Chimera: It
is fitting that the
newest swimbait from
Baitsanity is named
the "Chimera" as the
creature in Greek
mythology was a fire
breathing monster
that comprised of
multiple creatures.
This bait not only
incorporates a
number of different
features and design
cues from multiple
bait classes but is
a true amalgamation
from both Baitsanity
and Tackle Warehouse
design teams. When
both teams first
told me about the
bait they described
the bait as being
"co-developed," and
my first question
was "does that mean
a collab, or
something more?"
I learned that the
idea for the Chimera
came from
discussions between
the team at Tackle
Warehouse and
Baitsanity's
President, and lead
designer, Fahad. The
resulting project
spanned nearly two
years and included
multiple designs,
tests, and
revisions, to create
a shad profiled bait
that was capable of
multiple retrieves,
and would excel at
chopping.
The Baitsanity
Chimera was
co-developed with
Tackle Warehouse
I asked the Tackle
Warehouse team why
they partnered with
Baitsanity and to
describe the
development process
to create the
Chimera and they
explained, "Tackle
Warehouse has
carried Baitsanity
since their
inception, and
successful ventures
on TW exclusive
colors proved
Baitsanity to be a
proactive,
insightful, and easy
partner both for
bait design and
collaborative
content. The Chimera
Shad project began
when we identified a
need for a
“chopping” style
glide bait that
fished as well as
the custom-built
glide baits, but was
affordable and
accessible to all
anglers. The concept
started as a gizzard
shad mimic, but
quickly evolved to
incorporate
anatomical features
and profiles of
other common bass
prey: threadfin
shad, minnows,
shiners, perch,
hitch…hence the name
“Chimera.”
The Chimera compared
with the larger
Explorer
When the Chimera
first arrived at our
lab I was
immediately excited
by the profile and
overall dimensions
of the bait.
Measuring 8.5 inches
from head to tail
the bait has a nice
compact body and is
relatively easy to
cast all day
weighing in under 3
ounces.
The paintwork on the
Baitsanity X TW
Chimera is very good
and is hand
airbrushed. The
teams went back and
forth on many
patterns during the
design process and
will be introducing
some
non-conventional
shad patterns like
Bluegill later
The lures look and
feel detailed, and
the quality of the
finishes are as
good, or better, as
the latest
generation Explorer
and Tug swimbaits.
There are parts of
the lure that are
obviously finished
with an airbrush,
and though the
Chimera will be a
injected bait it
does look and feel
more like a custom
garage-built bait
than any Baitsanity
yet. Additional
elements that adds
to this custom-vibe
are the 3D painted
fins and gill plates
and a
paintbrush-style
tail.
Even though the
Chimera swimbait
looks quite
different in profile
and style to
previous generation
Explore and Antidote
baits I was glad to
see the signature
frown that makes the
bait instantly
recognizable as a
Baitsanity offering.
Notice the ports
around the rotating
hook hangers, this
is where water
enters the chambers
in the STS system.
Bundled tungsten
weights can be added
to fine tune the
bait
The Chimera was
designed to be
fished out of the
package at 0-6 feet,
without any
additional
weighting. This bait
includes hollow
chambers in the
belly which fill
with water from the
2 hook hanger ports
as soon as the bait
is submerged in
water. If the bait
is not submerged in
water for 5-10
seconds (upon
initial cast) the
bait will slow float
in the water at the
1-2ft depth. As soon
as the hollow
chambers fill with
water, the bait will
sink at
approximately a half
foot per second
until it reaches a
point of neutral
buoyancy (will not
sink or rise) at 5-6
feet deep. The
concept of this bait
being weighted with
water as it is
submerged is
described by
Baitsanity as their
“Submerge-To-Sink”,
or STS, Tuning. The
Chimera was designed
to suspend at 5-6
feet so that it
could be efficiently
“walked in place”
around cover or in
front of fish that
are following the
bait to trigger a
reaction.
When I first fished
the Chimera I found
it very easy to
wake, glide, and
chop this lure
depending on how
long the bait sits
in the water and
based on the
cranking action and
speed imparted on
the reel.
We were happy to see
the signature frown
that makes the bait
instantly
recognizable as a
Baitsanity swimbait
There are four basic
ways to fish the
Chimera and each
bait will come
bundled with two .72
gram tungsten
adhesives so anglers
can fine tune the
bait to best fit
their application,
and preferred
fishing style. The
four ways to fish
the Chimera are:
1. Wake – Rod
tip up, steady reel
retrieve as bait
reaches surface. The
addition of tungsten
adhesives is not
recommended for this
retrieve, however it
will still work on a
faster retrieve.
2. Wide Glide
- Steady reel
retrieve, rod tip
pointed toward
water.
3. Chop –
Quick chops of reel
handle or steady
retrieve with sudden
twitches of rod tip.
Rod tip pointed
toward water.
4. Fast Burn
– Start slow
retrieve, as bait
makes it’s turn to
the side,
immediately burn
reel handle. Rod tip
parallel with or
pointed toward
water.
The Chimera has a
lot of details
including flared out
gill plates and
oversized recessed
eyes. In keeping
with the Chimera
amalgamation theme
some anglers of the
head even look
frog-like
The team at Tackle
Warehouse describes
the Chimera as a
Chop-Style bait
first and foremost
and I can see why.
When fishing with a
chopping reel
action, or with rod
twitches, the bait
darts side to side
aggressively and
basically looks, and
feels, like the bait
is walking under the
surface.
A look from the top
shows the tapered
body design and
angled joint section
I asked the Tackle
Warehouse team to
describe the action
that they were
looking to achieve
with the Chimera's
design. They
explained, "the
Chimera Shad is
primarily a chopping
style glide bait but
it is also extremely
versatile. The
Chimera has a
beautiful S-glide on
a slow roll, and is
stable and true on
the burn. A key
feature of this bait
is its slight belly
roll that occurs as
you transition from
the slow glide to a
quick chop-chop.
This belly roll acts
as a real bait fish
flashing on its side
as it is being
chased, it really
gets interested fish
to commit."
3-D scales add depth
like on the previous
Antidote baits but
the airbrushed
paintwork is a step
up
