Ready to Combat the USDM : Evergreen International's Jack Hammer

Total Score: 8.00 - BEST VALUE AWARD

Introduction: There is perhaps, no more coveted a cranking stick in bass fishing circles today than Evergreen International's Heracles series HCSC-74HG Leopard. Brett Hite set the "me-too" crowd on fire with his win at Lake Okeechobee ripping a chatterbait through the grass using this stick. Trouble is, that stick is made for and sold almost exclusively in the Japanese Domestic Market (JDM) for a price that far exceeds that of the everyday, me-too angler (over $600 depending on the exchange rate).

Evergreen International lands in the USDM with a new series of sticks.

Enter the Bassmaster Classic event this past March at Lake Conroe, Texas where manufacturers with a stake in the bass fishing market have turned the consumer expo into a mini-ICAST debuting product for the upcoming year. Evergreen International, through a distribution agreement with Daiwa debuted their new, Combat series of bass fishing rods developed with the help of Brett Hite and tuned especially for the US marketplace right down to the more affordable price of $199.99 across the series. Today, we take our first look at a stick from this series - the Leopard's counterpart, the RCSC-73HG Jack Hammer.

The subject of today's article? The Jack Hammer cranking rod.

Impressions: The first thing that struck me with this $199.99 rod was the fact it came in a very JDM-esque rod sleeve. Of course, rod sleeves in general are not a big surprise, but a sleeve of this quality is usually reserved for a much pricier stick. The sleeve is usually the first casualty when a manufacturer is sets the goal of a more affordable rod series.

The Jack Hammer is a glass rod but features cross weave reinforcement over the bottom third of the stick.

Pulling the Jack Hammer out of its sleeves reveals a seven foot, three inch (7'3") glass rod with a lot of heft (7.4 ounces) and quite a bit of tip-heaviness. The Leopard actually weighs almost an ounce more, but is so well balanced, it almost floats in your hand. The Jack Hammer by contrast feels like the big, heavy glass sticks of yesteryear and does not provide the consumer with a very good first impression.

A look at the unsanded, but finished blank.

Component wise, the Jack Hammer is outfitted with a full array of Fuji Alconite guides with stainless steel frames. The nice thing about the Jack Hammer's guide array is the fact they're double footed all the way to the tip top giving you a stronger, more durable guide system.

The rod's handle is a split grip design made with camo colored EVA foam and no foregrip. The Jack Hammer features a Fuji ACS reel seat.

The Jack Hammer features Fuji Alconite guides.