Durability: Most soft plastic baits that are highly effective share one thing in common - a plastic that is so soft, durability just doesn't exist. The Beaver baits from Reaction Innovations are an exception to this rule. Their plastic is of average consistency and the baits actually hold up pretty well depending on your application and rigging.

Yes, they float up and flap like the original when hopped along the bottom, but not quite as effectively - this bait is better swimming.

One application where the baits do get beat up is in punching. The bait keepers on your typical punch hooks tear up any kind of soft plastic, and Beavers are no exception.

The ridges on the outer appendages allow these tails to undulate up and down as the bait is worked on a constant retrieve.

Also, the Kinky Beaver's appendages don't hold up as well as the standard Beaver's but that's because they're thinner and more vulnerable to being pinched off.

The side appendages do not move, but the inside tails flutter quickly.

Packaging: The original Sweet Beaver is available in resealable plastic bags and sold in packages of ten (10). The Smallie Beaver is also available in packs of ten, but the Double Wide is packaged six (6) per bag. The Kinky Beaver, which shares the same body size as the Sweet Beaver sells in resealable packs of seven (7).

The Kinky Beaver shares the same name but is a different bait.

Secret Sauce: Reaction Innovations does not make use of artificial (or natural) additives to enhance the flavor of their soft plastics. Rather, they let their baits' actions speak for themselves. It's a feature I appreciate because I know I don't have to hold my breath each time I open a package of their baits nor do I have to worry about oil leaking out of the packaging to spoil a box, my deck, or anything else that might be in dripping distance.

Conclusion: Realistically speaking there are close to a dozen products out there that we know of which very closely resemble the Reaction Innovations Sweet Beaver - and there are likely even more. This in and of itself should tell you how effective this bait is. From bugs, to claws, to flippers, to rodents, countless manufacturers offer up their interpretation of this bait, some even with defiant names and one manufacturer even exclaiming "Why Not"?

Both interpretations catch fish.

We intend to look at some of these other baits as well, and now that we've set a baseline for comparison, they'll be easier to talk about. In the meantime, it's hard to imagine but if you've yet to fish the product that likely put Reaction Innovations on the bait manufacturing map, you're really missing out on a Sweet and Kinky experience.

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