Anyone Still Using Berkley Havoc Baits? 2024
PaBassMan13 reply :
I know there have been forums in the past on the subject but it seems like it's been a little while. Is anyone out there still using Berkley Havoc Baits? I personally love them. Berkley doesn't really seem to be pushing them a whole lot anymore; as a matter of fact there were no new Havoc releases this year. My favorite Havoc Bait was the Back Slide which has been discontinued for a little while now. But before they were sold out I went on to the TW site and purchased every single pack they had in Green Pumpkin, Chartreuse and Baby Bass (over 50 packs total). I also use (and love) the Berkley Havoc Jerk; I feel as though these are much better than a Fluke or equivalent bait. I have caught tons of Bass on this awesome bait. I also have an enormous supply of the Berkley Havoc Flat Dawg stick worm. The beauty of this bait is that you can throw it on a weightless Texas Rig; you can throw it on a Neko Rig, you can throw it (my favorite way) on a standard Wacky Rig or cut it in half for a Ned Rig. It is such a versatile bait. My biggest issue with the Flat Dawg was that there is so much salt in the bait it had serious durability issuse. I recently purchased an o-ring tool and was able to catch 22 Bass on just one Flat Dawg. You cannot get much better than that. So although Havoc Baits seem to have faded into the background I for one still use them all of the time and am still having great results with them. I have tried numerous other Havoc Baits but the above mentioned ones are the ones that have stuck with me and earned FT status in my tackle bag.
Brayberry reply :
I use their Grass Pigs a lot and the finesse worms
Jelvas reply :
Pit Boss baby!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
brent245 reply :
I have a pack of the Hawk Hawgs. Used one last week on a weighted 4/0 hook and picked up a decent 2.5lb'er just working it around the bottom in clear water. The plastic doesn't seem to be as good of quality as a yamamoto worm or KVD worm. It feels dry already and the pack is only a month old. I have a feeling these don't last long.
IndianaFinesse reply :
I use them all the time. One off my favorite soft plastic linups, the pit boss, grass pig, bottom hopper, hawk hog, twin tail grub, and craw fatty get a lot of use. Cheap and effective.
stk44 reply :
I use the subwoofers and the backslides. Really miss both. I've bought some zoom centipedes to replace the backslides- hopefully that fits into that same niche.
long island basser reply :
I use the Pit Boss.
bigturtle reply :
craw fatty, pit boss and grass pig
RichF reply :
I have a plastic bin with about 25 packs of craw fatties that haven't been touched in about a year.
MIbassyaker reply :
They are great value for the price, and some of the designs are fairly unique. I have used the Pit Boss, Subwoofer, Devil Spear, The Jerk, Rocket Craw, Beat Shad and Juice Worm.
papajoe222 reply :
I love their Smash Tubes on a C-Rig and still have a few Pit Boss'. I stopped using the Pit Boss in favor of a flipping tube, but I doubt if I'll abandon them completely.
Outdoor Zack reply :
I use and highly recommend the Bottom hopper and bottom hopper jr. The tails float really well on a t rig and they seem to be of decent construction.
I have others hers from that line but have not used them as much, such as the hawk hawg, boss dog, and papa pit boss.
But in general, they are cool baits that I really like, especially for the value. Only complaint is that I Wish there was was a better color selection though (like zoom, Yum, and others around the price point)
jtharris3 reply :
Pit Boss and Grass Pig are the only ones that I'm currently using. I've seriously been considering the craw fatty but, I have so many craw type baits that I like (Rage Craw, Rage Craw, and Rage Craw!)
Bluebasser86 reply :
I have 5 12" pegs on my pegboard filled with 2 different colors of Pit Bosses and I'm always on the hunt for more since they discontinued them. There's 3 more of those pegs with other assorted colors of Pit Bosses too. The Flat Dawg, Deuce, Subwoofer, Grass Pig, Jerk, Rocket Craw, Devil's Spear, carry a bunch of all of them and use them a lot. I hate what they're doing with pushing the more popular baits to the Powerbait lineup. One of the biggest appealing factors about them is the price of the lineup, but that goes away when they nearly double in price just because they put powerbait scent on them.
iceintheveins reply :
I use tons of pit bosses, they are my favorite all around creature bait.
kickerfish1 reply :
Just the occasional Pig Boss and Craw Fatty.
Scarborough817 reply :
i think i have at least 25 bags of pit bosses not to mention some subwoofers, some craw fatty's, back slides
NHBull reply :
Talking with the gents at Wally World and BPS, they are considered by many to be the bottomed of the barrel..A good thing if you like them, since it keeps the price down
Mosster47 reply :
They make some good stuff. The Pitt Boss is a very versatile craw bait/trailer. The Devil Spear is a solid punch bait and is tremendous on a scrounger. The little wacky worms with the balls on the end are about the best thing I've found for that technique on a drop shot.
CTBassin860 reply :
Im an admitted Pit Boss hoarder.I also use the Juice Worm and Boss Dog.I added the Smash Tube and Subwoofer to this years arsenal.
BassThumb reply :
Overall, they're my favorite line of plastics. Add some JJ's Magic to the bags and they're pretty hard to beat in regards to price, action, colors, scent, durability, and availability.
NYWayfarer reply :
On 5/3/2017 at 3:02 AM, PaBassMan13 said:I also have an enormous supply of the Berkley Havoc Flat Dawg stick worm. The beauty of this bait is that you can throw it on a weightless Texas Rig; you can throw it on a Neko Rig, you can throw it (my favorite way) on a standard Wacky Rig or cut it in half for a Ned Rig. It is such a versatile bait. My biggest issue with the Flat Dawg was that there is so much salt in the bait it had serious durability issuse. I recently purchased an o-ring tool and was able to catch 22 Bass on just one Flat Dawg. You cannot get much better than that.
I never knew that the Flat Dawgs were salt impregnated. I have an unused bag of them sitting around. I say unused because after I purchased them I realized there is nothing on the packaging that mentioned if these baits contain salt or scent. When I opened the bag all I got was a plastic smell so I put them on the back burner bait bag. If they do contain salt it's good to know.
I will have to try them on one of my next outings.
UKCATSBASSER reply :
They are discountining the Havoc line. They only bait they will keep is the pit boss which will be moved into the powerbalt line.
KYBassin' reply :
Big fan of the pit boss and grass pig.
SFL BassHunter reply :
I use them, they are cheap, they hold up well to fish catches, and they perform well.
Only Havoc product I haven't been a fan of is the swimbait. I don't think it has the best action. It is serviceable and I like that they have clear swimbaits with glitter. That is what caught my attention. The pit boss and different size variants are my favorite of their products though.
On 5/3/2017 at 8:56 PM, UKCATSBASSER said:They are discountining the Havoc line. They only bait they will keep is the pit boss which will be moved into the powerbalt line.
Ugh, are they going to put that stink on the pit boss? Only reason I don't buy powerbaits is because of the smell.
kbeeb374 reply :
The only ones I use are the pit boss and the Money Maker. The money maker is an AWESOME drop shot bait when rigged wacky. I picked up a bunch of em when they went on sale at TW for a dollar a pack. I really hope they don't discontinue them 
Scarborough817 reply :
On 5/3/2017 at 9:03 PM, SFL BassHunter said:Ugh, are they going to put that stink on the pit boss? Only reason I don't buy powerbaits is because of the smell.
ya that already happened that's why most of us are hoarding havoc pit bosses in our favourite colours
SFL BassHunter reply :
On 5/3/2017 at 9:42 PM, Scarborough817 said:ya that already happened that's why most of us are hoarding havoc pit bosses in our favourite colours
Good to know. Time for me to do the same lol.
Thanks
IndianaFinesse reply :
On 5/3/2017 at 8:56 PM, UKCATSBASSER said:They are discountining the Havoc line. They only bait they will keep is the pit boss which will be moved into the powerbalt line.
Where did you hear this, and are they discontinuing all of the baits in the havoc line?
UKCATSBASSER reply :
On 5/3/2017 at 10:26 PM, IndianaFinesse said:Where did you hear this, and are they discontinuing all of the baits in the havoc line?
Local tackle store owner per his rep.
PaBassMan13 reply :
On 5/3/2017 at 5:38 AM, stk44 said:I use the subwoofers and the backslides. Really miss both. I've bought some zoom centipedes to replace the backslides- hopefully that fits into that same niche.
Sadly when I heard that the Backslide was being discontinued I went out and bought a bunch of Zoom Centipedes as a replacement (along with a pack of nails) and they weren't even close to a Backslide : ( That's when I went and bought 50 packs of Backslides from TW (I bought out there entire inventory of my three favorite colors). On a good note though; the Zoom Centipedes are an incredible wacky rig bait. Just make sure to rig them through the bottom to top as opposed to side to side; you'll get much better action that way You want the bait on its "side" once it's rigged). I used the Centipedes all last season on a Wacky Rig and had great success; but this year I replaced them with the Havoc Flat Dawg as my wacky rig bait.
chubaka reply :
Loving the PitBoss
bh91 reply :
Isn't the powerbait smell just like shrimp crackers ?
stk44 reply :
On 5/3/2017 at 11:09 PM, PaBassMan13 said:Sadly when I heard that the Backslide was being discontinued I went out and bought a bunch of Zoom Centipedes as a replacement (along with a pack of nails) and they weren't even close to a Backslide : ( That's when I went and bought 50 packs of Backslides from TW (I bought out there entire inventory of my three favorite colors). On a good note though; the Zoom Centipedes are an incredible wacky rig bait. Just make sure to rig them through the bottom to top as opposed to side to side; you'll get much better action that way You want the bait on its "side" once it's rigged). I used the Centipedes all last season on a Wacky Rig and had great success; but this year I replaced them with the Havoc Flat Dawg as my wacky rig bait.
I'll have to give that a shot. I caught a few bass messing around at the pond with a wacky rigged centipede and t-rigged centipede. I'm excited to try it sideways, I've never thought of that.
I would actually drop shot the backslide quite often and had a lot of luck with it. I'm down to about 2 dark blue, 2 pumpkin, and 2 green pumpkin...
PaBassMan13 reply :
On 5/4/2017 at 2:00 AM, stk44 said:I'll have to give that a shot. I caught a few bass messing around at the pond with a wacky rigged centipede and t-rigged centipede. I'm excited to try it sideways, I've never thought of that.
I would actually drop shot the backslide quite often and had a lot of luck with it. I'm down to about 2 dark blue, 2 pumpkin, and 2 green pumpkin...
Yes; hooking the centipede from the bottom through the top gives it GREAT action; you'll love it. I never tried drop shotting the backslide; good idea! As far as backslides I own about 300+ of them right now : ) I have green pumpkin; chartreuse and baby bass. I have tried every color they made but these were the three that worked best for me. I have one lake in my area that just rocks on the chartreuse one; but that is the only lake that color works on. As far as the flat dawgs; they are excellent! I hope they do not stop making those or else I'll have to buy out the TW inventory again, haha.
I also used to use the craw fatty quite a bit; but since I finesse fish only I do not use them any more. But I certainly caught a ton of fish on them.
stk44 reply :
Hah, yeah you are definitely stocked on the backslides.
I've never used the flat dogs. I've been burning through tons of senkos and I just cringe at the price every time a put another order in for them. I've heard good things about the smash tubes as well, although I've never used them.
Munkin reply :
I would like to find some solid black or GP backslides myself. Picked up a pack of black on clearance for a $1 and crushed the SM on a shakeyhead.
Allen
PaBassMan13 reply :
On 5/4/2017 at 3:54 AM, stk44 said:Hah, yeah you are definitely stocked on the backslides.
I've never used the flat dogs. I've been burning through tons of senkos and I just cringe at the price every time a put another order in for them. I've heard good things about the smash tubes as well, although I've never used them.
You'll have to get a pack or two of the Flat Dawgs and try them. They are LOADED with salt and durability can be an issue; but as I said in my original post.....I was able to catch 22 Bass the other weekend with just one worm (rigged wacky WITH an o-ring). Plus; 8 baits for $3.....that's a lot of Bass, haha!
RoLo reply :
I've always had a high opinion of Berkley's soft-plastics, but frankly was disenchanted by their Havoc line.
I've fished virtually every bait in the Havoc line, but the only one I truly like is Larry Nixon's "Bottom Hopper".
It's one of the only worms you'll find made of floating plastic, and it's been a solid performer.
Roger
PaBassMan13 reply :
On 5/4/2017 at 4:40 AM, RoLo said:
I've always had a high opinion of Berkley's soft-plastics, but frankly was disenchanted by their Havoc line.
I've fished virtually every bait in the Havoc line, but the only one I truly like is Larry Nixon's "Bottom Hopper".
It's one of the only worms you'll find made of floating plastic, and it's been a solid performer.
Roger
Yeah; it seems like it's either a love/hate with the Havoc lineup. I just really like Berkley Baits so when they released the Havoc line I was very excited to try them. Sure there's a few of them that I did not like or they would catch a single little Bass but I am more than happy with several of them. I never tried the bottom hopper; sounds like it might be a good Neko Rig bait if it floats?
ww2farmer reply :
Pit Boss and Bottom Hopper are the only ones I use. I don't care if they move them to the power bait line. I would still buy them.
stk44 reply :
On 5/4/2017 at 9:31 PM, ww2farmer said:Pit Boss and Bottom Hopper are the only ones I use. I don't care if they move them to the power bait line. I would still buy them.
My issue would be : Is the power-bait scent worth doubling the price point? I'm with you though, I spend way to much on other hard baits and plastics as it is, so it's not going to affect me either way.
Ratherbfishing reply :
I don't hear a lot of talk about the Havoc Beat Shad and it isn't particularly flashy BUT it's one of my favorite "finesse" baits. They don't hold up very well but they are much cheaper than most similar baits.
1201vilbig reply :
I bought a ton of Subwoofers when Outlet Bait had them for 99 cents. They are one of my favorite swim jig trailers.
ib_of_the_damned reply :
On 5/4/2017 at 9:59 PM, stk44 said:
My issue would be : Is the power-bait scent worth doubling the price point? I'm with you though, I spend way to much on other hard baits and plastics as it is, so it's not going to affect me either way.
I don't mind the powerbait smell... But if the Pit Bosses are as fragile as they are now, it may not justify the price increase. If they are made a little more durable, then I would not mind spending the extra for them.
moguy1973 reply :
On 5/3/2017 at 5:38 AM, stk44 said:I use the subwoofers and the backslides. Really miss both. I've bought some zoom centipedes to replace the backslides- hopefully that fits into that same niche.
My wife loved the backslides. Caught a ton of fish on them. To get the same action as the backslides when using the centipedes you can use a small nail weight in the opposite end you are texas rigging them and it'll have similar action.
PaBassMan13 reply :
On 5/6/2017 at 3:11 AM, moguy1973 said:My wife loved the backslides. Caught a ton of fish on them. To get the same action as the backslides when using the centipedes you can use a small nail weight in the opposite end you are texas rigging them and it'll have similar action.
Honestly; when I found out they were being discontinued I bought a bunch of Centipedes and nails; it just wasn't the same at all to me. Fortunately I found 50 packs in TW's inventory (of my 3 fav colors) and bought them all. I am loaded with them now but eventually I'll be out of them and that will be a horrible day : (
Scarborough817 reply :
On 5/9/2017 at 3:08 AM, PaBassMan13 said:Honestly; when I found out they were being discontinued I bought a bunch of Centipedes and nails; it just wasn't the same at all to me. Fortunately I found 50 packs in TW's inventory (of my 3 fav colors) and bought them all. I am loaded with them now but eventually I'll be out of them and that will be a horrible day : (
who knows maybe they'll be back by then
RichF reply :
Hey Havoc lovers, check out Berkley.com. There's a bunch of Havoc stuff on clearance.
Scarborough817 reply :
On 5/11/2017 at 9:54 PM, RichF said:Hey Havoc lovers, check out Berkley.com. There's a bunch of Havoc stuff on clearance.
they also have a couple lightning rods on sale for $16
PaBassMan13 reply :
Just this past weekend I discovered the Berkley Havoc Bottom Hopper Jr. I have never used them before but decided to give them a try. I wanted to use them as an unweighted wacky worm to go along with the Flat Dawgs but they were just a little too light for me. So instead I decided to rig the Black Emerald color on a 1/16 oz Mushroom Jighead (Ned Rig) and it was game on. I caught 17 Bass in less than 3 hours. The biggest was only 2.5 lbs but another great morning fishing the "Ned Rig" AND a Havoc Bait.
Back to the Flat Dawg as well; this past weekend I was fishing the Flat Dawg Wacky Rigged on a different lake; to my surprise this is what I managed to catch. I LOVE HAVOC BAITS; just sayin' 
primetime reply :
I love the Havoc baits, the only one's I never liked were the worms (Never gave them a fair chance) and that wide load lizard which I tried once and gave up on.
the Devil Spear in 3" and Subwoofer are fantastic baits, lots of colors, and price is great. Pitboss is great, so is the never discussed Grass Craw? the BB Cricket/Big Show Punch copy which has a hook holder and allows you to stick a big hook ina small punch bait and it never slides.
Crawfish looks kind of stupid, but it catches fish and is great when you need some extra plastic in a tiny bait falling fast. Not sure why that never caught on.
Outdoor Zack reply :
On 7/7/2017 at 8:41 AM, primetime said:I love the Havoc baits, the only one's I never liked were the worms (Never gave them a fair chance) and that wide load lizard which I tried once and gave up on.
the Devil Spear in 3" and Subwoofer are fantastic baits, lots of colors, and price is great. Pitboss is great, so is the never discussed Grass Craw? the BB Cricket/Big Show Punch copy which has a hook holder and allows you to stick a big hook ina small punch bait and it never slides.
Crawfish looks kind of stupid, but it catches fish and is great when you need some extra plastic in a tiny bait falling fast. Not sure why that never caught on.
This bait caught my interest as well.
Has there been any more info on the end of the havoc series yet?? Or is it just a rumor (I hope )?
AnotherSenkoQuestion reply :
Havoc baits can't beat at 2 bucks a pop when buying 5 packs at Dicks. Wish they only carry the Devil Spear and the Jerk.
clayton86 reply :
Been throwing the pit boss on a shakey head as of late and absolutely crushing them.
Chowderhead reply :
Love the Flat Dawg - just picked up 6 more packs last night on TW. Should have bought more.
Pro Logcatcher reply :
I use the Pit Boss and have found some success with it. Never tried the others but after reading these comments I just might.
Brown Town reply :
The pit boss is pretty much my go to flipping and pitching bait and the devils spear rigged on a chatterbait is killer. Would be really disappointed if they over price them in the Berkeley powerbait line.
clayton86 reply :
Going threw my plastics today getting ready for a tournament tomorrow I found several packs of the sick fish. If I remember correctly it was very similar to the trash fish at a third the price. Might throw some tomorrow to refresh my memory
ChrisD46 reply :
On 5/3/2017 at 8:56 PM, UKCATSBASSER said:They are discountining the Havoc line. They only bait they will keep is the pit boss which will be moved into the powerbalt line.
I did not know this - what a shame !!
Primus reply :
On 7/8/2017 at 4:45 AM, clayton86 said:Going threw my plastics today getting ready for a tournament tomorrow I found several packs of the sick fish. If I remember correctly it was very similar to the trash fish at a third the price. Might throw some tomorrow to refresh my memory
The difference is that the Trash fish is made with a softer plastic that will still have movement retrieving it slower or when it's falling as you are waiting for the bait to reach the desired depth after you cast it . The sick fish will work fairly well if you retrieve it faster and might have some action on the fall with a heavy jighead , that said you can try boiling the tail to improve the action if you want to be able to fish it slower .
Grantman83 reply :
Pit boss is my all time favorite flipping bait by far
PaBassMan13 reply :
On 7/8/2017 at 6:30 PM, ChrisD46 said:I did not know this - what a shame !!
Bass Pro Shops now carries the Rocket Craw in a Powerbait version (they also carry the Pit Boss in the Powerbait version). I email Berkley often with questions and they have always been great about replying to me. But I emailed them about a month ago to ask them about the Havoc line and whether they were planning on closing it down and they have not replied to me. I thought they were discontinuing the back slide and emailed them (a year or more ago) and they got back to me and said they were NOT discontinuing that bait. Low and behold they did; I was ticked at them for lying to me about it. If you look at most online catalogs now most companies have really cut back on their stock of Havoc; so I too believe that this line is on it's way out. Which is a shame; they are AWESOME baits.
tcbass reply :
On 7/13/2017 at 9:02 PM, PaBassMan13 said:Bass Pro Shops now carries the Rocket Craw in a Powerbait version (they also carry the Pit Boss in the Powerbait version). I email Berkley often with questions and they have always been great about replying to me. But I emailed them about a month ago to ask them about the Havoc line and whether they were planning on closing it down and they have not replied to me. I thought they were discontinuing the back slide and emailed them (a year or more ago) and they got back to me and said they were NOT discontinuing that bait. Low and behold they did; I was ticked at them for lying to me about it. If you look at most online catalogs now most companies have really cut back on their stock of Havoc; so I too believe that this line is on it's way out. Which is a shame; they are AWESOME baits.
One low level guy working customer service may not know all the decisions that upper management makes. They may have also decided to discontinue it after he talked to you. There may have been no deception on his part.
PaBassMan13 reply :
On 7/14/2017 at 2:13 AM, tcbass said:
One low level guy working customer service may not know all the decisions that upper management makes. They may have also decided to discontinue it after he talked to you. There may have been no deception on his part.
That is true; Berkley has always been great to me in the past. But in preparing for the end of the Havoc Line (just in case) I am in the process of switching over to Missile Baits. The Fuse 4.4 works nearly the same as the back slide (you must insert a small nail) and the new "48" worm is the BEST wacky worm ever made : )
lonnie g reply :
I love berkley power bait blue fleck worm. I don't what it is about it but here in southern Indiana the bass love it espscially when you throw it right against the bank and barely twitch it off. or drag it off a patch of moss and let it fall. I have went thru several packs this year.
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