Was there life before the Japanese wobblers Jackall TN? Oh yes. There is also after.

I owe it to you last article, referring to the Japanese TN wobblers, with little history about the company Jackall. I admit, the wave and the mirage of the story had taken me a little at the expense of some information, I say, at least as precious as the TN wobbler in the kit of any predatory fisherman. So back in the past and the future, Let's discover the unexpected!

Seiji Kato, Toshiro Ono, Jackall and the Japanese wobblers

Jackall Lures was founded by Seiji Kato and Toshiro Ono, in 1999, both bass anglers, both in Japan and in the United States. From the first product created, the slender 3-inch Cross Tail Shad lure, to the latest, the quality and helping fishermen catch more fish have been Jackall's priorities. Seiji Kato's creativity and innovation quickly propelled him to the top of the world's most famous lure designers, a place more than deserved with James Heddon and Lauri Rapala, who were also his idols. But in fact, it all started in 1991, of course, with other Japanese wobblers.

Before the Japanese wobblers Jackall was Daiwa TD Minnow

In 1985, immediately after graduating from college, Seiji Kato joined Daiwa where for 5 years he works in sales and participates in professional bass fishing tournaments. Even though Daiwa was producing enough Japanese wobblers at the time, in 1991 Seiji Kato asked the company if they wanted to design them for some lures for bass competitions. The answer was positive, Daiwa gave him the green light for any design he thought of. After hand-drawing the first wobbler, Seiji Kato took the sketch to the workshop and began sculpting what would become one of Japan's most famous wobblers, Daiwa TD Minnow. For several years, this is how the models of Daiwa wobblers created by Seiji Kato, made of pencil and knife, were made, during which time he met Toshiro Ono who also worked at Daiwa in the Product Development department.

Other successful Japanese wobblers and a new company, Lucky Craft, followed

When the TD Minnow wobbler became a real hit and a top seller, Daiwa stopped the execution of new bass fishing projects, directing designer Seiji Kato to producing lures for ocean fishing and more. But Seiji did not want to stop, he knew that his purpose was to make bait for bass fishing and that his next projects in this direction would be better and better. So he decided to leave Daiwa for Lucky Craft, a young company (founded in 1992) looking for a ghost designer. Lucky Craft President Shin Iwaki gave Seiji Kato a free hand to try all the ideas he had failed to achieve at Daiwa.

Did you know that Japanese wobblers Lucky Craft Pointer…

A few years later, in 1998, one of Kato's new creations, Lucky Craft Pointer, won the Bassmaster Invitational West, an inviting competition between professional bass fishermen, two by boat. Dennis Today, the winner of the edition, after a first round win in the shot shot, falls in the team with Seiji Kato who was wreaking havoc with Lucky Craft Pointer. After the end of the second round, Kato gives Dennis Hoy a Lucky Craft Pointer wobbler with which he wins the third round and the competition. Dennis was not the only beneficiary of Lucky Craft Pointer, the well-known competition fisherman Ish Monroe receiving a wobbler from Kato, he finished the competition in 4th place. All three had caught on different colors. Hence the question, does color matter?

Does color matter in Japanese wobblers?

In an interview with Jon Storm (BassFun), Kato says yes. I recommend you read this interview, part 1 and part 2, here is more valuable information that I omitted in this article. Returning to the colors, Kato says that: "Color is very, very important. But the color is important for the situations that arise on each lake, the weather, the color of the water. Every situation is a little different. "

1999, the year of the jackal

One year later, Seiji Kato and Toshiro Ono set up Jackall INC and the first office in Otsu, Shiga, Japan. Kato, Ono and the Jackall team he designs hundreds of prototypes over several years and tests them on the water until the success of each lure. Using the latest engineering technologies, Jackall soon became one of Japan's most technologically advanced wobblers. The quality of the materials, the body shape, the balance, the placement of the hooks, the sound, the colors and much more are included in the design of each lure to create the perfect performance on the water. Nowadays, technology has its say, Jackall wobblers are no longer drawn from pencil, no longer carved from a knife, Kato projects them on the computer directly connected to a plotter that automatically makes the model.

Eat, sleep, Jackall!

Asked if he's upset that so many manufacturers have copied, are copying and will be copying Jackall's lures, Seiji Kato replied: "It simply came to our notice then. I think that shows respect and that everyone respects my ghosts. It's not good, of course. But the original is always the best, because you can't make a perfect copy. "

2007-2022, Abrevis-Arrow International, is there life after the Japanese TN wobblers?

As I said in the article mentioned above, the first TNs landed in Romania in 2007. In addition to the TNs in my fishing kit, probably in your case, other legendary Jackall lures followed, I mention only a few of the the ones I rely on even today: the gums Ishad for the saddle, the wobblers for the clean Chubby, topwater wobblers Mudsucker for pike, all purchased in time from the store Abbreviations. Starting in 2021, Arrow International Jackall has become the official distributor in Romania and implicitly the offer of lures from the Japanese manufacturer has increased considerably and will increase more in the near future. In addition to the TN range, spinnerbits, spinnertails, cicadas, oscillating spoons, crank wobblers, minnows, gums, luggage, clothes, rods and much more are available in the Arrow International partner stores. Click here for Jackall offer.

She whispered to me about the Trout Area and the Danube Delta Predator Challenge

Well, how can a company that is not interested in ghosts and competitions in Romania not be interested? Especially when the founders Jackall, Seiji Kato and Toshiro Ono are old competition fishermen in the most powerful competitions in the world. What did my pussy whisper? That the Japanese watched the competition live with great interest Predator Challenge and are interested in helping this phenomenon. They will certainly support the competitions as well Trout Area, in an incipient state around us. Incipient because at the moment in Romania there are only a few competition tracks, and outside there are European countries that have hundreds, up to thousands of tracks dedicated to the Trout Area. The Trout Area and Danube Delta Predator Challenge competitions take place under the auspices Romanian Spinning League, organizer of the national spinning fishing championships in Romania, by boat and on the shore, since 2008. Mother, 14 years have passed. In 2008

Will follow.