A mere 2 days before the Bassmaster Classic, I found myself sitting in a Kentucky whisky distillery of all places, listening to a new product presentation. Berkley had brought in a host of outdoor media folks to showcase a much hyped, but somewhat guarded, new line of baits. All I knew going into it was that it was unseen by the masses, and Berkley sure was excited about it.
Little did I, or anyone in the room, know that a few days later, a young angler would win the Bassmaster Classic using the very thing we were looking at: Berkley Lab series.
Now, the original plan was to show us these new baits and release them in the summer. But it’s tough to keep things under wraps on the biggest stage in fishing. Word got out. Plans changed. A classic win has that effect. I’m sure Berkley is fine with that, though, as you can’t ask for a much better product release.
So, with a shifted timeline, I can now share all the details about the new baits I saw in Kentucky.
What Is the Berkley Lab Series?
The Berkley Lab Series is a new line of soft plastic baits, geared toward bass anglers. And, after watching a few demonstrations, I can unequivocally say that these aren’t just another new soft plastic for the sake of having something new. It’s really unlike anything I’ve seen, and I am very impressed with the work of the scientists at Berkley who came up with it.
Unique Composition
It all starts with the composition of the baits. The Berkley PowerBait series has a long, storied history of being one of the most trusted bass soft plastics on the market. It’s been the old reliable for decades.
Berkley one-upped itself a few years ago, though, with the Berkley MaxScent line of baits. The idea behind MaxScent was to have maximum scent dispersion in the water, resulting in more bites and fish that hold on longer.
Those particular baits are among my favorite soft plastics ever. They easily outperform other options on my boat. But, MaxScent has drawbacks. Namely, colors were limited. All MaxScent baits have a matte appearance, and, from my understanding, achieving translucence is impossible due to the material itself. I also found that MaxScent baits aren’t very durable.
So, when I needed extra scent, I leaned on MaxScent, and when I wanted better color variety and durability, I leaned on PowerBait.
Why Not Have Both?
Lab Series is awesome because the mad fish scientists at Berkley found a way to combine them. In the new baits, PowerBait and MaxScent are fused together. You can visibly see the distinct PowerBait and MaxScent layers on the Lab Series baits.
You get the fish-catching attraction of MaxScent, with all of the colors of PowerBait. What’s not to love? That in itself is something to get excited about. “But wait, there’s more!”
New Slime Layer Makes For a Killer Three-Layer Design
The real draw of the Berkley lab series is a newly formulated “slime layer.” When dry, this layer looks like a soft powder coating the bait. Once you add water, though, it changes entirely.
The entire soft plastic becomes a sticky, gooey mess. Have you ever handled a nasty, sticky shad or carp? Yeah, this slime layer is similar. It turns your soft plastic bait into the real deal.
And boy, oh boy, does that slime layer kick out a scent trail. To demonstrate that, Berkley made a few baits custom for our presentation in Kentucky. Rather than leaving the slime layer, the clear, invisible color is on the baits that will be available for purchase; they brought some that had been dyed purple.
The second the dyed baits hit the water, scent began pouring off of them. It was wild to see. You can view it on the main image of this article. It’s pretty apparent why Dylan Nutt saw such good success with the bait during the Classic. It truly draws in fish.
According to Berkley scientists, the water-activated slime layer will last approximately 20 minutes when wet. When it wears off, you can rely on the MaxScent layer’s scent to still get the job done. And the PowerBait colors allowed the brand to create a slew of baits for any conditions.
Three Different Baits
At the product release, three different baits will be available. The first is a jighead minnow in two sizes. That’s the bait that Nutt relied on in the Classic. There’s also a finesse worm, and of course, the ever-popular hit worm.
Obviously, Berkley is still focusing on forward-facing sonar techniques. For me, that was a bit of a bummer. But, still, even if you throw a jighead minnow or a drop shot rig without the technology, these promise to be some of the best fish-catching baits the world has seen.
When pressed on other bait shapes being available, Berkley waffled a bit. There was no direct answer on whether we can expect the Lab Series line to extend to other soft-plastic categories. I, for one, would love to see some jig trailers, but I was informed that may or may not happen.
However, if I were a betting man, I’d imagine the line will extend over the next few years. It’ll be just like MaxScent, where a few new shapes get added each year. I was in no way, shape, or form told this from Berkley, but I think the brand started with the top-selling bait shapes for obvious sales reasons, and will push the line further if it does well. That’s just my guess.
Berkley Lab Series in the Water
After seeing the new slime layer, we headed outside to see the baits underwater in a tank. The minnow is impressive. Thanks to an air chamber in the middle of it, it rolls and kicks exactly how you’d want it to. It’ll be perfect for scoping.
The other worms looked great as well. It doesn’t look like the new formulation has hindered action in the slightest. Here are a few shots of the baits in the tank.
So, When Can You Get Them?
The big question is, when can you get ’em? And, maybe more importantly, how much are they going to cost you?
All three baits will be available on May 5. Pack sizes vary by bait size, but each pack will retail for $15. Given the impressive technology, I think that’s fair. I’d like to see it a bit cheaper, given it’s a soft plastic. But the price could be worse.
If you plan to chase bass this summer, I’ll be ready to buy some on release day. With a Classic win already under its belt, the Berkley Lab series is sure to go fast. I know I plan on loading up.
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