June 21, 2013
By Ned Kehde
Berkley Havoc The Jerk is a five-inch jerk- or fluke-style bait that is endowed with a computer-designed tail, which Berkley calls a "scooped out, hydro-foil, diamond-shaped tail." This tail configuration lets water flow in and out as angler twitches the bait, and this flow provokes the tail undulate provocatively with an up-and-down motion.
According the Berkley's staff and field testers, it was designed to prevent the bait from rolling over on itself, and at the same time, it was fabricated so that it shimmies alluringly when an angler executes a pause during the retrieve. During a retrieve, it can be jerked, twitched, burnt and shook.
Its torso is thick and formed to accommodate a 5/0 hook, and its bulk facilitates long casts for anglers who rig it with a weightless hook. Berkley suggest that anglers can affix them on umbrella rigs. Even though it was designed by and for power and tournament anglers, Midwest finesse anglers, who are primarily recreational anglers, can rig it on a Gopher Tackle's Mushroom Head Jig and retrieve as they do finesse worms, Senko-style baits and other jerk- or fluke-style baits.
It's available in 10 colors: avocado orange, black, disco shad, green-pumpkin blue, green-pumpkin small red, pearl white, pinky, purple haze, watermelon black silver and watermelon large. A package of 10 retails for $3.49, but retailers such as Tackle Warehouse have it priced at $2.99.
Here's hoping that Midwest finesse anglers will submit reports to the Finesse News Network about their experiences with The Jerk.
For more information see: http://www.berkley-fishing.com/products/soft-bait/havoc/jerk
