A Lot of Anglers Have Cast 'Em Aside...

I'm talking about spinnerbaits, which seem to have lost favor about the same time bladed jigs came on the market. One fella who has kept them in his arsenal, however, is bass angler and Wired2Fish writer Walker Smith. In particular, he has spent a lot of time fishing the Advantage Double Willow Spinnerbait.

When the bass start moving shallow in the spring, he usually has this spinnerbait on his front deck. Why? Because the blades on this bait are no run-of-the-mill concoction.

In his words, "These blades emit the most flash I have ever seen in a spinnerbait...not by just a little bit, either," he said. "The difference is significant.

"You notice their unique appearance the moment you remove one of the baits from the package. The blades are made with what Advantage calls EFT (Extreme Flash Technology," Smith explained. "They produce a holographic flash underwater, and from first-hand experience, I can attest to their drawing power. I love fishing the bluegill color around shallow grass. You can see the bass waking toward the spinnerbait several feet away."

Smith described these blades as being much brighter than hammered blades, noting that they "have a jewelry-like clarity to them," adding that "whatever Advantage has figured out with the blades is something incredibly special."

Another reason for Smith's enthusiasm about this spinnerbait is its nice wire diameter.

"I don't like a big diameter," he said, "because I feel it restricts both the pulse of the lure and my ability to feel the blades turn. If a wire is too small, it'll break after only a handful of fish are caught on it.

"In my opinion," he continued, "the Advantage Double Willow Spinnerbait is a happy medium of the two extremes. It has an excellent pulse in the water, and I can easily feel the blades turn on a medium-heavy casting rod. It also has proven to be quite durable...haven't had any issues at all with the bait."

Smith went on to note that if you really lay the wood to a 5- or 6-pounder in heavy cover, the wire will bend, and the spinnerbait will open up a little bit...just like any other one you have. However, a quick adjustment with pliers is all it takes to get back to fishing.

Having seen a bunch of funky-looking spinnerbaits over the years, Smith is of the opinion that people try to do too much with the aesthetics at times, and they lose sight of making them look simple and realistic.

"I want my spinnerbait to look as much like a bluegill or shad as possible," he said. "I fish spinnerbaits a lot in the summer when we don't get much rain, so I have to deal with a bunch of clear water. I don't need a bunch of crazy stuff going on with my spinnerbait aesthetics. Just keep it simple."

The Advantage Double Willow Spinnerbait does a great job at toeing that line for Smith. It's simple looking but also features small, realistic details that fool a bunch of clear-water bass. And he also points out that the heads are all hand-painted, with each one having flared-gill highlights and ultra-realistic 3D eyes.

Something else that Smith digs about these baits are their skirts.

"I've never liked spinnerbait skirts that are held on by a cheap rubber band," he said. "They'll either shred after a few fish, or that rubber band quickly will dry rot in your tacklebox. You'll find this with a lot of bargain-bin spinnerbaits you see in tackle shops.

"These skirts, however, look awesome and stay intact without any issues. The color patterns are very realistic, and I like the two elongated strands on each skirt as well. They add a little more 'flow' underwater and add to the forage profile, in my opinion. The skirts are attached to the spinnerbaits with a heavy-duty band that doesn't slide down, and it keeps all the 90-strand silicone skirts in the perfect position.

"This is a great-looking spinnerbait for sure, but it performs even better. The blades spin freely at low speeds, the Mustad hook is an absolute tank, and the blades will blow your mind when you see 'em in the water," said Smith. "If you're a serious shallow-water angler, I'd definitely recommend that you try out one of these."