Originally designed by the legendary Patrick Sebile, the Berkley Magic Swimmer is a must-have addition to your tackle collection. I don’t say that about many bass fishing lures but I’ve been thoroughly impressed by this lure throughout the testing process. After seeing it swim in the water, I figured it would be a lot more expensive than it is. But even with its excellent price point it has proven to have quality components and a tough design that stands up to all kinds of fish and situations.
The Berkley Magic Swimmer Swimbait has quality components
The first thing that stuck out to me were the components of this swimbait. Jointed bass fishing lures offer a lot of potential weak spots if you hook a big fish so I was very careful to test the structural integrity of this lure. The split rings are super tough and it pretty much takes split-ring pliers to open them; I use my fingernails a lot of times but that doesn’t really work with this lure. It’s designed to catch both fresh- and salt-water fish so I assume that’s why the components are so stout.
I’m going to the coast in a few months and you can bet I’ll have one of these rigged up. I bet it would catch a pile of fun fish like mackerel, trout, small tarpon and maybe even a snook. I’m going to give it an honest shot and I’ll report back.
Berkley Fusion 19 Trebles are an awesome addition
I absolutely love the Berkley Fusion 19 treble hooks; if you haven’t tried ‘em on your favorite baits, I honestly recommend them. They’re super sharp, the tips don’t fold and they won’t flex when you hook a big fish. They’re one of my favorite trebles on the market.
With that being said, I was thrilled to see the Berkley Magic Swimmer equipped with these fish catchers. Each size bait is outfitted with with carefully sized trebles that optimize both buoyancy and swimming action.
Beautiful colors for a myriad of situations
Whether you’re targeting bass, musky, stripers, snook, tarpon… whatever it might be, you’re going to find a color that excites you. My formula has been fairly simple when fishing this bait. If it’s cloudy, stick with the matte-type colors and if it’s sunny, go for something shiny. This isn’t really a dirty-water lure so if you’re a river rat who likes to fish in the mud, it might not be for you.
But if you like to fish in clearer water, whether it’s fresh or salt, I think this is one of those lures you might need to rush to get. They are super tough to find around many lakes so when I find ‘em in stock, I always try to grab a few so I can stay stocked up.
Versatile retrieve styles
It’s pretty impossible to fish this bait and make it look unnatural; perhaps that’s why it’s so popular throughout the world. You can slowly crank it like you would a spinnerbait or wakebait and you can also fish it like a jerkbait and slowly work it around cover.
I personally love to fish it around dock posts in tough conditions. I’ll position my boat at the front of the dock and cast it to the back post and work it parallel to the sides of the dock, almost touching every posts. Due to the beautiful paint schemes and enticing action, bass will come from the shadows and ambush it when you least expect it.
The bottom line
This is one of those baits everyone should try at some point. It’s a different style of lure most folks don’t use very much but it will certainly catch fish in clearer water. From solid components to beautiful color schemes, you’re going to fall in love with this one.
