March 30, 2011

Soft Plastics Week Continues: The Berkley Powerbait HeavyWeight Thump Worm


Berkley has always been known for making some great plastics that are full of that famous PowerBait Scent.  The Berkley Powerbait HeavyWeight Thump Worm definitely has that aroma, and I think that is the best quality of this bait.  

When I first saw this bait I was pretty excited as I have had some success on the HeavyWeight lineup.  They are very heavy (like the name implies..of course), and much denser feeling that your average soft plastic.  I was also pretty excited about the slit tail that can be easily cut to turn it into a buzzing type worm (like my faithful Ultravibe Speedworm).  This dual purpose for this bait made it a great choice for a review.

When fishing the worm, one of the biggest benefits was the density; this thing casts a mile.  I think this could also be a drawback as it doesn't seem to feel as natural and not to mention it is not as soft as plastics you may be used to.  The overall appearance was good and the color selection covers the most popular choices.  The bait is 7" but feels more like a finesse worm to me, I don't know what it is about it.  The when I decided to cut the tail, it did buzz on top, but not as easily as other worms.  I caught a few small fish on it, but nothing to brag about. Overall, the bait did as intended but didn't excite me much before I did this review.

Scoring for the Berkley Powerbait HeavyWeight Thump Worm

Price/Value: 1
The baits sell for $5.49 for a pack of 6.  Do the math, that's almost $1 per bait.
Durability: 1
I used them for a few hours and caught two fish on them and somehow only have 2 left.  I know both fished ripped them off the hook and the fish weren't that big.
Performance: 2
They worked as intended and the extra casting distance was a bonus. The bait did not buzz on top as well as I would have liked.
Innovation: 2
It's basically just a paddle tail worm with a perforated slit.
Availability: 3
Can be purchased on Tacklewarehouse.com

Total Score: 9 - Save your money!

13 comments:

Unknown said...

About the only Powerbait product I like are the standard worms and the Chigger Craws.

ikaika.shook said...

good review tyler! i have searched on this bait and i see that the bait is really expensive like you said, which is not really good. especially when the durabillity isnt really good. the bait may have a good casting distance, but if thats the only good thing about the bait, it really isnt a good buy. i actually use a bait simmilar to it, netbait thumper worm. for a pack of 12 its 3.49 which i think is an amazing price! it also loaded with salt and pork, which gives it a sent and a keeps the fish on longer! the colors for this bait are amazing aswell i use the okechobee craw color and its amazing. so if anyone was to buy a thumper worm, netbait would be the one to buy, its cheap, a lot are in a pack, a lot of salt and pork, good action, and it has quite a bit of color selection.

ikaika.shook said...

i agree jody, chigger craw all the way!

MNAngler said...

I tried some curly tail worms for the first time last summer. I only got one fish with it, but didn't spend many hours with it. These look a bit out of my price range.

samuel groves said...

GOOD REVIEW! I've never been impressed much by paddle tail worms.If i'm throwing a worm that's not a senko or on a drop shot rig i want a curly tail on it.

MSPbass said...

I'm liking these honest reviews man!

Over this winter I picked up a few bags of the NB Thumper Worms. Thought they might do well as a pitching bait. Haven't been able to get one wet yet though.

Basspastor said...

I don't think they would be something I would be interested in to begin with.

Matt said...

There is only one true Thumper worm in my opinion, it's the Rage Tail Thumper.
Rage Tail was the first to use the "Thumper" name referring to a worm, the first to use a score/cut line to offer more options and while they are not exactly cheap like Netbaits, you get a worm loaded with action and THUMP.

TBRINKS said...

HellaBass said: Good to know, guess I'll stick with a Zoom Speed Worm if I want that presentation, good to see you review a clunker, gives more credibility to the other reviews!

Thoughts of a Christian Bass Fisherman said...

Just windering T. if the hooks used with the Thumper had a keeper on it? I am interested to know because if you didnt I wondering if you would have lost less of them with it. Like everyone is saying it seems a bit pricey if you cant use it for more then one or two fish. Good Review, changed my mind about checking them out.

TBRINKS said...

@Chris - no keeper on this hook. I don't know if would have helped though. Powerbait seems to rip pretty often, espescially the heavy weights

Thoughts of a Christian Bass Fisherman said...

I like the look of them, I would be interested to know how they hold up with a keeper on the hook.

TBRINKS said...

@Thoughts of a Christian Bass Angler - what kind of keeper do you like?

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