Evergreen International Shower Blows SB Topwater Bait Pencil Popper Product Review

Lure Review

Evergreen International's Pencil Popper - the Shower Blows

Date:	1/10/15
Tackle Type:	Lure
Manufacturer:	Evergreen International
Reviewer:	Cal

Total Score: 7.79 - GOOD

Introduction: More commonly associated with fish of much larger stature, the topwater pencil popper has firmly entrenched itself into the arsenal of topwater bass fishermen. The versatility of these popping, walking, and spitting baits just makes too much sense and as we've come to find out, largemouth bass do not shy away from big baits whether they be on top, midwater, or on the bottom. Of course, manufacturers downsize these baits for the bass market anyway to help with sales, but when I think of pencil poppers, I think of big baits. However, Evergreen International's interpretation of this bait has skewed my opinion slightly as the Shower Blows is sized, just right. Let's take a look!

Evergreen International SB (Shower Blows) Specifications
Type	Cigar/Popper/Frog/Pencil/Buzz
Length	125mm (~4-7/8"): 105mm (~4-1/8")
Weight	15/16oz : 9/16oz
Material	Plastic
MSRP	$16.99 - $17.99

Quality/Construction: Evergreen International's Shower Blows, or SB for short, topwater plug is available in two sizes, 125mm and 105mm. Our discussion here is surrounding the larger, 125mm size which translates to just under 5" in the imperial units. The baits themselves all feature traditional, high quality finishes with very good detailing and choice in hardware. These baits are very well built as we've come to expect from this manufacturer.

Quality Ratings for Evergreen International SB (Shower Blows)
Finish (1-5)	Detailing (1-5)	Hardware (1-5)	Craftsmanship (1-5)	Total	Possible	Rating (= Tot/Pos * 10)
5	4	4	4	17	20	8.5

Introducing Evergreen International's Shower Blows (SB) topwater bait.

Performance: I paired the Shower Blows with my G.Loomis NRX852JWR matched with a Shimano Conquest 50DC spooled with 10lb Sunline Supernatural for the majority of its tests.

Rigged and ready to go on board an NRX852JWR.

Castability : If there's one thing pencil popper baits are known for it's being able to sail through the air far far away on each cast. Their back weighted design ensures long casts and the Shower Blows is no exception. This bait flies through the air with minimal effort and when matched with a DC reel, well, it's just not fair sometimes.

Rigged with an Evergreen snap no less.

Ease of Actuation : Once the bait touches down, all it takes is a simple twitch of your rod tip to get it moving, splashing, and spitting. The Shower Blows is a very easy bait to work.

This color in particular is very striking (Emerald Shiner).

Quality of Movement : Pencil Poppers in general are not very dynamic baits. Their appeal is the fact they generally stay tight to your line of retrieve creating commotion akin to a struggling bird or other animal trapped on top of the water. In that regard, the Shower Blows follows suit. It does have some side to side, walk the dog type movement, but nothing out of the ordinary or extreme.

If you make a habit of using snaps like this, removing the split ring is a good idea.

Position at Rest : With the majority of its weight at the rear, it's understandable the Shower Blows sits with its rear end submerged and its face sitting out of the water. The dressed rear treble dances around in the current often drawing strikes from smaller, curious fish.

Performance Ratings for Evergreen International SB (Shower Blows)
Castability (1-5)	Ease of Actuation(1-5)	Quality of Movement (1-5)	Position at Rest (1-5)	Durability (1-5)	Total	Possible	Rating (= Tot/Pos * 10)
5	4	4	4	3	20	25	8.0

A look at the concave mouth mold on the Shower Blows.

Features: Evergreen's Shower Blows features an internal tungsten weight that moves to the back of the bait during a cast and while the bait is sitting in the water. During the retrieve, it knocks around calling out to your quarry. The rear trebles are also dressed with feathers.

Features Ratings for Evergreen International SB (Shower Blows)
Internal Harness (1-3)	Weedlessness (1-3)	No. Finishes (1-3)	Miscellaneous (1-3)	Total	Possible	Rating (= Tot/Pos * 10)
1	1	2	3	7	12	5.83

A look at the rear dressed treble.

Design/Ergonomics: We only had a couple of these baits to compare, but both were pretty consistent from one to the other. The weight of the 125mm version is ideal for long casts with stout rods otherwise the detailing is very good for a pencil popper.

Design & Ergonomics Ratings for Evergreen International SB (Shower Blows)
Bait to Bait Consistency (1-5)	Weight (1-5)	Realism (1-5)	Available Sizes (1-3)	Total	Possible	Rating (= Tot/Pos * 10)
5	5	4	2	16	18	8.89

The original shower blows, the 125mm version, is a perfect size for black bass.

Application: The 125mm Evergreen's Shower Blows is a perfect sized pencil popper topwater bait for black bass and in a pinch, you can use it for larger species as well. There is a smaller version of the bait for more pressured situations, but I'm not a fan of the smaller sized topwater baits in general - too many bluegills in the waters I fish I guess.

Ratings:

Evergreen International SB (Shower Blows) Ratings (?/10)
Construction/Quality	Solid construction	8.5
Performance	Casts like a dream	8.0
Price	Very good pricing especially considering the manufacturer!	8.0
Features	Moving balancer, knocker, dressed rear treble	5.83
Design (Ergonomics)	Very consistent bait to bait	8.89
Application	Really good pencil popper option - not too big, yet not too small	7.5
Total Score		7.79
Ratings Key: 1 = terrible : 2 = poor : 3 = lacking : 4 = sub par : 5 = mediocre : 6 = fair : 7 = good : 8 = great : 9 = excellent : 10 = unbelievable! For More Details of the updated rating system visit our explanation here

Pluses and Minuses:

Plus	Minus
+ 125mm is a great size for this style bait	- Only 6 colors to choose from at the moment
+ Affordable and Evergreen in the same sentence?
+ Finally available!

The best news about this bait is it's finally easily available!

Conclusion: The best news about Evergreen International's Shower Blows topwater bait is that its finally available and easily sourced thanks to their distribution agreement with Daiwa. The next best thing about this bait is it's the perfect size for a number of different species and if you really have to, you can downsize and get a smaller version for more pressured situations. If you're looking for a new pencil popper with some very fine finishes to add to you arsenal, consider the Shower Blows.

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