The Berkley Hit Stick borrows from balsa while featuring the benefits of plastic baits. It's truly a hard bait revelation.
When previous fishing generations first realized the amazing action of balsa wood lures, a switch was flicked. Anglers used the floating minnow style to attract attention from the biggest and hungriest fish in the water, and utilized that unique, high-speed rolling action to catch multiple species across the United States.
It was a big step in fishing's lifetime, and now Berkley has taken another.
The brand new Berkley Hit Stick brings those balsa characteristics to your tackle box, but holds on to the casting ability and durability that we've come to expect from today's hard plastic fishing lures.
It was a decade and a half worth of research and development that led to the Hit Stick's eventual design, with much of the legwork fronted by Berkley's Pro-Design Team of Gary Parsons and Keith Kavajecz. Their input led to a system Berkley's calling FlashDisc, which consists of small weighted discs loaded into the bottom of the lure's body.
Berkley says the integrated FlashDisc improves tracking, stability, and accuracy, giving the bait true balsa-like action. After fishing the lure for a few hours, we can attest its similarity to balsa. The side flash, even at low speeds, is incredible (Berkley claims it is activated at just 1 mph) and the realistic color and size choices make the Hit Stick one of the most versatile new stick baits to hit the market.
It can be trolled, cast with a steady, straight retrieve like a crankbait, or even fished with finesse presentations in the form of a traditional jerk bait.
New Berkley Hit Stick Features
The Hit Stick comes in a total of 20 different colors (like Firetiger, Tennessee Shad, and Black-Gold) and ranges in size from 1 3/8 inch up to 6 inches. The weights go from 1/8 ounce to 8/9 ounce. The smallest size sinks, while the others all float.
Perhaps most notably, the Hit Stick employs Berkley's Fusion19 Hooks, which have made their way onto the wish lists of fishermen all over. New for this year are the EWG (extra wide gap) treble hooks in the Fusion19 variety, bringing needle point sharpness, a lightwire design, and a choice of five colors to the table. The EWG bend promotes more hook-ups and the lightwire shank works perfectly on high action, small profile baits.
There's a high-pitched rattle at work, which makes predator fish take notice, and walleye and bass fishing enthusiasts will love the tight, finesse tail action.
Add that all up, and the MSRP still sits at just $6.99, a good price considering the versatility and longevity Berkley is touting.
As a reminder, the Hit Stick is not to be confused with the Berkley Powerbait MaxScent Hit Worm, a soft plastic with ultra-realistic texture and equally-outstanding versatility. The names are similar, but both baits are unique to one another.
For more on the Hit Stick, and the rest of Berkley's pack-leading gear, go to Berkley-Fishing.com.
NEXT: UGLY STIK INTRODUCES NEW "UGLY TOOL" KNIVES AND FISH CLEANING EQUIPMENT
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