The Ever Green XV-5 is a Stealthy Shad Profiled Jerkbait Crossover

Introduction: Ever Green continues to design some of the most refined JDM style baits and this season the company is introducing the XV-5, a shad profiled jerkbait crossover that is specifically designed for targeting shy fish in both crystal clear and highly pressured waters.

Ever Green's newest crankbait is a crossover between a shad crankbait and a jerkbait. Meet the XV-5

Crossover Design: Shad profiled lures are popular in Japan and the United States as they not only match the resident forage in a lot of waterways but are also effective at targeting many different species including bass, stripers, walleyes, and so much more. The XV-5 origins come from highly pressured Japanese waters where anglers are constantly having to be creative to coax bites from fish that have seen it all.

The Ghost Threadfin shad pattern features a realistic scale profile

The Ever Green XV-5 is the company’s new take on a crankbait that is a hybrid between crankbait and jerkbait for targeting big fish that prey on shad. Rather than use a traditional knocker or internal rattle the XV-5 features a tight wobble that is designed to produce all the vibration and sound necessary to draw the lateral line detection of predators. This more subtle action is designed to make it effective in those clear highly pressured waters.

The Secret Ghost Chart does a good job mimicking general shad

Daiwa/Ever Green Senior Marketing Manager, Marc Mills, comments, “Ever since Ever Green started designing and building baits our first concern has been to create lures which look and act realistically. Now, in addition to that challenge, we’ve also explored more effective combination of colors and actions that provoke predatory fish.”

Cold Shad looks like a variety of baitfish prey and even juvenile trout

The shape of the XV-5’s three-and-a-half-inch body is designed to closely resemble a shad with a tapered tail, V-shaped concave belly design, and slightly fatter midsection. Unlike many shad-profile crankbaits that only have a front and back hook the XV-5 features three trebles to improve hookup and land ratios no matter how slight the bump or nudge is from fish.

No lineup would be complete without a bluegill pattern. Unlike many shad cranks the XV-5 is armed with 3 hooks, similar to jerkbaits

The XV-5 looks like a versatile hybrid crankbait that can be cast or trolled and will run 3’ to 7’ feet deep and slowly rise on the pause. Ever Green is launching the XV-5 with five patterns including Cold Shad, the slightly transparent Ghost Threadfin Shad, Flash Hasu, Secret Ghost Chart, and Bluegill Chart Belly which should match the hatch well for most anglers here in the Americas. Baits will retail for $18.99 each, which is par for the course with the premium quality Ever Green is known for, and will start becoming available in November.