfectly balanced, the LASER IMPACT Switch Hitter holds optimal position regardless of how deep you fish it. “It stays upright and stable while shimmying its way down,” noted Martin. “No cartwheeling or twisting.”

Balanced jigs, like the Rapala Jigging Rap, have been popularized for casting and aggressively snapping off the bottom to trigger walleyes, perch, and bottom-ranging bass. DAIWA’s LASER IMPACT Switch Hitter adds another dimension to the technique. “While a balanced jig will swing and hastily glide back to the bottom, the Switch Hitter, after a hearty snap, will flutter back to the bottom while holding its horizontal posture and kicking color and light everywhere,” explained Martin. “And, because it drops slower than a conventional balanced jig, fish have that extra second or two to strike.”

Snap jigging with a twitchbait? Now that’s pretty cool. 

Casting power is another hallmark of the LASER IMPACT Switch Hitter. Its compact aerodynamic body and precision weighting combine to create a surface-to-sea missile. It casts fast and heavy and straight as a blow dart, no tumbling. The Switch Hitter also slices wind like an Aogami knife, making the athletic bait a prolific weapon for surf casters as well.

LASER IMPACT SWITCH HITTER 85S FEATURES:

• Quick sinking twitchbait
• Rolling and tail-sliding action
• LAZER IMPACT 360-degree reflective technology
• Tough ABS body
• BKK 3X treble hooks
• LENGTH: 85mm/3.5in
• WEIGHT: 2.3g/.72 oz.
• DEPTH: 3’ to 20’
• COLORS: EMERALD AYU, COTTON CANDY, BLUE PINK, SARDINE, MAX LAZER, and RED HEAD

MSRP $18.99

For Daiwa’s latest color catalog and/or information on Daiwa dealers in your area, call Daiwa’s Customer Service Department at 562-375-6800 or e-mail inquiries to: CSR@Daiwa.com. The URL for Daiwa’s web site is daiwa.us.

About Daiwa

Daiwa’s first spinning reel rolled off the assembly line in 1955. Since then, the company has grown into one of the largest and most influential tackle companies in the world today. To handle sales and distribution in the United States, Daiwa Corporation first opened its doors on September 26, 1966, operating from a small facility in Culver City, California. Today, based in Foothill Ranch, California, Daiwa Corporation sells tackle throughout the United States, Canada, Central and South America. From the very beginning, Daiwa’s emphasis has been upon innovation and quality. The result is a long list of product features, design and materials that have become standards for the fishing tackle industry. Daiwa’s long-standing record of innovation has left a visible mark on the majority of tackle manufactured today and continues to advance the sport of fishing. Learn more at daiwa.us.