I recently tried Berkley’s latest PowerBait offering — MaxScent. I’ve avoided PowerBait in the past because of its strong scent. I’m sure it catches bass, but it’s not the type of “cologne” I want in my tackle box. So even before trying it, I was convinced that MaxScent meant an even more pungent odor. I was in for a surprise.
When the package of MaxScent soft-plastic lures hit my doorstep, my curiosity got the best of me. I immediately opened it and took a tentative whiff. I smelled nothing. I took a stronger whiff and detected something, but nothing as strong as previous PowerBait encounters. The odor was mild! I was pleased, so I took it to the water.
I fished the General, a stick bait, and the Creature Hawg, a beaver-style bait. I Texas rigged the Creature Hawg, using 30-pound test FireLine and a 7-foot medium-heavy rod, and put it through the paces, flipping and pitching into the heaviest bass holding cover that I could find. I also fished it along the edges of lily pads and submerged aquatic vegetation. I found the Creature Hawg’s gentle yet erratic fall was irresistible to bass. I whacked them!
I wanted to see how the General stacked up to the seemingly endless choices of soft plastic stick baits, which nearly every soft-plastic lure manufacturer makes. I Texas rigged it without weight. The first thing I noticed was how it shimmied better than any others, even the original Senko. I was surprised and impressed. It also sinks slightly faster than other stick baits, which helps generate more reaction strikes.
I fished the General during the dog days of summer, and although I got some quick bites, I got more by letting it sit motionless for as long as I could stand it. It was the same with the Creature Hawg. After letting it sit forever, the line would suddenly move sideways. I’m convinced that MaxScent had everything to do with that. Berkley makes these lures with a new soft-plastic material, which releases a supercharged scent. It claims anglers will catch 45 percent more fish with it.
Bass seem to really clamp down and hold on tight to MaxScent baits. That is probably the result of their two qualities: the natural feel of the soft-plastic material and the attractant. Together they convince fish that they are biting into natural forage. That equates to more time for an angler to set the hook. Anytime you can get a fish to hold onto your lure slightly longer, your odds of catching that fish significantly increase.
Another happy surprise was the durability of the MaxScent baits. As I was re-rigging the hook in a Creature Hawg after the first bass it caught, I couldn’t find a tear anywhere. Unlike most soft-plastic lures, these showed no battle wounds. And they lasted longer than most soft-plastic baits, from five to 10 bass per lure. That was even true of the General! Not needing a new lure after every bass is a blessing. It allows you to spend your time fishing instead of searching your boat’s storage compartments or tackle boxes for another lure. It also increases your bass-per-bag-of-baits ratio, and that longevity makes MaxScent baits a more cost-effective option in the long run.
Berkley offers MaxScent baits in several natural matted colors, making it easy for anglers to match local water conditions and forage. The muted colors appear more natural to me, and the bass agree.
Regardless of how you rig the Creature Hawg or General, they are very effective big-bass producers. The next time you’re on the water, whether searching for the tournament-winning catch or a big-bass photo opportunity, rig a PowerBait MaxScent bait and hold on tight.
