The Antidote TUG is the new halo product for Baitsanity

Impressions: Baitsanity went from a relative newcomer five seasons ago to becoming a major player in the mass-produced resin swimbait game. The company’s products have a well-earned reputation for performing higher than their price would otherwise indicate and for offering a surprising amount of customization with innovative features like their interchangeable Hatch Match tail system and tungsten adhesive weights.

A look at the Antidote TUG's retail packaging

The Antidote TUG is the fourth swimbait that the company has introduced, the first was the Explorer Gen 1 and 2, then the more value-oriented Antidote Glide, and most recently the award-winning Explorer Gill Glide. All of these baits are designed in California and are produced overseas with ABS resin that the company sources to maintain quality and consistency.

The TUG features elements that are found in both the company's existing Antidote and Explorer lines

If you have read our previous reviews of Baitsanity products, you already know that we like both the performance and overall value of their swimbaits. Baitsanity is still a relatively small company but includes team members on site in both America and China. This gives them the design agility that many bigger companies often no longer possess, and the ability to mass produce products once those designs are locked down, making it possible to offer them to anglers globally at reasonable prices.

While there is just something special about garage build custom swimbaits there is also something to be said about the benefits of mass-produced lures including their excellent consistency and greater accessibility to anglers.

The carbon fiber tail is fully enclosed in resin and hollow to aid with floatation

The crew at Baitsanity is led by Fahad Ahmed, a talented bait designer that is constantly looking at improving the company’s offerings. Fahad is constantly exploring contemporary designs and integrating new materials including carbon fiber, different weight designs, and even wire knits into the tails and fins on the company’s baits. One of his goals is to create products that are more customizable, allowing anglers to change out tails and actions on swimbaits to better match both their personal fishing style and what fish in their local waters will more likely respond to.

The Baitsanity frown has become a signature of the brand's swimbaits

The Antidote TUG is the most feature-rich and expensive glide bait that the company has introduced to date. The TUG leverages some familiar design features including 3D scaling and signature Baitsanity frown, but it is what is inside that is the most interesting.

The TUG is the first lure from Baitsanity to utilize a large spring-loaded sliding internal weight that is called the “Glide-Leap System” and is designed to allow the bait to either leap to the surface or create a more aggressive twitch action when fished underwater with a steady retrieve.

Fish knit fins give the bait a unique custom look and are designed to be functional as well by acting as a surface to apply and better hold scent

Other features that set the TUG apart from the rest of the Baitsanity lineup includes use of carbon fiber inside the tail and pectoral fins, and soft fish knit fins that are designed to hold scent and can be removed for washing or replacement.

The Dark Bluegill and Dark Trout patterns

In terms of patterns the TUG will be available in five different finishes including Metallic Trout, Dark Trout, Dark Bluegill, Bass, and American Shad. All patterns feature a semi-transparent head and tail design, showcasing the embedded sliding weight and carbon fiber tail.

Next: Multiple retrieves but a steeper learning curve....