Berkley has had a lot of success with their Havoc line and this year at the convention they are debuting some more products under the Havoc brand.
They have introduced the new Pit Chunk which is for all intents and purposes, a slimmed down, cut off version of the popular Pit Boss designed by Skeet Reese. Now, as opposed to biting off the end of one, you can get the chunk version to use as a jig-trailer.
Another new product is the Skeet Reese designed Sick Fish. This little swimbait will remind a lot of anglers of another bait that is similar in design with protruding fins and a paddle tail. Add 3D eyes and custom colors, you’ve got a bait worth giving a try.
This little bait does not have a belly slit of any kind, which we questioned the Berkley rep about. He said that in testing, the pros have been slitting the belly for rigging on a belly-weighted swimbait hook.
Like a lot of companies, Berkley is introducing a version of the A-Rig. They are calling this a Schooling Rig and also produce a Schooling Rig Kit. They have added what they call a control ring that can be slid down the wires to keep the package more compact when you’re running to a new spot.
Another new bait is the Twitchtail Minnow that was designed for drop-shot applications. At 3 inches in length, this little minnow will lend itself to other finesse applications as well.
In their Nanofil Line, they are introducing a new Low-Vis Green, a High-Vis chartreuse, as well as increased line sizes across the board. While still primarily for spinning gear, the higher test sizes will work on lower capacity casting gear.
In the XL and XT line series, Berkley has enhanced the XL’s wet strength by a purported 55% at the same time improving the out of the package strength by 10%. The XT has reduced its memory while preserving the toughness and abrasion resistance that it has been known for.