Occasionally, we are asked a number of the same question. In order to pre-emptively answer some of these questions, we've prepared a list of the most frequently asked.

Q: From where is Ancient Hunter based?

A: Ancient Hunter is incorporated/registered in Japan. Ancient Hunter USA is Ancient Hunter's only official representative in the United States. AH USA is registered in Texas as Ancient Hunter USA, LLC.

Q: Where are Ancient Hunter USA products made?

A: As is the case with nearly 90% of all tackle on planet Earth, AH USA products are manufactured in our very own factory located in northern China. Our founder, Kentaro Horimoto, selected this area to establish our factory for two reasons:

1: there is a vast pool of skilled labor related specifically to the fishing industry which allows us to dictate and maintain our extremely high standards; and

2: as you might expect, manufacturing in China is much more affordable compared to Japan or Taiwan due to the limited infrastructure for these types of products.

Q: What materials do you use?

A: We use a variety of materials in all of our products. Most of our soft plastics line are made of a proprietary blend of PVC plastic, commonly known in the industry as "plastisol" and thermoplastic elastomer, or TPE.

PVC allows our baits to be extremely durable, however we've found that PVC on its own tends to be quite firm and not terribly responsive. Many of our competitors in the industry use additives to soften baits to give them more action, but this often results in less durability.

We mitigate this issue by blending with a certain amount of TPE. TPE on its own is EXTREMELY durable, yet soft and flexible, but is also very expensive. By blending the two we achieve better than most durability, and better then nearly all suppleness. In addition, our blend holds onto our color and scent additives much better than our competitors.

Q: What the heck is TPR?

A: TPR stands for Thermoplastic Rubber. It is very similar to TPE. We do blend TPR and TPE together as well.

There are 4 main places in the world where TPR and TPE that is used in fishing products comes from:

-The United States

-Japan

-Taiwan

-China

The few, more affordable brands, that utilize TPR will buy the more inexpensive TPR from China. We source our TPR from the US, Japan and Taiwan. The US has, by far, the best quality TPR but it is also the most expensive. Japan comes in a close second, Taiwan third and China last. To reduce costs we blend the 3 different types in different ratios for different actions. For example, our TPR Jerk Shad is a more supple formula using primarily US and Japanese TPR, whereas our Magnum TPR Soft Jerkbait is mostly a blend of Japanese and Taiwanese TPR mixed to make the bait firmer.

Added bonus, both TPE and TPR are easily recyclable

If you want to know more about TPR and TPE, this is an excellent breakdown here

Q: Your baits are kind of expensive. Why?

A: Well, there are really two reasons we are a bit above average. First is our material quality. We pride ourselves on our excellent blends and producing them with the highest quality we can get our hands on is not cheap. The second reason Ancient Hunter USA baits are a bit more expensive is simply the cost of freight. Our US brand is still new and growing and as such we have not begun importing large quantities of baits. As our popularity grows, we will be able to make better use of economies of scale and, provided the global economy does not worsen, lower our prices.

Like most companies in the fishing industry, we operate on razor-thin margins to bring the best quality baits at the best price we can, but still stay in business.