Spinnerbait review, Advantage Spinnerbaits

Lure Review

Advantage Spinnerbaits offers a “flashy” alternative (continued)

Storage: It sounds funny, but one of my favorite aspects of this bait is the floating clear plastic storage tube it comes in! Simply put, it is incredibly handy. The tubes have a cap at each end, with the bottom cap featuring a small hole for ventilation and drainage. The spinnerbaits wedge themselves pretty well in the tube and don't slide around much unless you really toss them around.

The storage tubes are awesome!

It's great being able to simply toss a bunch of these into a tackle duffel, or slip a couple tubes into your pocket while bank fishing. The baits are very easy to put in or get out, and the skirts won't get all bunched up. A really great idea!

Tests/Performance: These baits saw quite a bit of testing on various south Florida ponds and lakes. I was fortunate enough to spend one of those testing days on a guide trip at Lake Garcia, which neighbors the famous Stick Marsh near Vero Beach, FL. I met up with FLW angler and Advantage's marketing director / pro staff manager Anthony “5oz” Hunt. Our guide for the day was the well known Billy Bob Crosno, a very interesting character who is full of stories!

Anthony grabbed my setup rigged with a 1/2oz white/chartreuse Advantage spinnerbait and promptly boated this quality Bass.

Of course, the strong bite Billy Bob told us about had slowed this day due to cold temperatures, a strong north wind, and rapidly rising pressure following a front. Still, Anthony and I threw the spinnerbaits all day and boated some quality fish up into the 4lb range, as well as quite a few toothy Pickerel.

Price, Availability: While not the most expensive spinnerbaits on the market, at $11.99 each these are by no means cheap. The old adage “you get what you pay for” definitely applies here. This is a quality bait with some very smart design and packaging features that I feel is worth it's price. Similar to anglers that buy high end crankbaits, ripbaits, and topwaters, I feel these baits fish better than average and are also more user-friendly.

A good look at the hub connecting the skirt strands and trailer.

Advantage is a new company, so there are just a handful of dealers at the present time. The best bet is to visit their website, www.advantagebait.com, and see where the current dealers are located. Luckily, if none are nearby you can also order directly off the website as well.

Ratings: (We've re-calibrated our ratings standard for 2008 and have included a key at the bottom of the following matrix as a guide):

Advantage Spinnerbaits Ratings (?/10)
Construction/Quality	Quality construction throughout. I had no obvious quality or durability issues other than the heads chipping a bit with heavy use on rocks.	9
Performance	The performance matches the good looks!	9
Price	A little pricey, but it's a quality bait.	7
Features	The “EFT” blades and built in trailer add to the appeal. As simple as it may seem, I found the floating reusable container to be an awesome storage solution!	9.5
Design (Ergonomics)	The welded collar of the silicone skirt really speeds up swapping out skirt colors.	9
Application	It's a spinnerbait! Versatile around all types of structure and depths. A heavier size or two in the future will help with those that like to fish their blades down real deep.	9
Total Score		8.75
Ratings Key: Ratings Key: 1 = terrible : 2 = poor : 3 = lacking : 4 = sub par : 5 = mediocre : 6 = fair : 7 = good : 8 = great : 9 = excellent : 10 = unbelievable! (For a detailed explanation of the ratings go here)

Pluses and Minuses:

Plus Minus
+ A quality bait designed with care	- A bit pricey
+ Several unique features that work	- No 1oz size for anglers (like me) that love to fish blades real DEEP!
+ Good sharp stock hooks
+ Reusable container is VERY handy

Conclusion: It's always refreshing to see a company like Advantage Baits come along and improve upon a very standard, traditional bait. What they have done is taken the spinnerbait and worked out a few of the little “kinks” or problems inherent in their design and usage and made them just about perfect. I must say that what they have done really works and I have become a big fan in short order.

A favorite rod and reel and a favorite new bait!

Advantage plans to grow further in 2012, adding a 1/4oz finesse spinnerbait as well as a 3/4oz for deep water work. A new color is also in the works, but no word on what this may be. Their lineup is also going to expand further to include jigs, buzzbaits, and chatterbaits. I think the future is bright for Advantage Baits, and can only hope the quality these baits possess is carried into future offerings. I know I have found a new go-to spinnerbait!

Notes: Advantage Baits will be attending the 2012 Bassmaster Classic February 24-26^th in Shreveport, LA. They will be showcasing their products at booth #608.

A big thanks goes to guide Billy Bob Crosno who helped us with the testing of these baits on Lake Garcia. For info on a south Florida Bass trip, you can contact him at fishingwithbillybob@yahoo.com or (954) 292-3330.