The Two ‘Mystery Baits’ That Defined the 2026 Bassmaster Classic

Dillon Nutt revealed Berkley’s unreleased bait on live camera, while at the same time a strange, spiny lure trend swept through the 2026 Bassmaster Classic.

Dylan Nutt revealed Berkley’s unreleased Lab Series bait during the final day of the 2026 Bassmaster Classic—while a strange spiny lure trend quietly spread among the field. | B.A.S.S.

Dylan Nutt didn’t just win the 2026 Bassmaster Classic, he exposed a new, unreleased Berkley bait, live, on camera.

On Championship Sunday in Knoxville, with a realistically untouchable lead over second place, Dylan Nutt showed the camera, and the world, the minnow shaking bait he had been using to fool all those big Tennessee bass. In that moment, he confirmed what only a small group of media already knew: the bait was part of a new, unreleased lineup called the Lab Series from Berkley.

The Winning Bait No One Was Supposed to See

Days earlier, at a closed-door, media preview event, that same bait was introduced under a strict embargo. The details of its design, composition, and purpose are still off-limits for the moment. But thanks to the enthusiastic, young angler, everyone knows the bait’s name, what it looks like, and the reality of its effectiveness.

That alone is a great Bassmaster Classic story.

The Other ‘Mystery’ Lure Taking Over the Classic

Another bass caught on a spiny soft plastic bait, being swung aboard by FXR Pro Tucker Smith during the 2026 Bassmaster Classic. | Kurt Mazurek

But it wasn’t the only “mystery bait” shaping the Classic.

At this year’s Super Bowl of bass fishing, another sneaky lure was present on front decks and sonar screens of many of the sport’s top pros—a soft-plastic, spiny, sea urchin–like bait that looks more like a cat toy than anything a bass would eat. A next-level version of the “fuzzy dice” that swept through bass fishing last year, the Hideup Coike seems to get the credit as the original soft spiny bait, but several soft plastic manufacturers have quickly come to market with their own versions.


That same bait has quietly been gaining a following across the country and is sold out and back-ordered at every retailer despite prices averaging a mind-blowing $20 dollars each. In Knoxville, the hype seemed to reach a pinnacle. But it wasn’t necessarily because every angler understood it or had full confidence in it. It felt more like a FOMO (Fear Of Missing Out) situation. No one wanted to be the one who lost because they didn’t throw it.

At the 2026 Bassmaster Classic, many pros, including FXR Pro Tucker Smith, experimented with unconventional baits, some out of confidence, others out of necessity. | Kurt Mazurek

Unlike the new Berkley Lab Series bait Nutt was using, the Coike is more of a mysterious bait than a mystery—perhaps misunderstood, but no longer a secret.

Why the Spiny Bait Actually Works

In lakes with reasonably clear water that receive excessive fishing pressure, especially with the advancements of forward-facing sonar, bass are getting good long looks at lots of baits and are becoming more and more wary of the standard presentations. The new spiny bait hovers, “breathes”, and presents a non-threatening, easy-to-eat profile they’ve never seen before. Those suspended bass will investigate and bite this bait when they reject more aggressive offerings.

While it’s mysterious looking, its effectiveness isn’t magic. Just as has happened thousands of times in modern bass fishing, anglers have found another way to catch bass.

What the 2026 Classic Revealed About Modern Bass Fishing

FXR Pro Justin Hamner making some last minute lure adjustments before the Day 1 takeoff at the Bassmaster Classic. | Kurt Mazurek

That’s what made this year’s Classic unique. One mystery bait represents the future of scientifically engineered lure design—data-driven, meticulously tested, and tightly controlled. The other bait represents the chaos of the real world, where something mysterious and weird gains momentum simply because somebody tried it and it worked.

The details behind Berkley’s Lab Series bait will be revealed very soon—and believe me, there’s way more to them than has been revealed at the Classic. But the bigger story is already live: the bass lures that win at the highest level don’t always make sense. And especially in the age of ever increasing technology and advancements, they don’t have to.