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Form Follows Function : The Flat Worm Shape
While the Flat Worm is certainly an effective delivery device for MaxScent , it ’ s also a smartly designed drop-shot bait that contributes the necessary attraction of action and appearance to the PowerBait MaxScent scent profile . Here ’ s how :
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>> ON THE WATER |
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THE RIGHT SIZE FOR SMALLMOUTH : At 3.6 inches , the Flat Worm is , by both Lucas ’ and Bertrand ’ s estimations , the perfect size for a drop-shot bait for smallmouth . Its length and profile approximate that of multiple kinds of baitfish ( especially goby ).
ABOUT THAT PROFILE …: Although it went through a handful of iterations in development ( thicker body , fatter tail , etc .), the final form of the Flat Worm is spot-on , according to Bertrand .
“ The profile looks like something that would live on the bottom of the lake ,” he says . “ It doesn ’ t have all kinds of weird appendages flapping around – it looks like a small fish or creature that should live on the bottom of the lake .”
THICKER TO THINNER : The Flat Worm broadens out by a scant few millimeters from the nose to the 11th of the 22 ribs molded into the bait , before thinning dramatically in the 3 / 16-inch section in front of the tail . That thinner section is what facilitates most of the action of the spade tail .
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PHOTO BY KYLE WOOD
“ Instead of a long , noodle type of motion , there ’ s only one area where the bait thins down , which makes the tail twitch ,” Bertrand says . “ It has just the right amount of action . I think that ’ s a little overlooked in smallmouth baits : It has action , but it ’ s not so thin and soft that it looks like a noodle .”
FLAT BELLY = A SPIKE IN ACTION : The Flat Worm gets its name from the flat plane that runs the entire 3.6-inch length of bait , from its nose to its flapper / spade tail . That flat belly – a characteristic that Bertrand observes was common with the original hand-poured finesse worms developed on
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the West Coast for dropshotting – provides a surface for water displacement , which creates action when the bait is falling .
IT ’ S IN THE COLOR : The Flat Worm ’ s natural , matte color profile is markedly different than drop-shot baits with shiny finishes . That color palette – along with the texture provided by the ribbed body – adds to the bait ’ s natural , lifelike appearance in the water .
“ If I took my 3-year-old daughter to the tackle store and asked her to pick a color , she probably wouldn ’ t pick these matte colors ,” Bertrand jokes . “ She ’ d choose bright , shiny ,
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pretty colors every time . Even as a pro , I didn ’ t know how I felt about these matte colors . But when you think about it , you want something sitting on the bottom to look natural , not shiny . There ’ s something incredibly natural-looking to those matte colors . You want a bait like a spinnerbait to flash , but that ’ s not really what you need in a bait you ’ re fishing on the bottom .”
DETAILS
Length : 3.6 inches ( 9 cm ) Colors : 10 Price : $ 6.99 for 10 Info : berkley-fishing . com
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