Berkley's Powerbait Maxscent Flatnose Minnow

Since April 1, 2006, a four-inch shad-shaped or minnow-shaped worm has been an important tool in the repertoire of Midwest finesse anglers. Consequently, when Berkley introduced their Powerbait Maxscent Flatnose Minnow to the angling world at the 2017 International Convention of Allied Sportfishing Trades show, it caught the eyes of some Midwest finesse devotees.

It is four inches long, and unlike the shad- or minnow-shaped worms that Midwest finesse anglers traditionally employ, the Powerbait Maxscent Flatnose Minnow has a forked or V-shaped tail, similar to fluke-style baits.  What's more, it has a thinner profile than the shad- or minnow-shaped worms and traditional fluke-style baits.

It is heralded as a stellar drop-shot bait, and the folks at Berkley say that its compressed and flat nose facilities rigging it on a drop-shot hook. Its nose will also fit well on a small mushroom-style jig, such as a 1/16-ounce Berkley Half Head Jig, which is how Midwest finesse anglers will work with it.

When it is rigged on a 1/16-ounce mushroom-style jig, the hook is exposed, and the primary retrieve that Midwest finesse anglers will employ is their swim-glide-and-shake presentation. But when that retrieve is not effective, they will experiment with the hop-and-bounce, drag-and-shake, drag-and-deadstick, and straight-swim presentations, or variations of those retrieves.

It is manufactured in the following colors: Baby Bass, Black Shiner, Blue Back, Blue Pearl Black Hologram, Brown Back, Green Pumpkin, Natural Shad, Smoke Black Blue Gold, Watermelon Red, and White.  Berkley describes them as "natural matte colors."

They are made with an "all-new material" that "provides an ultra-realistic texture."   They are impregnated with what is called "Berkley's revolutionary Maxscent formula." According to the folks at Berkley, it possesses a soft and durable torso that exhibits a "life-like action."

A package of 10 costs $6.99.

Endnotes

(1) Here is a link to Berkley's website: http://www.berkley-fishing.com/berkley-bait-soft-bait-berkley-powerbait/powerbait-maxscent-flatnose minnow/1447435.html#sz=227&start=174.

(2) Here is a link to our gear guide about the Berkley Half Head Jig: http://www.in-fisherman.com/midwest-finesse/berkleys-half-head-jig/.

(3) Here is the link to our Midwest Finesse column that describes how we employ our various Midwest finesse retrieves: http://www.in-fisherman.com/midwest-finesse/six-midwest-finesse-retrieves/.

(4) Here is a link to a Midwest finesse column that describes how and where Shin Fukae of Osaka, Japan, and Palestine, Texas, used a swim-glide-and-shake retrieve with a shad-shaped worm affixed to a jig on April 1, 2006: http://www.in-fisherman.com/bass/a-midwest-finesse-tribute-to-shin-fukae/.

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