10 New Baits for This Year That Will Open Your Eyes

Here are some of the best new baits for late 2018 that are destined for a spot in your collection.

Now's the time to be fishing with the latest and greatest, which is why we zoomed in on Berkley Fishing and their awesome collection of brand new baits for 2018.

All of these selections are from the trusted Berkley Fishing line of lures, and most of them were debuted at the ICAST show and convention earlier in July.

1. PowerBait® MaxScent Lizard

The new PowerBait® MaxScent Lizard was just the sort of thing soft plastic fans wanted: A versatile and durable lizard design with the right kind of scent to attract them en masse.

The all-new material is just the thing for finesse fishing with ultra-realistic texture and natural matte colors to fool the hardest to catch fish. 

2. Berkley® Choppo

The new Berkley topwater line, recently expanded by 16 different new styles, has a lot for anglers who love that early morning and late afternoon bite. Plenty of boils and blow ups are yours for the taking if you're fishing a Choppo during those prime topwater times.

Since topwater prop baits have become so popular, companies are having to set their offerings apart, which is just what Berkley did. The prop itself has an enhanced surface area, making even more of a commotion when you simply cast and retrieve. Oh, and the material it's made of won't melt in your tackle box like some other prop baits.

3. Berkley® Bullet Pop

Take a look at the Berkley® Bullet Pop, and you won't wonder for long what the appeal is. The frog pattern is particularly noticeable. It's tail-weighted to help with casts, the back is tapered for better surface disturbance, and the subtle clicking sound is said to bring in the fish.

4. Berkley® Surge Shad Jointed

There's a lot to like about the new Berkley® Surge Shad Jointed. The exaggerated wobbling action works on fish feeding on the surface or staying suspended, and it's versatile, too. You can twitch it, aggressively jerk it, or steadily retrieve it to get that wobble fish are looking for.

5. PowerBait® Mantis Bug

The soft plastics department on Berkley Fishing's site has been increased as well, with plenty of previews of soon-to-be-available baits that are going to find a way into your tackle box.

Start with the odd-looking but meticulously-designed PowerBait Mantis Bug, with its combo of smaller legs (to avoid movement from angular outputs) and larger legs (to add weight and distance to pitches).

The profile is compact but still bulky enough to attract the attention of big bass.

6. PowerBait® Zestail

Get a load of the new PowerBait® Zestail, a promising plastic based on a popular Japanese design with a twintail tube. Can you picture yourself throwing this behind a football jig?

7. Berkley® HighJacker

This is one for those anglers who love to target schools of fish, especially when they're nice and aggressive. The Berkley® HighJacker isn't your grandpa's topwater: If you walk the dog with this one, you'll see the difference.

It's especially useful with lakes full of heavily-pressured fish. The action and profile are such a step away from the norm that it's almost irresistable.

8. Berkley® Spin Bomb

This is the year you should look to add a propbait to your arsenal, and the Berkley® Spin Bomb is a great excuse.

According to Berkley pro angler Justin Lucas, this is the one to use in shallow areas where bass are actively feeding on bluegill. A nice twitch and pause is going to help the reenforced and redesigned propellors that, even at slower speeds, throw up maximum spray.

9. Berkley® Cane Walker

As long as you aren't tired of new topwater baits (and really, who is?!), the Berkley® Cane Walker is worth checking out. The sounds and rattles that emit from this thing are next to none, and it excels in choppy scenarios.

Plus, the enhanced weight distribution puts your casts where other lures usually don't reach, and the spitting cup is destined to splash more than you've seen from any other walking bait.

10. Berkley® WakeBull

How's the saying go? "Grab the bull by the horns," right?

That's fitting for the new Berkley® WakeBull, one we've waited a long time for. It's perfect for heavy cover areas, and can be cranked at higher speeds without suffering blow outs. The WakeBull's sound resonance chamber amplifies the knocking noise with each wag of the tail, making this one of the hardest to ignore if you're a hungry (or even just attentive) fish.

NEXT: 4 FISH SPECIES THAT JUST CAN'T SAY NO TO A BERKLEY WARPIG