One of the oldest and most productive lines of soft-plastic lures still in production is PowerBait by Berkley. If you’ve spent time fishing for bass, the chances are good that you’ve used a Power Worm. And if you have, then you are familiar with PowerBait’s smell, which isn’t exactly pleasant. That had me a little concerned when I opened my first bag of Berkley’s latest PowerBait offering — MaxScent — infused with a recently developed supercharged scent that will help you catch 45 percent more fish. But I didn’t have to worry.
I was pleasantly surprised that I couldn’t detect any noticeable smell coming from MaxScent. I suspect that the new scent may be detectable by a fish in the water but not by a human being in the air. I’m entirely OK with that.
I tested several MaxScent soft-plastic lures, catching bass on each. My most productive one was the Creature Hawg, which sports a vast ribbed body and two flappers. I caught nearly as many fish on the MaxScent stick worm — The General. I also caught fish on the Lunch Worm, which sports a ribbon tail, and the finesse-style Hit Worm, which worked well on a drop shot. My largest bass came on a straight-tailed D-Worm during testing, which worked well on a shaky head.
MaxScent lures have a slightly different texture than most soft-plastic lures, but it still creates a lively action. As with the original PowerBait, the bass fully commits to eating MaxScent lures. I never had a fish drop one after biting it.
Durability was on par with most other soft-plastic lures, with each MaxScent bait catching up to three fish before needing to be replaced. Rigging methods, such as Texas or jig head, played a role in how long each lasted.
MaxScent colors aren’t as sharp as they are on other soft-plastic lures. Out of the package, they look faded and dull, like a soft-plastic lure that was underwater too long. I suspect that’s because of the material used to make them. They still look good, just different than the bright, glossy finishes that I’m accustomed to seeing on soft-plastic lures.
Overall, Berkley’s new offering — PowerBait MaxScent — are productive lures.
