Here at FishTalk we don't like to merely take a manufacturer's words at face value - we want to put it to the test - so when Berkley said their new PowerBait Max Scent put a stronger scent cloud into the water, I decided a taste-test was in order. You don't believe it? Well, art director Zach Ditmars whipped out his camera and caught it on film as I first licked, and then bit off a chunk of PowerBait Max Scent, to discover the flavor first-hand. See for yourself:
Lick the PowerBait and first you get a jolt of salty, salty, salt with a hint of fishy flavor. What's interesting is when you bite it off and chew. There's a mega-salt blast, potent enough to make you pucker. Why does this matter, from an angling perspective? Because one of the problems with scented lures is that after some amount of time, the scent wears off. In this case, as soon as a fish chomps down he'll get a mouth-full of yummy.
Wait a sec, Rudow - does this really matter? Can it really increase your catch? I say yes, but not because of any scent "cloud." I've never been a big believer in the effectiveness of scented lures for generating more strikes. However, I'm 100-percent convinced that it absolutely, positively takes a fish longer to reject a good scented lure. While you may get a half-second to one second to set the hook while using an unscented plastic, with the right scented lure this time frame can be extended exponentially. In fact, while un-tangling a line I've had fish pick up a PowerBait that was sitting dead on bottom, and swallow it all the way down the hatch.
These new PowerBait Max plastics are more targeted towards freshwater fishing (GULPs are more for saltwater) but the shad body style looks to be a winner in both situations. And, just for the record, yes I have tasted GULP, too. I don't recommend it, because the tart fish-slimy flavor doesn't wash out of your mouth with water and sticks around for a solid five or 10 minutes. (Suggested side-order: collard greens).
The PowerBait Max Scent lures come in 10 colors, and eight styles. You can go to Berkley's web site to look for more info, but since this product was just introduced last month it hasn't appeared on their web site as of this publication.
Editor's note: Both PowerBait Max and GULP are clearly marked "not for human or pet consumption." As a result we do not endorse or encourage taste-testing them. But we can't wait until they come out with a crab flavor.