Anytime I get a chance to test a bass fishing crankbait, I jump all over it. These baits are my favorite way to catch big bass which has led to me testing hundreds of them throughout my career. To be quite honest, I’m a big fan of the older, discontinued crankbaits and I’ve been known to spend a pretty penny of ‘em. But I’ll admit that there have been some awesome mass-produced crankbaits that have hit the market this past year.
After a lot of testing, I can confidently add the Berkley Digger crankbait to this category. It comes in at a reasonable price point and offers extremely impressive performance for its price.
Hang with me for a minute or two and I’ll explain why I like this crankbait so much.
These treble hooks are the real deal
If you’re anything like me, you can’t count the number of crankbaits you’ve bought over the years that are equipped with terrible treble hooks. I’ve said it several times before and I’ll stand by it to this day: I don’t want to be a tackle tinkerer. I want to fish and catch bass. So I’ll pay a few extra bucks to buy a plug that’s ready to fish straight from the package.
The Berkley Digger Crankbait fits that bill perfectly. From the moment you take it out of the package, you’ll notice the Fusion19 treble hooks sticking to anything they touch. They’ll stick on the packaging, your long-sleeve shirt, your skin… they are some of the sharpest treble hooks I’ve ever used throughout my career and that’s no bull. I was showing this crankbait to a buddy just last week and got it all tangled and hooked-up in my long-sleeve shirt and I barely brushed against the dang thing.
There’s a lot to be said about a crankbait already equipped with such awesome treble hooks. It saves you money over time and allows you to make quick, on-the-water adjustments without messing around with split rings and all that kind of mess. This is one of the best-equipped crankbaits I’ve tested in recent years.
Solid bill-to-body connection
I’ve been testing the Berkley Digger 6.5 model which dives to the 5- to 8-foot range when cast on a medium-action rod and 12- of 14-pound fluorocarbon line. I’ve found this particular model to be an excellent choice for riprap banks, clay banks and steeper transition banks. My home lake has experienced an influx of aquatic vegetation throughout the past few years and I’m super pleased with the durability of this plug.
I say that because it has a really solid bill-to-body connection. This means you can get a few strands of grass on it and (lightly) slap it on the water without worrying about the bill coming apart and ruining your crankbait.
A lot of times in this price point, you’ll see a thin strip of glue connecting the bill to the body of the crankbait but that’s not the case with the Berkley Digger. It’s a super-solid connection that holds up well when bounced around hard cover such as rocks, boat docks and laydowns.
The body shape is versatile
Fishing lure manufacturers often put all of their proverbial eggs into one basket—they either make a flat-sided crankbait or a wide-wobbling crankbait. While each category has a clear purpose in bass fishing, I’m really pleased with the middle line Berkley was able to toe with the Digger crankbait.
It’s a great option for a myriad of situations, which I’ve really enjoyed throughout my testing. Although it’s advertised as an aggressive wobble, I personally consider it an outstanding “in-between” action that works well in both clear and dirty water.
Dives quickly and efficiently
This durable bill is situated on the nose of the bait in a manner and at an angle that allows it to dive to its maximum depth very efficiently. At 1/2-ounce, the Berkley Digger 6.5 I’ve been testing can cast a country mile and within just a few cranks of the reel handle, it dives to its maximum depth with ease. This very important characteristic allows it to stay in the strike zone longer, which gives you more opportunities to put the lure in front of nearby bass.
Final thoughts on the Berkley Digger crankbait
This is one of the more versatile bass fishing crankbaits I’ve tested recently. It’s available at a reasonable price point, it dives quickly, the finish lasts a long time and the bill-to-body connection is as solid as I’ve seen. So whether you like to fish open water or bang your crankbaits against hard cover, I think you’ll be able to appreciate the characteristics of this outstanding crankbait.
