Tiny Fish. Big Adventures.
JUSTFISHINGLOL began with a simple realization: some of the most memorable fishing experiences do not require big water, expensive equipment, or a trophy-sized catch.
Sometimes an adventure begins beside a narrow creek, a quiet pond, a roadside canal, or a small patch of water that most people pass without wondering what might live there.
How It Started
In 2021, during a difficult season in my life, I found myself returning to a river near home. One day, I noticed an older angler fishing nearby with a short rod. He caught a tiny fish, released it gently, and lowered his bait back into the water. There was no hurry, no score to keep, and nothing to prove. Just patience, attention, and a small piece of water.
I began learning about Tanago fishing and the wider world of micro fishing: short rods, delicate floats, fine lines, and hooks small enough to almost disappear beside a grain of rice. What began as curiosity became a way to slow down, look closer, and breathe a little more easily.
From Personal Interest to JUSTFISHINGLOL
In 2023, I officially began operating JUSTFISHINGLOL with friends who shared the same quiet enthusiasm. Many people were curious about micro fishing but did not know where to begin. Product names could be confusing, Japanese hook patterns were difficult to compare, and beginners often did not know which parts they really needed.
JUSTFISHINGLOL grew from one simple idea: small-water fishing should feel approachable, not complicated.
We want to help people discover micro fishing, understand the equipment, choose a practical setup, and receive real help when questions come up. The goal is not simply to sell more gear. It is to share a different way of experiencing water: one built around curiosity, simple equipment, and overlooked species.
Why Small Water Matters
Large lakes and famous rivers can be beautiful, but they are not the only places where fishing can feel exciting. Some of the best discoveries happen in water that looks almost too small to hold fish.
Micro fishing makes familiar places interesting again. It gives us a reason to explore the creek behind a neighborhood, the edge of a city pond, a quiet harbor, or a tidal pool found during a family trip. It can be shared with children and friends, or enjoyed alone on a day when you need to slow down and pay attention to something small.
What We Do
Today, JUSTFISHINGLOL brings together rods, rigs, hooks, floats, bait, storage, field tools, and other equipment for Tanago fishing, micro fishing, and small-water exploration. Not every product has the same origin, and we believe those differences should be explained clearly.
JFL Originals
JFL Originals are products developed, assembled, organized, or refined around the way we believe small-water fishing should work: approachable, compact, practical, and supported by clear information. The label does not mean every component was handmade by us. It means we take responsibility for how the product is designed, assembled, selected, explained, or supported.
Selected Gear
Some products are made by other manufacturers. We carry them because they serve a useful purpose in a micro fishing or fixed-line setup, and we present them honestly as selected gear rather than something made by JUSTFISHINGLOL.
JFL Workshop
JFL Workshop is our growing home for handmade and small-batch fishing gear, including handmade rods, wooden tackle boxes, and fishing tools made by us, commissioned from craftspeople, or personally reviewed and selected by JUSTFISHINGLOL.
Handmade should never mean vague. Customers deserve accurate dimensions, honest descriptions, realistic production times, photographs of the actual product or a clearly identified representative example, and clear information about how each item is intended to be used.
Learning Alongside Our Customers
Many of our most useful improvements come from conversations with customers. A question about rig length can become a guide. A damaged rod tip can show us where instructions need to be clearer. A customer photograph can introduce us to a species or fishing environment we had not yet encountered.
Through our Field Guide, videos, product instructions, and customer support, we keep testing, learning, listening, and improving.
Based in China, Connected by Small Water
Our operations and fulfillment are based in China, and we serve anglers around the world. Micro fishing may look different from one place to another: bitterling in a quiet pond, shiners and sunfish in an American creek, gobies beside a harbor wall, or a pocket rod carried during a hike or family trip.
The species, equipment, and water may change, but the curiosity is the same.
Our Story So Far
2021 — Discovering small water and the quiet practice of Tanago fishing
2023 — JUSTFISHINGLOL officially begins
Today — Building the next chapter through JFL Originals, thoughtfully selected gear, practical Field Guides, and JFL Workshop
A Note from Jason
I did not start JUSTFISHINGLOL because I believed fishing needed to become bigger, more expensive, or more serious. I started it because small fish, simple equipment, and overlooked water brought something important back into fishing: curiosity, and a little more quiet.
Whether you are catching your first minnow, building a tiny fixed-line rig, carrying a pocket rod on a trip, or choosing a handmade piece that may stay with you for years, I hope JUSTFISHINGLOL helps you notice more, explore more, and enjoy the water in your own way.
Thank you for trusting us and for becoming part of this continuing adventure.
Jason Leeky
Founder, JUSTFISHINGLOL
Explore JFL Originals
Read the Field Guide
JFL Workshop — coming soon