Just about every company in the bait business makes a spinnerbait. Some are good, others aren't. Many make the same old thing, while others do the little things to make their baits better.

Envision Lures of Verbena, Ala. is one of the latter, better companies, and with the help of Alabama FLW Tour pro Matt Herren has designed a spinnerbait that meets all the tournament-fishing criteria for a large spinnerbait. Namely, it has flash and castability, but is compact and can be fished in shallow water too.

The Herren Blade is a 1/2- to 3/4-ounce spinnerbait built on a 1/4-ounce frame (Envision recently added a 3/8-ounce model). It has a super-vibrating light 0.32 wire frame, a Mustad Ultra Needle Point hook, premier swivel, a 44-strand skirt and ultra-hard chip-resistant paint. Here's what we found in testing it:

> On a 6-foot rod we could cast this bait a country mile, and because of the compactness, accuracy was great. No helicopter/spinning casts, straight to the target, head- and hook-first.

> It works equally well for burning through shallow cover and for slow-rolling deep.

> We fished riprap and slope walls, and the bait returned unscathed – no chips, and the Envision holographic eyes stayed on the bait.

> The unique custom keel-designed head didn't roll at high speeds, even with a trailer hook and trailer on the bait.

Envision Lures has a strong reputation in the South, and the Herren Blade should help them get known in the rest of the country. The company also makes regular Envision spinnerbaits and buzzbaits, Tru Life Jigs, Night Vision Spinnerbaits (great for smallmouths) and a series of painted-blade baits.

For more information check out www.envisionlures.com.