Review: Storm Arashi Spinbait
It’s cheap, and it catches a pile of bass
I got to play around with spybaits a fair amount this summer, and I came away pretty impressed with the Storm Arashi Spinbait 08. Duo Realis has found its place atop the spybait category – and for good reason; the company’s baits have accounted for lots of tournament winnings over the last few years. But the Duo Realis baits are expensive at about $14. The Arashi is more affordable (around $8), and it seems to work nearly or just as well as its more expensive counterpart.
The build of the bait
Out of the package, I really like the build of the Arashi Spinbait 08. It’s a little taller than the Duo Realis Spinbait 80, and feels a little less dense and more potato-chippy, though it is actually about .02 ounces heavier. It’s weighted in front of and behind the front hook, and the back hook is held in place with a hook hanger with an “L” bend in the wire up inside the body. The Duo Realis back hanger is just a straight screw. I’ve had it get knocked out before. I think the Arashi hanger is likely to be more durable, though not replaceable.
The most notable difference between the Arashi and other spybaits is its 3-2 prop configuration – a three-blade prop up front and two-blade prop in the back. Storm says that you can feel the bait working better with a three-blade prop in the mix, and I suppose that might make a difference, but I can’t really tell. I will say that I never had any issues with having a third blade on the front prop, so it’s probably just harmless at the very worst.
How it fishes
Due to the extra size and the third blade, the Arashi seems to run a bit shallower than the competition, though it casts just as well. Running shallow isn’t necessarily a bad thing, especially if you’re targeting shallow or suspended fish. The Arashi also has just a little more body movement on the retrieve than the Duo Realis, which is probably good sometimes and bad others, depending on the mood of the bass.
I’ve caught a bunch of fish on it in anywhere from 8 to 15 feet of water, and I’ve had a couple pretty killer days on Champlain with it. I’ve mostly thrown the green gill color, which is a really good perch imitation, but the other colors look pretty good too. Like the other spybaits on the market, you want to roll with very light tackle to cast it well and to help keep fish pinned.
One last thing that I like about the Arashi is the hooks. Though you’ll probably want to change them after a bunch of fish, or perhaps for a tournament, the stock VMC hooks are pretty good. I’ve caught a bunch of fish on stock hooks, and I haven’t lost more than I’d expect to. You’re going to lose some fish on spybaits, especially fishing for smallmouths, but you could do a lot worse than the Arashi in that respect.
The verdict
I can usually think of some negatives about any bait pretty quickly, but I don’t have anything bad to say about the Storm Arashi Spinbait 08. It’s cheap and durable enough, catches bass and comes in a decent number of colors. Additionally, it’s very available. It’s one of the few really good bass baits (non-Senko division) you don’t need to walk into a specialty tackle shop to get. So, I’d say go ahead and grab a couple, whether you’re looking to expand your spybait arsenal or you’re just getting started with the technique.
Details
Company: Storm
Product: Arashi Spinbait 08
Colors: 6
Weight: 1/3 ounce
Length: 3 1/8 inches
Price: $7.99