The Baitsanity Gen 2 may bear the same profile as the original but now comes with a wide range of patterns and a new BaitConnect interchangeable tail system

Impressions: When Baitsanity first debuted the Explorer it was their first foray into the big bait scene. The original glidebait debuted with Carp and Trout patterns and bore a retail price of $69.99, making it a more cost effective option than many of the more expensive, and often hard to procure, JDM glidebaits.

The frowning face design has become a signature element on all Baitsanity swimbaits

Over the last few years since I originally purchased those first two Explorer glidebaits from Tackle Warehouse I've gotten to know the team at Baitsanity and was surprised to learn that the brand is also based in the Bay Area here in Northern California. Like many other delta region swimbait makers the team at Baitsanity is obsessed with constantly improving their baits and providing anglers with tools to pursue trophy fish. One of the goals of the company has always been to make these products accessible to anglers, and the follow up to the Antidote was smaller, and much more affordable, Antidote Series glidebaits. The Antidote Glidebaits measure 7.5 inches, weigh in at 2.7 ounces, and retail for only $24.99.

One of the new patterns ins the Ghost, a white bait with grey highlights

The Antidote is more than just a smaller Explorer and comes with a textured body and was also the first time that the company started to showcase their wider palette of finishes. The brand wasn't afraid to introduce some very unique finishes including a beige pattern called "Bread," and even a full bodied red "Craw" pattern. While the Antidote also represents an excellent value for anglers it is the Explorer Series that still carries the torch for the brand when it comes to halo design and features.

A look at the empty BaitConnect channel which features a clever locking design at the bottom of the bait and "T" shaped receiver on top to properly isolate the tail

A season and a half ago the brand introduced the second generation of their Explorer. The original had already accounted for many trophy bass and striper catches, and had developed a strong following among glidebait fans, especially those just delving into the big bait game. Rather than completely redesign the lure Baitsanity approached the refresh with a careful approach of making sure to preserve everything that anglers liked about the original, with a focus on adding features and refinement to the original design.

A look at all three tail designs, the standard which comes with the bait (left), the Hatch Match which has a paddle tail design (top), and the new Hatch Match GX 2.0 (center)

New additions to the Gen 2 bait include a tail attachment redesign called the BaitConnect system which features a quick locking design. This spawned the Hatch Match Paddle tail which, when equipped, changes the overall profile of the bait, making it longer and giving it a harder kicking action of a traditional boot tail, while preserving the S-shaped gliding action of the original bait. The new Explorer was also introduced with a much wider range of patterns, all of which showcased improved detailing and durability of the original, and with those patterns the company also made matching Hatch Match tails available for $15.99 each.

Fast forward to this year and the team at Baitsanity has now introduced their second Hatch Match tail option, the uniquely shaped GX 2.0, which is designed to unlock the widest glide of the Explorer yet. It was after fishing this configuration that I knew we had to do put together this updated review, as the design alters not only the action of the bait, but the very way in which anglers can fish it.

The Explorer Gen 2 equipped with the Hatch Match GX 2.0 tail. Notice how long the bait now becomes, and now measures in close to 11 inches!

Real World Tests: I was already quite familiar with the original Baitsanity Explorer and was interested to see how the new bait, with the updated tail configurations, fished differently. Over the course of the last year I fished the Gen 2 baits side by side with the original, changing out tail configurations depending on applications, pursuing both largemouth bass and stripers in the Northern California Delta and surrounding lakes.

Next Section: Catapult the Explorer and Work that Glide...