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Lure Review

 

 

Berkley's New Finesse Worm is Straight Money

 

Date: 3/21/22
Tackle Type: Lures
Manufacturer: Berkley
Reviewer: Cal






Total Score: 8.0 - GREAT

Introduction:
Straight tail, finesse worms are a staple out here in California. Just about every serious soft bait manufacturer that wants any part of the West Coast offers one and those who don't have a difficult time gaining any traction out here. Skeet Reese aims to correct that with Berkley helping them with a signature baits. Here's a look at Berkley's PowerBait infused Straight Money finesse worm.

 

Berkley Powerbait Straight Money Worm Specifications

Type Worm (straight tail finesse)
Material Soft Plastic
Colors/Patterns 12
Sizes 5", 6", 7"
Scent/Plastic Treatment PowerBait
# per package 15, 12, 10
Resealable Bag? Yes
MSRP $4.99

 

Impressions: Berkley's Straight Money finesse worm is a somewhat typical straight tail worm only the tail flattens out into a very subtle paddle shape. One side of the bait's body also has subtle ridges mimicking those found on an earth worm (a.k.a. a night crawler). The bait's consistency is just a tad more firm than what you expect to find with a hand pour, but certainly still soft enough to get bit. It has a consistency and feel similar to other PowerBait plastics, which is different than the texture and suppleness of their Maxscent plastics.

 


Introducing Berkley's PowerBait Straight Money

Real World Tests: I fished Berkley's Straight Money worm on a variety of setups including an Abu Garcia IKE Travel series spinning rod paired with my Abu Garcia's IKE Signature Series IKE SP30 spinning reel and gave the reel a fresh spool of 20lb Spiderwire Stealth Camo braid topped with a 6lb Sufix Advance Fluorocarbon leader, and an ARK Rods Invoker Pro IVP76MLXS paired with my 2015 Daiwa Ballistic EX spinning reel spooled with a fresh supply of 20lb Berkley X9 braided line and a leader of 6lb Sufix Advance Fluorocarbon.


Designed primarily as a shaky head worm...

 

Fishing a straight tail worm is, pardon the pun, pretty straight forward. This new worm from Berkley is no exception. My primary method of fishing a bait like this is hooked through the nose or wacky style on a drop shot but you can get creative with shakey heads, neko rigs, or even a finesse Texas rig.

 

There was a time I fished these baits solely on a split shot rig which is essentially a finesse method of presenting a Carolina rig, but I haven't fished that presentation in several years. The Straight Money would make a good split shot worm too.


I fished it more on a drop shot

The technique it was actually designed for was a shaky head - or at least, that's what the suggested hook on its packaging would suggest. No matter how you choose to fish this worm, what these techniques all have in common is the need for a worm with good buoyancy so your presentation can look like it has some life to it. Berkley's Straight Money worm has very good buoyancy. All that's needed to verify this is to drop one on the surface of the water. When this is done, the Straight Money just sits there almost as if it were walking on the surface.


The Straight Money's tail has a miniature paddle to help catch current

That's about the extent of the bait's action too. It kind of just sits there. There is some shape to the Straight Money's tail and it will guide the bait when moving, perhaps even wiggle a little in the current when at rest, but finesse worms are very subtle in their appeal yet undeniable in their effectiveness.


The bait has some texture to it along the body

Depending on your method of rigging, durability of the Straight Money is average to above average. That slightly more stiff soft plastic bait consistency certainly helps in this department, but as usual with a bait like this, results vary bait to bait, fish to fish depending on how violently your catch takes the bait and thrashes about during the battle.


The more I fish these Powerbait infused soft plastics, the more I appreciate the benefit

Design & Ergonomics: Berkley's Straight Money finesse worm is available in three sizes (5, 6, & 7 inches long) and twelve different colors. The worms are packaged in a resealable bag, and of course, are infused with the company's signature Powerbait formula encouraging fish not only to bite but to hold on longer when they do bite giving you more time to detect that take and set the hook.


The Straight Money is available in 3 sizes and sells for $4.99 per pack

Price & Applications: The Straight Money has a straight up price of $4.99 for all three sizes. What changes is the number of baits per package. Naturally you get more with the smallest size (15 baits) and less with the larger size (10). As for applications, only your imagination is the limit. I often use a straight tail worm as a more subtle trailer on spinnerbait, buzzbait, or vibrating jig. The added bit of color can make the difference. The Straight Money is an excellent choice for this application because the Powerbait is designed to stimulate more bites and get the fish to hold on longer as well.

Ratings

Berkley Powerbait Straight Money Worm Ratings (?/10)

Construction/Quality Nice bait consistency and execution of colors 8
Performance Very good buoyancy and durability. The infusion of Powerbait inspires confidence. This worm has performed on very tough finesse days in clear water 8.5
Price Good per-bait price no matter which size you choose 8
Features Powerbait infused and packaged in a resealable bag. Wish there were more colors to pick from and a two tone worm would be a welcome addition 7.5
Design (Ergonomics) Easy to fish and can be used for shakey heads, drop shots, Neko, and finesse Texas rigs 8
Application Prototypical straight tail worm with the benefit of Powerbait 8

Total Score

8.0
Ratings Key: 1 = terrible : 2 = poor : 3 = lacking : 4 = sub par : 5 = mediocre : 6 = fair : 7 = good : 8 = great : 9 = excellent : 10 = unbelievable!
For More Details of the updated rating system visit our explanation here

 

Pluses and Minuses:

Plus

Minus
+ Good buoyancy - Somewhat limited color selection versus some competing worm makers
+ Good bait consistency  
+ Nice, translucent colors  
+ Powerbait infused  

  


Berkley's Straight Money inspires that same confidence because it's a familiar profile and has the added bonus of being Powerbait infused

 

Conclusion: Straight tail finesse worms are a staple in my tackle bag whenever I'm out bass fishing. Even if the packages never see the light of day on a particular trip, this bait type is my security blanket. When the bite gets tough, I feel like I can always put a couple of fish in the boat with a finesse worm. Of course, it doesn't always work out that way, but that's fishing. Berkley's Straight Money inspires that same confidence because it's a familiar profile, the addition of the spade tail to generate subtle differentiated action, and has the added bonus of being Powerbait infused. If you're looking for a new finesse worm to add to your pile of confidence baits, give the Straight Money a closer look.

 

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