The Berkley Nessie is one of the hottest lures on the market.
It is an incredibly awesome concept that produces big fish, raises a bit of controversy, and comes at a very affordable price.
But is it worth the hype?
I’ll keep this quick, because you probably already know exactly what this bait is.
The Berkley Nessie is a very cool and unique bait because it is one of the first soft plastic glide baits.
Made with the classic Berkley Powerbait material, this bait is much easier and cheaper to fish compared to all the other lures in the glide bait category.
There is a small amount of controversy surrounding the Nessie, although I don’t really see any issue with it personally.
A lot of people accuse Berkley of stealing the design of this lure from the Grow Designs Flag.
I think it is pretty obvious that Berkley did steal most of the bait design from the Flag, but that is pretty much how the fishing industry works, so I don’t view it as issue of any kind.
Any time a new lure design or technology gets created, every lure company copies it and makes their own variations.
And the flag is about 6 times the price, so Berkley really was doing us anglers a favor.
The action is actually really, really good. The Nessie would be considered a chopping style glide bait.
Chopping glide baits have much shorter and quicker side to side action. You almost walk the dog with them.
They don’t slowly glide or swim in wide left to right movements. They just chop back and forth within a later foot or so.
But within the chopping glide bait category, the Nessie very much works just the same as other, hard glide baits.
It does have a bit more tendency to roll over, but the clear stabilizers help with that a lot.
Plus, a bit of rolling from time to time is expected for a glide bait that is much lighter weight than the heavy, hard body lures.
The Berkley Nessie is smaller glide bait and is much lighter weight than a traditional glide bait.
This is very helpful for a couple of reasons.
First, you don’t need an entirely new, extra heavy duty rod and reel setup.
A standard medium-heavy baitcasting setup will work just fine, and I am sure you already have one of those.
Secondly, it gets very tiring throwing around a super heavy lure all day.
But the Nessie is light enough that your arms and wrists can toss it around for hours without slowing down.
And lastly, the Nessie doesn’t make a huge splash every time it hits the water.
You are able to fish much stealthier and not make bass to cautious.
The Nessie glide bait is described as a slow sinking bait. But that description isn’t quite accurate.
This bait sinks very, very slowly compared to traditional “slow-sinking” glide baits.
And to be honest, it sinks a bit too slowly. The Nessie does have three locations on the bait where you are able to insert nail weights.
This does certainly help get the bait get a lot deeper and open up some new doors.
But I just wish it sunk a bit faster straight out of the box.
This is probably your number one concern. And of course, the Nessie is not as durable as hard body lures.
But that’s going to be the case any time you are fishing with soft plastic lures.
However, you can catch tons of fish on a single Nessie before it breaks down too much to use.
It’s impossible to give an exact number. But on average, you’ll probably be able to catch 25-40 bass on each individual bait.
And considering that your average bass will be quite big, that number is actually pretty high.
Just by looking at the bait, you might think that the mesh joint is where the bait is the weakest.
But I actually haven’t found that to be the case. What usually happens is that as you catch a bunch of bass, the internal hook harness begins to loosen up and get misshapen inside the soft plastic.
And after a while, this internal system and the bass’ teeth just break down the bait.
I would say that the Nessie’s durability is comparable to a hollow body frog.
With only one hook, you a lot of guys where concerned that they were going to miss a lot of bass.
But that hasn’t really been the case. There are two main reasons for this.
First, the soft and flexible body of the bait allows bass to fully engulf the whole lure.
And when they eat the whole bait, it doesn’t matter how many hooks it has, they are going to get stuck.
Second, the bait as a whole is much more natural. The scent, the look, the feel, and the lack of dangling hooks make bass much more willing to fully commit rather than just slapping at the bait.
Of course, you will still sometimes get bass that just nip at the back or slap at the bait sometimes.
And for these bass, yes, the hook-up ratio is not very good.
But to be honest, if the bass aren’t willing to fully commit, you should probably switch your color, size, or completely switch lures.
So hook-up ratios are not a problem, and if anything, they are higher than traditional glide baits in most instances.
Other than it’s uniqueness, the price is certainly what makes the Berkley Nessie so intriguing.
It comes in three sizes ranging from $7.99 to $13.99. And if you have browsed the glide bait category at all, you know how amazing that price is.
Most glide baits are well above $50 with lots even in the $100-200 range.
So yeah, the Nessie is crazy affordable and the price is probably it’s biggest advantage over other glide baits.
The low price also allows you to get a bunch or colors and sizes to play around with, which is just about impossible with most glide baits.
Personally, I love the Berkley Nessie. I think that it is the perfect bait choice if you are just getting into the glide bait game.
I doubt you want to drop a ton of money of a huge lure that you have no experience or confidence in.
So the Nessie is an awesome lure to pick up cheap, catch a bunch of bass, and gain a lot of valuable experience with glide baits.
And don’t misunderstand, the Nessie is not only cheap. It is also works very well and will catch you tons of big bass.
You are not going to get more value for your dollar with any other glide bait on the market.
I have bought a bunch of these Nessie’s in the past year, and I absolutely love them.
I think they are certainly a shallow water bait that shines at drawing big bass in to bite.
Going forward, I’ll keep the Nessie heavily in my fishing rotation from the pre-spawn all the way to the fall. And in my opinion, you should too.
The Berkley Nessie stands out as a groundbreaking and accessible entry into the glide bait market.
Its design, while controversial, provides anglers with a cost-effective alternative to more expensive lures, thanks to its innovative collaboration and high-quality materials.
The Nessie’s action, durability, and hook-up ratio make it a reliable choice for catching big bass, especially for those new to glide baits.
Despite some minor drawbacks, such as its slower sinking rate, the overall performance and affordability of the Berkley Nessie make it a valuable addition to any angler’s tackle box.
Whether you’re just starting out or looking to add a versatile lure to your collection, the Nessie offers exceptional value and effectiveness.
