You’ve got to love the Japanese. Not only for their discipline, ingenuity, technical nature, and dependable cars, but for other things too. I mean, what other country could withstand round after round of crippling pre-Pearl Harbor economic sanctions from the U.S., getting blown up to smithereens by a couple of our A-bombs, only to bounce back within a few short years fascinated with cowboy hats, idolizing Elvis Presley, and producing some of the best bass fishing lures the industry has ever known!
Jackall is evidence of Japan’s legendary craftsmanship for which they have become known. But don’t take my word for it… the point of this article is to give the manufacturers a stripped down, no-bull chance to state their case — the case for why their products are worth your money.
Who better to make the case for Jackall than tackle industry veteran Curt Arakawa, V.P. of Jackall USA and FLW pro Cody Meyer.
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FS: So Curt, what makes Jackall products so good? Let’s say I’m looking at a Brand A crankbait on the shelf for $5 and then right next to that is a $15 Jackall crankbait. Why shouldn’t I save $10 and get the cheaper one?
Curt: I think a lot of people haven’t tried Jackall because they are scared of the price. I guess they see it as a risk. But you get what you pay for. What Jackall tries to do is make things as good as possible without skimping on anything. It’s the philosophy they’ve had from when they first started. They are perfectionists.
Seiji [Seiji Kato, famed lure designer and founder of Jackall] is also one of the top tournament fishermen in Japan so he gets to test all his designs out in the tournaments first hand. Jackall doesn’t have to go through all the corporate layers to get stuff approved. If they want it, they get it. Any change needed can be made in the morning and tested on the lake the same day. They are the only company in Japan that is located right on Lake Biwa, which is a perfect testing grounds. You know, the tie for the world record came out of Biwa. They are set up to respond to the needs and feedback of the fisherman much faster. They also have the largest testing tank in Japan. It’s huge.
FS: So what are the tangibles? How does this break down for the average fisherman just looking to catch more fish and get the most bang for his buck?
Curt showing off the Jackall Soul Shad
Curt: Well, for the hard baits, you can cast them longer due to the advanced weighting system. Longer casts mean you’ll have more of a chance of catching fish if the lure is in the water longer. We don’t use cheap materials. We won’t just use lead. We use titanium, glass, tungsten, copper… whatever it takes to get the perfect balance or change the sound of the bait.
In Japan they actually study the sound of lures to figure out what bass are attracted to. A lot of consideration goes into the frequency of sound that the lure emits. They’ve figured out that bass respond to certain frequencies better.
We make products that you can use right out of the box. They run true and track great without needing to tune. We use Owner hooks in most of our baits, sometimes Gamakatsu in others. With other companies and cheaper lures, you sometimes go through two or three lures before you find the one that runs right. When you’re on the water and you lose a bait, you don’t want to have to tie on another one and wonder if it’s going to run right.
Jackall has unparalleled quality control. After the baits are painted, they go through a rigorous inspection. One time they sent 20 or so lures to me and told me to give them out. They said the lures were “flawed”, but I couldn’t find anything wrong with them. Not a thing. I passed them around to everyone else and nobody could find any flaws. It turns out the paint job wasn’t right. They’re so anal in Japan that they were somehow able to find a flaw. Everything they put out is perfect. There’s so much attention to detail.
FS: Do you think this level of perfection is necessary?
Curt: Yes — especially if you’re a tournament fisherman.
Jackall Aska
FS: So what’s the deal on the new Aska? Why not just buy a Strike King square bill or some other less expensive brand?
Curt: It took over 100 prototypes and 5 years of testing before coming out with the Aska. These baits are so thoroughly tested. When they hit the market, they are perfect.
FS: One thing I notice about the Aska and other Jackall crankbaits is how responsive and crisp the wiggle us. There is no startup “lag” in the action. The instant you pull it, it’s working 100%. That’s really important especially in a shallow diving crankbait like the Aska. Maybe you’ve only got a 12 inch window of opportunity where that lure needs to look right. You don’t want to waste 10 inches of that for the lure to find it’s rhythm.
Curt: You’re right. A lot of that has to do with the fiberglass lip. It’s a lot thinner. It gives it a faster, tighter wobble. A lot of people think it’s a circuit board lip, but it’s not.
FS: So it’s obvious Jackall has been pretty innovative in a lot of areas, but what about baits like the Bowstick or Soul Shad? Are these not just expensive versions of the Super Spook and Shad Rap?
Curt: Well, let’s take the Super Spook. It’s a proven bait. Guys will probably want to throw that for years to come. So whenever there’s a standard bait or shape that really can’t be improved as far as its basic design, Seiji will modify it slightly. He will weight it differently so it sits lower. It’s designed to walk really well. The Bowstick will actually make bubbles as it walks due to a little water tunnel that’s built into the belly of the bait.
Some of our baits will actually have more than one action. Our TN 70 lipless crank for example, it has a tungsten lip on it. That’s part of the extra cost, but it allows the bait to come through the water in a nose down angle so it comes through weeds a lot better, but it also allows you to fish it on the bottom without it falling over to its side. You can fish it at the bottom, just dragging it, and it kicks up silt behind it and it looks like a fleeing baitfish. So, there’s 4 ways to fish just that one bait. There’s a built in value that’s not first realized when looking at the bait in the package.
FS: So what you’re saying is that you’ll never be able to fully judge a Jackall product from just looking at it in the package?
Curt: Yeah. Most people miss the finer points of our products. If there’s one thing people can do, they can make a bait look good from the outside, but not everyone can do what we do to the inside of the bait. With the Soul Shad, it has a magnetic weight system. There’s a magnet inside so that when the ball hits the magnet, it stays in the center where it balances better. If you hold that bait and shake it, you can feel the weight go to the tail. After casting, the ball bearing rolls back to the center magnet so it balances better. You can actually fish the Soul Shad like a jerkbait or a crankbait, so it’s like two baits in one.
FS: You’ve got a point. It would be pretty hard to equal that kind of versatility with a regular Shad Rap. So, let’s bring Cody Meyer in on this. Cody, can you tell me a little bit about your history with Jackall?
Cody: I’ve been fishing with Jackall since 2007 and it’s really changed my fishing. People ask how it’s changed my fishing. Just the baits, concepts, the techniques… The Flick Shake for example… it allows me to fish at a whole new level. It gave me a better understanding of how to finesse fish. I first qualified for the FLW Cup in 2009 at Pittsburgh where I finished 3rd. I caught my fish on the Jackall Crosstail Shad there. That tournament is why I am where I am today. That one Jackall bait pretty much got me started and jumpstarted my career. Also, I took 2nd in the 2010 FLW cup. So just those two tournaments right there got me $175,000!
FS: What has been your experience with the new Aska?
Cody: The Aska is awesome! It has the perfect action. It deflects off everything and the fiberglass lip is indestructible. Where other bills break if you hit them, this one can be beat up… you can grind it on rocks… It won’t break. It’s just awesome. You can also put a bigger hook on it without worrying about tangling with the back hook or throwing off the action. It’s the perfect hook placement and design.
FS: What’s your favorite hardbait in the lineup?
Cody: Hmmm, probably the Bowstick. I’ve caught a lot of fish on that bait.
FS: What’s the one thing you would want other anglers to know about Jackall?
Cody: Until you actually fish with them, you don’t understand what you’re really getting. You don’t get the same effect with other baits. They’ve been so tested and proven. I’ve never had to tune a Jackall crankbait. It’s tournament ready and perfect right out of the package… every bait.
FS: What would you say to the angler who is interested in Jackall, but shies away due to the price tag?
Cody: You definitely get what you pay for. If you want something that’s going to catch more fish and be real high quality, that’s what Jackall is. You may spend $15 on one lure, but that one lure might get you that one extra fish that’ll win you 10 grand.
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So, there you have it. Jackall’s case has been made. The rest is up to you. My personal experience with Jackall confirms everything Curt and Cody have said. Jackall products look great on the shelf, but you really don’t appreciate them until you tie one on. These baits are made right.
Fish Strong!
