Sponsor Spotlight: PowerTeam Lures

By Joseph Alfe Ahh, the smell of garlic in the morning. The intense aroma wafted from the box of goodies PowerTeam sent me as I giddily opened the box in anticipation as my wife looked on with a mixture of fascination and horror on her face. "That stuff smells! She said in disgust. Yes. Yes it does. It smells like Trophy Bass fishing to me. The Company PowerTeam Lures is based out of Farmville, Virginia and is run by two Bass fishing fanatics, Bob and Katie Bernotsky. Why did Bob and Katie enter the incredibly crowded soft plastic market? Bob says that they simply couldn't find a bait that had all the attributes that he was looking for. "We tried working with another manufacturer to develop our designs but got little interest, so we decided to make our own. Bob wasn't interested in making baits that looked like everyone else's, and he hates "knockoffs he says. "I want my baits to be special, be unique, and I need them to catch big Bass. Indeed, the overriding theme of PowerTeam lures is to create products that select for big Bass. The Bernotsky's started PowerTeam in 2010 after spending two years designing and developing prototypes and perfecting their manufacturing process. While Bob works on the baits, Katie handles the business side of things and keeps the whole operation running smoothly. This, of course, doesn't stop the two of them from slipping out from time to time to a nearby lake to stick it to some oversized Bass. "We think of it as product testing, so we get out as much as we can Katie says. After the baits are perfected, Bob has a local company make the molds, and then sends them out to a facility in Alabama that custom injects the plastic. "We are an 100% American made product Bob says, "and that's important to us. Products Bob does all of the designing, spending countless hours crafting baits and designs through trial an error. "Designs come to me while I sleep Bob tells me, and he finds himself struck by inspiration while observing nature. "We put crawdads in a tank and observed them scuttling, swimming, and studied their behavior at different times of the day and night. These observations lead to the unique design of Bob's Craws, such as their first product, the Texas Rig Jig. "If you watch a Crawfish flee, its claws don't flap around like today's baits do, Bob observes. "Their claws trail behind them in a streamlined manner, and that's how we designed our baits. The difference is obvious and sets PowerTeam Craws apart. Part trophy Bass hunter and part mad scientist, Bob tirelessly worked on all aspects of the design and manufacturing process of the PowerTeam line up of products. Bob's proprietary salt to plastic ratio makes for baits with neutral buoyancy, which increases their life-like appearance and movement under water. "The neutral buoyancy also causes the tentacles on the Food Chain Tube or the claws on their Craw baits to rise up seductively, like a real Crawfish Bob says. Bob also formulated their custom scent, Hog Tonic, which contains the heavy dose of garlic oil that my wife loves so much, and a special blend of amino acids that big Bass love. Katie says that their most popular products are the Texas Rig Jig, the Craw D'Oeuvre, and their Hammer Shad. The Hammer Shad is an incredibly flappy shad-shaped bait that is made for drop shotting but is equally at home on a jig or Texas Rig. New to the line-up is the Swinging Hammer, a soft, segmented paddle tail swimbait that looks like it will be a killer worked on a jig, Scrounger head, or an Alabama Rig. Of special note, and my personal favorite, are their Food Chain Craw Tubes, which have fully molded tentacles that produce an exceptionally life-like movement in the water. Other notable products are their Lizards, Diesel Craws, and their worm line up that includes the finesse oriented Finicky Tickler, the Sick, Stick, and the giant 10 Ribbon Hinge Worm. Speaking of giant baits, Bob says that he is always after big Bass, and his bait sizes reflect that. This is why many PowerTeam baits are in the 4+ range and he says, "Anglers shouldn't be afraid to feed Bass big baits because they love them. The full line up is available in a wide range of very impressive colors and patterns, and all come soaked in Hog Tonic. Bob and Katie Bernotsky are obsessed with big Bass, and for making the best possible line up of baits that they can. Never resting, they are always experimenting, designing, and fishing their baits, always striving to create something unique and effective. To learn more about PowerTeam Lures, or see the full line up and to order their products, please visit www.powerteamlures.com and support this family owned, American company by asking your local retailer to carry PowerTeam Lures.