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Daiwa adds branded spinnerbaits to their lineup of lures
(continued)
 Retrieve
cont'd: Finally my
favorite technique, the burn, is ideal when the water is both clear and warm.
The Chart Shad pattern was great for burning, and all I would cast towards shore
and burn the spinnerbait back so that it would return briskly right beneath the
surface. Sometimes bass, especially Spots, would slam the lure so hard they
would flip right out of the water as they hooked themselves. This is a great
technique around docks, wrecks, shallow points, and drop offs.
A look at the blade assembly
Durability: The one
area where the Daiwa Spinnerbait is better than the competition is in the
durability department. Daiwa starts with quality components but what makes the
DS so good is the construction. The silicon skirt on the DS is held firmly with
a metal band, which holds every strand of the skirt firmly in place. The head on
the DS is among the most detailed we have seen on a spinnerbait, and features a
realistic profile, gill pattern, and eyes. We thought the eyes might fall off
after time, or the head would scratch, but neither happened throughout our weeks
of testing. The DS head features a layer of gloss which also keeps the glitter
on the head.
The DS retrieved right below the
surface
Most impressive of all is the
welded loop which keeps the main blade in place. Most spinnerbaits simply have a
bent loop, or a crimp if you are lucky. This loop is not only holding the rear
blade in place but both the spacer and the forward blade. Daiwa welds the loop
closed ensuring the bait will hold together.
A Spotted bass hooked on the DS
White Shad pattern
Price & Applications:
The DS is positioned in Daiwa’s mainstream lineup of lures, not the premium Team
Daiwa series. The DS lures can be found online for 5.49 a piece online, a
reasonable price, and one that is inline with the competition. As with a number
of the new Daiwa lures at the time of writing this review the DS is somewhat
hard to find, but we did locate it at one retail store as well as one online
store.
Spots really seemed to like the DS
White Shad, and hammered the bait continously during our field tests
So how well did the bass in
our test like the Daiwa Spinnerbaits? The baits performed on par with both the
Terminator and Hildebrandt baits, and the catch ratio over five trips just about
equaled out when we targeted largemouth. We did see a slightly better
performance when testing for spotted bass, and while we could theorize a number
of different reasons, the performance simply leads us to believe that the White
Shad simply was the “right” pattern for the days we fished the bait at McClure.
A red eyed spot caught burning the
lure near the surface
The DS is certainly as
good as the other spinnerbaits we have tested, and we personally like the more
realistic head design with bulging 3D eyes, and while in our tests the realistic
heads didn’t seem to boost the catch ratio it certainly didn’t hurt them either.
The Daiwa Spinnerbait performed
well throughout the tests
Ratings:
|
Daiwa
Spinnerbait Ratings
(?/10) |
| Construction/Quality |
The DS features quality construction throughout, there is no skimping on
materials here. In terms of spinnerbaits the quality is a match for some of
the best out there |
9 |
| Performance |
The
DS performed like any other premium spinnerbait. It didn't beat the other
test subjects by a significant margin, but it certainly was as good |
8 |
| Price |
At
just under 6 dollars the DS is priced with the compition |
8 |
| Features |
The
DS has a few nice features including the quality skirt, detailed head,
gunmetal blades (on the Midnight pattern), and the welded blade loop. While
it is nothing revolutionary these tweaks are positive additions |
8.5 |
| Design
(Ergonomics) |
The
DS is easy to fish and the special reinforcement brace helps keep the angle
just right |
8.5 |
| Application |
There are not a whole lot of patterns in this series yet, but there is
enough to cover a wide range of applications. The series still needs a
red/orange craw imitator |
8 |
|
Total Score |
8.33 |
Pluses and Minuses:
|
Plus
Minus |
| J
Highly detailed head |
L
Series only has 4 patterns. Needs a craw
imitating pattern |
| J
Reinforcement brace holds bait open at
the right angle |
|
| J
Great durability |
|
| J
Reasonable price |
|
Conclusion:
Daiwa proves they know what
elements make a good spinnerbait and the DS is a quality lure. Throughout our
tests an assortment of largemouth and spotted bass hammered the DS as we
employed the bait in a variety of techniques. No, the DS is not revolutionary,
what it is a very good spinnerbait. Daiwa didn’t reinvent the bait, instead they
took the proven formula and tweaked it with features to improve consistency and
durability. The Daiwa Spinnerbait is priced in parity to the competition and
while it is hard to improve on a lure as simple as a spinnerbait….Daiwa manages
to trickle out some upgrades.
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