|
The Cure for Big
Bait - Big Price Fatigue: The Baitsanity Antidote Glide
| Date: |
12/11/19 |
| Tackle type: |
Lure |
| Manufacturer: |
Baitsanity |
| Reviewer: |
Zander |
Total Score: 8.20 -
BEST VALUE AWARD
Introduction:
Baitsanity
appeared on the swimbait scene just a few years ago with their Explorer Series
swimbaits, starting with their Trout and Carp Explorers. These custom baits
quickly found a home in the hands of big bait anglers looking for a full sized
glide bait option that wasn’t as expensive as JDM imports like the Deps Slide
Swimmer or Roman Made Negotiator. Their first bait was a hit and over the
seasons the company has continued to refine the Explorer, improving on the
original’s soft tail design, and introducing a number of new patterns that make
it even more of a viable option for targeting species beyond largemouth bass.
While the Explorer continues to be the Baitsanity flagship product the company
knew that in order to expand they needed to provide a more aggressively priced
swimbait offering, a glide bait for mainstream anglers. That swimbait is the
Baitsanity Antidote.
|
Baitsanity
Antidote
Glide
Bait
Specifications |
|
Type |
Swimbait
(Glide Bait) |
|
Length |
7.5 inches |
|
Weight |
2.7
ounces |
|
Material |
Molded
composite
plastic body, PVC
plastic tail |
|
Sections |
2 |
|
Sink Rate |
Slow, Super
Slow Sink |
|
Patterns |
5 (Trout,
Bread,
Perch, Shad,
Craw) |
|
MSRP |
$24.99 |
Baitsanity's second
bait offering is the
affordable Antidote
Series
Impressions:
In the 20 years that
I’ve been writing
about fishing tackle
there is always one
class of bait that
gets the most reads,
the most
“impressions” one
the site, and that
is swimbaits.
Perhaps it is the
artistry behind
these baits, the
investment required
by the truly
afflicted to want to
buy and cast these
big baits, or maybe
it is just the
possibilities that
each and every cast
with one of these
baits represent.
The Antidote is
available in a
number of
interesting patterns
including Craw
pattern, something
quite rare in the
glide market
Whatever it is
I always thought that “Baitsanity” nailed the naming of their company and brand,
throwing big swimbaits all day for the chance of a strike, and converting that
into landing a giant is what many would consider insanity. Yet those that put in
the time are sometimes rewarded, and thus the mythos surrounding these big baits
is only further fueled.
A look at the tube retail
packaging
On the other
end of the spectrum are anglers that want to go out and just have a great time
catching fish, and for many casting one bait all day for the chance of a quality
bite just doesn’t seem like very good odds. Not only are smaller, lighter,
swimbaits less intimidating to throw there are times when a smaller profile
better matches the hatch and is more likely to get bit.
To address this much
larger mainstream market Baitsanity took elements from their successful Explorer
series and designed a smaller, easier to mass produce, and more cost effective
Antidote glide bait.
The Antidote features a 3D finish
including textured scales, protruding gill plates and 3D eyes
The Antidote is
not only smaller in length than the Explorer it features a thinner profile,
and one that reminds me more of a stocker-trout. The baits feature a
single joint and the company’s matching soft tail design and comes armed with
two bundled treble hooks. The other major difference between the two series of
baits is that the Antidote molds give the lure a textured scale finish, versus
the flat painted surface of the Explorers. The Antidote comes in two versions, a
slow sinking and super slow sinking version, both of which are available in a
range of patterns including trout, bread, white, and craw.
A look at the Antidote next to the
larger and heavier Explorer Series
Real World
Tests: I’ve fished the Baitsanity Antidote swimbaits for a full season,
targeting largemouth in Northern California lakes and the California Delta. I
fished the baits side by side with the company’s Explorers, as well as my
all-time favorite glide bait, the Deps Slide Swimmer, for comparison. To get a
feel how the bait fishes across different setups I tried fishing it with
application specific swimbait rods, as well as conventional casting and frog
rods, using a variety of reels and line types.
Weighing in at 2.7oz. the Antidote
can be fished with much lighter casting rods
Next Section: Putting the Antidote to the test.... |
