When asked to describe the meaning behind the name of the company he works for, Ever Green International president Toshiya Hashimoto explained it this way: “It means, ‘Always new, always fresh ideas.’”
It’s that way of thinking that drove Japanese tackle company Ever Green to partner with Daiwa Corporation in an effort to ramp up distribution of Ever Green’s baits in the U.S. and Canada. The first wave of Ever Green baits are expected to be available on this side of the Pacific in September.
Elite Series pro Brett Hite, an Ever Green pro staffer, sat in on the sales meetings and helped select the baits that will be initially available. Ever Green, among the most popular tackle companies in Japan, earlier this week launched its U.S./Canadian website, which features more details about the hard baits that will be available.
Below is a quick summary of what’s coming to America and Canada:
> CR Series crankbaits: Ever Green fans will recognize these as the popular Combat Cranks, but the name was changed for the U.S. and Canadian markets. The baits have been unaltered from what anglers find on the shelves in Japan. “This is their bread and butter line in Japan,” Hite said. “They have a huge weight-transfer system so they cast like a bullet and they have a unique swimming motion as opposed to a side-to-side action.”
Here’s a breakdown of the CR series compared to the Japanese models:
> CR-2 (small square-bill): 2 1/4”, 7/16 oz, 1-2 feet diver (Hite favors this around wood and other shallow cover such as cypress knees)
> CR-4 (square-bill): Same as Combat Crank 120 (2 1/4”, 7/16 oz., 2-3 feet)
> CR-6: Same as 180 (2 1/4”, 7/16 oz., 4-6 feet)
> CR-8: Same as 250 (2 1/4” 1/2 oz., 5-8 feet)
> CR-10: Same as 320 (2 1/2”, 9/16 oz., 8-10 feet)
> CR-16: Same as 480 (3”, 15/16”, 14-16 feet)
> WH Series crankbaits: Known in Japan as the Wild Hunch series, these baits wobble and roll over rocks and wood. “These are going to be popular baits,” Hite said.
> WH-3: Same as Wild Hunch SR (2”, 3/8 oz., 2-3 feet)
> WH-5: Wild Hunch (2”, 5/16 oz., 4-5 feet)
> WH-8: Deeper version of WH-5 (2 1/3”, 9/16 oz., 6-8 feet)
> SH-3 crankbait: Hite and Justin Kerr were the key point men on this bait’s development. It has a more bulbous body and is a little heavier (11/16 oz.) than the CR-2 or CR-4. It’ll run at 2 or 3 feet deep. “It was a real wide wobble,” Hite said. “I designed it for fishing grass and it thumps really hard so when it gets stuck in a few strands of grass you can snap it free.”
> Ever Green will also have a lipless crankbait – the ZE-73 – that was designed by Morizo Shimizu. It weighs 3/4 oz. and measures 2 7/8”. “It almost feels like a ChatterBait,” Hite says. “It has a real heavy thump.”
> In addition, Ever Green is planning to release a popper-style topwater along with a silent, walking bait and its popular Shower Blows pencil bait for topwater fans. A pair of spoonbill jerkbaits will also be part of the first group of baits.
“At least two years goes into the development and testing of each bait,” Hite said. “All of Ever Green’s baits are pro-designed.”
To learn more about Ever Green's offerings in the U.S. and Canada, click here.
