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A "Tail" of Two Baits: Baitsanity Explorer Gen 2 Swimbait
Updates
| Date: |
1/22/24 |
| Tackle type: |
Swimbait |
| Manufacturer: |
Baitsanity |
| Reviewer: |
Zander |
Introduction: At first glance, the latest generation of the
Baitsanity Explorer may appear nearly identical to the original glidebait that
the company originally debuted to launch their brand. However, there are a number of
updates that have made significant improvements to the bait's capabilities and
performance over even last year’s models. In this update, we explore these
latest improvements, fresh tail designs, and a bones option.
|
Baitsanity
Explorer
Gen 2
Glide
Bait
(2024
Latest
Version)
Specifications |
|
Type |
Swimbait
(Glide Bait) |
|
Length |
9.5 inches |
|
Weight |
5
ounces |
|
Material |
ABS Resin
Body, PVC
Plastic Tail
(Comes with
standard
tail but
other
options are
now
available in
the
HatchMatch
Series) |
|
Sections |
2 |
|
Sink Rate |
Floating,
Slow Sink/Suspending |
|
Patterns |
122 |
|
MSRP |
$84.99
($65.99 for
Bones
Version) |
One of the newest
Baitsanity Gen 2
patterns, the Ayu
features enhanced
paint finishes, join
paint, and is a
suspending version
It has been over
five years since I bought my first Baitsanity Explorer swimbait at Tackle
Warehouse. At the time, the Explorer glidebait was the only lure the young brand
offered, and it was available in only two patterns: trout or carp. Since that
time, Baitsanity has significantly grown their product portfolio under the
leadership of owner and lead bait designer Fahad Ahmed.
Gen 2 introduced the Hatch Match
interchangeable tail system. Here a early Gen 2 Kokanee is equipped with a PVC
paddle tail in matching paint. One of the challenges was matching the paint
seamlessly between various material types (ABS body and PVC soft tails)
Swimbaits like the
affordable Antidote Glide made their baits much more available to a larger
audience, while feature-rich lures like the Antidote TUG demonstrated the
lengths the company was willing to go to offer something unique and different.
The company has even partnered up with retailers like Tackle Warehouse to
co-design exclusive lures like the new Chimera Shad.
The latest generation (what we
call Gen 2.1) features a foil layer underneath. This Hatchery Trout pattern is
equipped with the new Shad Tail
All these new
Baitsanity lures place a focus on consistency, configurability, quality, and
value. While I enjoy unlocking the unique retrieves of the TUG or catching more
numbers with the Gill Glide, I still have a soft spot for the Explorer glidebait Series.
One of the first fish I caught
with the Hatchery Trout + Shad Tail combo. Even smaller fish seemed to react
strongly to the new profile and clean S-Glide action
The original
Explorer was the first Baitsanity swimbait I ever caught a 6+ lb. largemouth on,
and I had so much success early on that it even got me to put down my favorite
Deps Slide Swimmers and try something new.
Baitsanity has also partnered with
Tackle Warehouse to introduce a Bones version to make the latest Explorer cores
more accessible
This season,
Baitsanity came out with a few more options and enhancements to refresh the
Explorer Series, including two new HatchMatch tails that are significantly
different from the existing options.
The new Shad Tail (or Shadow Tail
as TW calls it) retails for $11.99
Explorer 2.1:
While the Baitsanity Explorer is currently technically still in its second
generation, there have been a number of enhancements to the lure since we
reviewed the 2nd Gen lure back in
2021. These include the addition of enhanced resin, new patterns
with reflective foil layers, improvements to the interchangeable Bait Connect tail system, and
multiple new tail options that change the entire profile and action of the
baits.
Gen 2 Bones kits come with just
the core bait, no tails or hardware
Finishes:
What sparked my interest in the latest Explorer changes was a successful day
fishing the new Hatchery Trout Gen 2 glidebait. After catching two fish on the
bait, I started to notice just how much more the bait flashed than other
Explorers that I had fished previously. Some of the new patterns like Hatchery
Trout and Electric Shad feature a base foil layer that adds depth and also
delivers a significant amount of flash during the glide. Though some of the
paint wore off due to strikes and hook rash, this only further exposed the foil
layer, adding to the effect of a genuine injured trout or baitfish.
One of the things that I like
about the latest generation are the painted joint sections that flash red or
yellow during the glide
The latest
generation patterns are some of the company’s most detailed yet. Not only do
they feature more sub-layers, but the company has added more hand-painted
airbrush touches to the process. There are more exclusive patterns, like the TW
Steelhead. Anglers will notice that some patterns feature separately painted
joints, like yellow on the Ayu or red on Hatchery Trout and Electric Shad. I
personally like that extra flash of red, which is visible for a split second
with each swing of the tail section.
Hook rash over time reveals more
of the foil under-layer. Oddly enough this only adds to the realistic injured
scale look of the bait in the water
Resin and
Sound: I also noticed that when I fished the bait aggressively, I could hear
the contact with the joints more than previous Explorers. I wasn’t sure if I was
imagining things, so I pulled out my older lures and started comparing them to
one another. Sure enough, I could definitely detect a higher-pitched clack when
the joints made contact on the latest generation Explorers. I reached out to
Fahad to validate what I thought I was hearing.
The more I fished the latest baits
the more I observed that they actually sounded different than my older Explorers
Fahad confirmed
that the company had made improvements to their resin formula since the
introduction of the Gen 2. The company has continually looked for resins that
improve the bait’s behavioral and performance characteristics. To ensure that
the company has enough resin and to drive consistency, Baitsanity purchases and
stores all their own resins to streamline production, as a number of their baits
make use of different formulas, some are even translucent like the formula for
the Chimera. This latest resin exhibits better density, durability, and buoyancy
than the original formula and, as I expected, sounds slightly louder as well.
The new Shad Tail enables the bait
to be fished slowly or aggressively almost like an oversized subsurface ripbait
Next Section: Exploring the New Tail Options
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