Featured Lure: Hyperlastics DartSpin

After selling Sebile Fishing Innovations to Pure Fishing, Patrick Sebile dreamed of working for a company where all the employees—from the investors to the pro-staffers—shared his passion for fishing. In 2018, he made that dream a reality by assembling A Band of Anglers (ABOA), a multi-brand, multi-product company meant to bring together some of the most innovative minds in the fishing-tackle industry.

Ocean Born, a line of hard baits designed to achieve extra casting distance without sacrificing action, was the first brand launched by ABOA. The second was Hyperlastics.
 
The goal of ABOA’s Hyperlastics is to create unique soft baits unlike anything else on the market, and to create them out of a very durable material that stands up to multiple fish. While there are 8 new products in the pipeline, the first offering is the DartSpin.

This hybrid lure merges the versatility of a soft-plastic fluke-style bait with the flash and vibration of a spinner. The DartSpin can be rigged on a leadhead and fished like a jig; it can be fished on a wide-gap hook and retrieved like a swimbait; it has even been fished on dropshot rigs. Currently available only in a 5½-inch size (measured from the bait’s nose to the tip of the willowleaf blade), in mid-summer, Hyperlastics will add 3 ½-, 4 ½-, 7-, and 9 ½-inch baits to the DartSpin family. The DartSpin is sold unrigged, in packs of two, for $8.

Made from Softough, the body of the DartSpin is soft and pliable, yet extremely durable. It resists tearing, even after being attacked by toothy fish like pickerel and bluefish. When testing prototypes of the bait, one ABOA pro-staffer caught 78 redfish on a single bait. Another fishermen caught 22 small bluefish on a single bait before it was completely destroyed.

Molded-in slots mean easier rigging, and by not puncturing the bait with the hook, the DartSpin is less likely to tear, further extending its life. The placement of the slots allows for a wide range of rigging styles. ABOA fishermen have successfully used jigheads from 1/8 to 5 ounces when rigging DartSpins for various species.

When rigging the bait on a jighead, a dab of Super Glue (the ABOA anglers use Gorilla Glue for its brush applicator) is recommended to keep the bait in place.

The willowleaf blade tail of the DartSpin adds flash and vibration, making it unique among soft plastics. The blade starts spinning on a slow retrieve, and spins even on the fall when the bait is rigged on a jighead. The blade is anchored deep inside the Softough material using a patented process and cannot be pulled out by short-striking fish.

DartSpin Pro
Sold as a single bait and rigged on a weighted swimbait hook, the DartSpin Pro features detailed, hand-painted patterns for a more realistic look.

• For more Hyperlastics DartSpin information or to purchase yours, visit abandofanglers.com