MY BIGGEST JEWFISH
Recently I had the opportunity to fish a Gold Coast waterway I’ve never fished before and was lucky enough to be teamed up with one of the local guns, Steve Wilson aka The Wiz. Steve and I had a mission to complete, and that was to catch fish with the new PowerBait lineup for 2022. Berkley PowerBait plastics have been my go-to soft baits for as long as I can remember, so I knew if fish lived in the waters we were heading to, we were going to catch them.
Steve and I set out with the three new designs in our tackle bag which consisted of the new PowerBait Fan Tail Shrimp which comes in three sizes, 2”, 3” & 4” with six great colours to choose from – Houdini, Pink Glitter, Camo, Cappuccino, Pearl White & Smelt.
Second in our bag of trick is the new PowerBait Craw which is a little beauty that represents a crayfish or yabby with pincers that generate a strong swimming action as it sinks. Available in two sizes, 2.5” & 3.5” with six colours in the range – Camo, Houdini, Black UV, Bloodworm, Cappuccino & Pumpkinseed.
Last, but not least a lure I was already familiar, the PowerBait Fork Tail minnow which is now available in bigger sizes to target bigger fish. With 4.5” & 5.5” sizes on the menu, and six great colours, the bigger fish had better watch out. Your colour choices are Cappuccino, Black Silver, Bleak, Bloodworm, Blue Shiner Gold & Disco Violet.
It was early morning when we hit the boat ramp on day one, and straight up we both tied on a PowerBait Craw and set off to target some bream. The unique design of the Craw when weighted with a light jighead effectively resembles a crustacean elegantly descending through the water column. We rigged them with a 1/20th or 1/16th Berkley Bream Pro jighead to throw them around manmade structures like jetty’s, pontoons, and bridges, landing a few nice fish for our efforts. We also found success rigging the craw with a slightly heavier 1/12th jighead and fished rock walls & bridges for trevally, tarpon, and flathead. With a lifelike crayfish body, the PowerBait craw is an essential component for both freshwater and saltwater fishermen to have in their arsenal.
The second lure we tied on as the tide was about to turn, was the PowerBait Fork Tail Minnow in the larger 5.5” size. This Bait in Blue Shiner Gold colour caught me my PB jewfish in the first half hour of fishing, I was stoked! The great thing about the new 4.5” & 5.5” sizes is they still have the same erratic darting action you get from the smaller 3.5” model.
With an action that imitates a wounded fleeing baitfish such as herring, yakka’s or even small tailor, the Fork Tail Minnow is a great choice for anglers chasing larger species that roam our waterways such as mulloway, XL flathead, or even pelagic fish offshore.
One of my favourites which I couldn’t wait to tie on, was the new Fan Tail Shrimp. An exciting shape which comes in three sizes 2”, 3” & 4” and available in 6 colours – Camo, Cappuccino, Smelt, Houdini, Pearl White, and Pink Glitter.
The Fan Tail Shrimp is capable of multiple retrieval techniques to attain results. You can hold your rod tip high and skip it across the surface, or let it glide to the bottom before giving it a few quick, sharp hops to resemble a fleeing shrimp or prawn. Every fish loves to eat a shrimp and with the versatility of the new Fan Tail Shrimp, they are set to be a game changer.
If you are ready to catch more fish in either freshwater or saltwater, the new range of PowerBait plastics are a must have in your kit next time you hit the water.
By Flynn Sinclair – Berkley Pro Team
