A simple yet feature-packed hard bait purpose-built for use with forward-facing sonar, the Berkley Finisher Jerkbait is a hard bait designed for hover fishing that’s advertised to empower anglers to slide, dance, and react with a finishing move. In the package, the Finisher has the appearance of a compact lipless jerkbait or some kind of crankbait-bodied blade bait, which left our testers guessing how it’s able to achieve lateral movement, like a “fin-less” glide bait.
While some reviewers feel that existing bass fishing lures are easily utilized without the need for live sonar model options, many were intrigued by the carefully weighted body that could optimize your time in the strike zone after you locate a target on the screen. Most of the reviewers expect to fish the Finisher akin to yo-yoing a lipless crankbait but are interested to see what other retrieve techniques are effective, and eager to put it to work around bass that are actively feeding on schools of baitfish.
- Sinks quickly and maintains target depth
- Walking action achieved deeper than a jerkbait can reach
- Casts like a bullet
- Ability to twitch the bait without moving it
- Narrow use case, somewhat limited to forward-facing sonar
- Can be overworked when twitched aggressively
Featuring an arc-shaped body and flat belly that drives the action and allows it to hover enticingly, the Berkley Finisher has cracked the code for lateral movement that spans up to 3 to 4 ft without needing a shaped tail. On the fall, the Finisher sinks quickly on a slack line but returns to a natural position at your targeted depth when worked with a tight line to allow anglers to easily fish any depth of the water column. The large chunk of lead in the nose appears easily on live sonar and allows for a rapid descent, while the pull point line tie is positioned slightly behind the lead head to create a horizontal underwater posture that appeals to fish.
What makes the Finisher unique is its ability to not just “walk the dog” underwater at deeper depths, but also generate randomized action by darting in whichever direction the nose of the bait is pointed. With its unique ability to get down quickly and remain deeper in the water column, the Finisher potentially brings the slashing action of a jerkbait to depths that were previously unreachable. Coupled with meandering swim action and a body-shimmying quiver on the fall, the Finisher proved it could cover the water column vertically, laterally, forward, and backward and provide maximum control throughout the retrieve.
At the end of the test period, none of the reviewers reported any issues with durability, even after some expressed caution about how the lead nose may take some damage after repeatedly contacting rocks and structures. The durable clear plastic body and blunt nose proved resilient over the lifespan of the lure, and our testers found that most of the time they were reaching for the Finisher to hover it above a target as opposed to fishing it on the lake bottom. Armed with extremely strong and ultra-sharp Berkley Fusion 19 treble hooks, the Finisher comes ready to fish out of the package with premium split rings and reliable hooks that don’t need to be immediately swapped out if you’re in a crunch.
In terms of value, it’s hard to compare the Berkley Finisher FFS Jerkbait to anything else currently on the market, as it has arguably created a whole new category of bass fishing lures: hovering hard baits. Available at $8.99 to $10.99 depending on size, the Finisher is offered at a mid-range price point that anglers could expect to pay for a jerkbait or hard bait of this caliber. When you consider the alternative of using a jig head and soft plastic with live sonar, this hard-bodied FFS-specific lure potentially brings tons of value to anglers who would otherwise be spending tons of money replacing chewed-up plastics. The Finisher can be used with or without forward-facing sonar but excels when hovering over suspended targets in open water, which probably brings more value to anglers who can react to the fish’s mood using electronics.
Although the Berkley Finisher has a narrower use case that does feel slightly limited to fishing with live sonar, there’s no question that it provides a wealth of utility in retrieve methods to elicit a strike from a follower.
Snap your rod tip with an upward stroke to work the Finisher like a sinking jerkbait with slashing left to right action. On a slack line, the Finisher falls quickly through the water column, making it ideal for vertical fishing techniques and reaching deep-water fish quickly.
Stroll it along the midwater column when you mark suspended fish or work the Finisher like a traditional glide bait with erratic lateral movements with subtle wrist snaps for a medium glide and harder strokes for longer darting and gliding actions.
The Berkley Finisher provides the distinct advantage of rapid descent and the ability to stay in the strike zone with an innovative design focused on angler control. When you locate fish deeper than 20 ft, the Finisher gives you more time to get the lure in the zone, provides unique action fish haven’t seen before, and has a universal minnow profile that makes it an all-species, year-round style of bait. While the Finisher can certainly be fished without forward-facing sonar, it provides exceptional versatility during the retrieve that shines when you can see how the fish react and make that last-minute adjustment.
The more time our reviewers spent fishing the Finisher the more they learned how to apply it to specific situations, so don’t be discouraged if it takes some practice to figure out how to best incorporate this lure into your fishing arsenal. From an angler’s standpoint, the Berkley Finisher is worth a toss for anyone using forward-facing sonar, as it’s an excellent alternative to a jerkbait or jig head minnow when the fish are under high-fishing pressure.