New Stuff
Three Worms Among Berkley's Offerings

Photo: Berkley The Berkley Gulp! Alive! 7-inch Super Worm is a new twist on an old standby.

Big Worm Revitalized

Whether you grew up fishing a backwoods pond or hitting the nearest lake, the Berkley 7-inch Power Worm was a mainstay in every tackle box. Now the legendary bait is revived as the new Gulp! Alive! 7-inch Super Worm.

“It doesn’t matter what time of year or where I'm fishing, the Berkley 7-inch Power Worm is always in my boat,” said reigning Bassmaster Classic champion Skeet Reese. “But now the bait has been supercharged with Gulp! Alive! The Super Worm is an old-school bait revamped to handle any fishing situation.”

The Super Worm is packaged in Gulp! Alive! oval buckets ($19.99) and available in seven popular colors to match any water condition. Baits are suspended in Gulp! Alive! juice, which is proven to disperse scent 400 times more than other scents. It's also available in re-sealable packages ($5.99).

The worm can be Texas-rigged on a 2/0 to 6/0 hook, used on a Carolina rig or attached to a 1/4-ounce jig. It offers the same action and features as the classic 7-inch Power Worm, with a natural presentation and swimming tail.

> Colors – black, blue fleck, breen, green-pumpkin, watermelon, red shad, tequila sunrise.

Finesse with a Curl

The angling public applauded the introduction of the Berkley PowerBait Poured Worm. Now anglers will rejoice with the addition of the Berkley PowerBait 5-inch Poured Curltail Worm.

The multi-layered Curltail Worm, which comes in 12 colors, is extra-soft and flexible for a wide variety of techniques, making it highly effective when the bite is hot or cold. Adding a realistic curl tail to the bait, Berkley enlisted the pros to help design the lifelike action of the tail.

“The Berkley PowerBait Hand Pour Worms are fish-catching machines,” said Reese. “Now, with the addition of the small curl tail, I can match my bait’s action to the mood of the bass. I’ll use the curl tail when the bass are a little more aggressive and the water is stained and the PowerBait Hand Poured straight tail when it’s crystal clear and the bite is tough.

Photo: Berkley Two new players in the finesse game – the 5-inch Poured Curl Tail Worm (top) and the Slim Shaky Worm.

With the exclusive PowerBait formula added to the Poured Curltail Worm, fish hold on 6 to 18 times longer than other scented and non-scented baits.

Re-sealable packages of six will retail for $4.89.

> Colors – midnight, bold bluegill, green-pumpkin, holographic shad, oxblood/light red fleck, purple greenie-Christmas, red crawler, triple margarita, warmouth, watermelon, watermelon magic-red glitter, blue crawler.

Slim Worm for Shakin'

It doesn’t matter if you're fishing in a tournament or trying to outfish your buddy – when fishing gets tough, anglers reach for finesse tackle. PowerBait 4 3/4 Slim Shaky Worms will entice more bites, giving you the winning edge when it counts most.
“Many of the lakes that the BASS Elites fish are pounded by local traffic,” said 2007 Classic champion Boyd Duckett. “Finesse fishing has become a go-to method to coax pressured fish to strike. PowerBait 4 3/4 Slim Shaky Worms are perfect for these types of situations. It's easy to rig it on a light jig or fine-wire hooks.”

Tying it on a drop-shot rig is one of the most preferred ways to fish the Slim Shaky Worm ($3.99 for a package of 12). Throw it out and slowly drag along the bottom. Another popular technique for the Slim Shaky worm is the shaky-head – rig up the Slim Shaky on a light shaky-head jig, cast out around cover and bounce and drag back to your location.

A uniquely designed tail creates slightly more vibration during “the shake," attracting more fish. Baits are packaged with PowerBait scent and flavor, which fish bite and won’t let go.

> Colors – baby bass, blue fleck, green-pumpkin, purple, pumpkinseed, watermelon, watermelon-big red, watermelon candy.

Photo: Berkley The ribbed sides of the Ripple Shad increase the surface area for better dispersion of the PowerBait scent.

The new PowerBait Ripple Shad takes jig trailers to a new level. The solid-body bait, available in 3-inch and 4-inch versions, has an oversized action tail and when combined with the segmented body, creates more bait vibration in the water with a powerful swimming action.

“Everything will eat the new Ripple Shad,” said two-time Classic winner and TV hostHank Parker. “The body is segmented and creates more water disturbance and better action. Freshwater or saltwater, this new bait catches more fish.”

The ribbed sides increase the surface area on the bait for better dispersion of the PowerBait scent. Oversized red eyes and lifelike body and color detail adds to the bait’s attraction.

To rig, simply thread the 3-inch Ripple Shad onto a 1/8- to 1/4-ounce darter or ball jighead with a 1/0 or 2/0 hook. Be sure the bait is rigged straight for optimum swimming action. For the 4-inch bait, use a slightly heavier jighead with a 3/0 or 4/0 hook.
Bass anglers have found the bait to be ideal for attracting suspended bass in timber and for retrieval across points. Thread in onto a 1/0 or 2/0 weighted hook, expose the hook through the back of the Ripple Shad, and you've got the perfect swimbait for fish in and around cover.

Packages of 10 (3-inch) or 5 (4-inch) Ripple Shads will retail for $4.89.

> Colors – firetiger, glow/chartreuse, green back/pearl, new penny, pearl white, rainbow trout, smelt, strawberry white.

Photo: Berkley Bio-dip will quickly add color to any Gulp!, Gulp! Alive! or live bait.

To spice up worn or faded baits, anglers turn to a messy solution that loses color after a few casts. Berkley is introducing Bio-Dip, a new water-based coloring agent that, once applied, clings to Gulp!, Gulp! Alive! or live bait.

The non-scented Bio-Dip changes the bait's color, giving fish the different look they’ve been waiting for.

“Fish get tired of seeing the same old colors,” said Bassmaster Elite Series pro Bobby Lane. “I like to sink some of my bed-fishing baits in the chartreuse Bio-Dip for a little flash. I’ve also had success using it on saltwater fishing trips by mixing colors for a different combination.”

For best results, pat the bait dry and dip into the dye for instant color change, creating fire tails or colored heads. You can also get creative with a paintbrush to customize your bait with sharp accents.

Bio-Dip is biodegradable and comes in convenient 4-ounce bottles that retail for $6.99.

> Colors – blue, chartreuse, orange, red.