This New Berkley Spinner Adds Scent—and It Might Be the Edge You Need

The unique, built-in Scent Vent can seal the deal on finicky fish.

The Berkley Dough Rider spinner has a unique Scent Vent pocket in the body, designed to hold scented Berkley PowerBait dough to attract more fish. | Joe Shead

Of the four people fishing below the dam that morning, I was the only one who caught anything.

In-line spinners are classic white bass lures when fish school up in eddies on their spawning run. But you know how it goes in fishing: last week we were killing the white bass, and this week, a cold front moved through and they were gone.

But on the first warm day after the cold front, largemouth and smallmouth bass had replaced the white bass below the dam. Both species darted out of the shelter of eddies to snatch the Dough Rider as it went by.

I really liked the Dough Rider. I pitched a white 1/8-ounce barrel body on my first outing. The scent lasted a long time before needing to be replaced.

What Makes the Dough Rider Different

Berkley Dough Rider spinners come in barrel or minnow bodies, in four sizes and 10 colors. A sample of PowerBait dough is included with each lure, to be tucked into the Scent Vent on the lure body. | Joe Shead

Not very often does something truly unique come along in the world of fishing tackle. Most of what you see is just a variation of a time-tested lure.

And that's partially true with Berkley's new Dough Rider spinners. I mean, really, they are quite similar to the classic Worden's Rooster Tail. But they've got a whole new twist: a built-in Scent Vent pocket that spices up your presentation.

Each Dough Rider Spinner (available in barrel or minnow bodies) comes with a small container of Berkley PowerBait scented dough. Pinch off a little chunk of dough and tuck it into the lure body on both sides. It stays on better than you might think. I was casting it below a dam in heavy current and caught multiple fish on it before it needed to be replaced. The little container of dough should last you for a whole day of fishing and probably longer. When you need more, you can get a replacement jar at your local tackle shop in a variety of scents and colors.

Does the Scent Matter?

This largemouth bass was the first fish to hit my Berkley Dough Rider spinner. Note the white dough filling in the center of the spinner body. | Joe Shead

It's impossible to know how much the scent mattered. Would those fish have bitten without scent? Who can say? But I'll take any advantage. Maybe the scent made all the difference! Or maybe I had a better spot.

How It Fishes Compared to a Traditional Spinner

Even if you completely ran out of dough, you could still catch fish. Dough Rider spinners cast like a bullet and they come in 10 colors and four sizes: 1/16-, 1/8-, 1/4- and 3/8-oz.

The heavy body sinks quickly and the willow-leaf blade allows the lure to run deeper than a Colorado-style blade. They kick out vibration you can really feel through your rod tip. I would describe it as a fast-spinning, high-frequency vibration, versus a lower vibration you would get from a wider, heavier blade. It certainly attracts fish!

Hooks and Hookups

This nice smallmouth bass smoked the Berkley Dough Rider spinner right below a dam. The hook held so well, both this fish and the previous largemouth required a pliers to remove the hook. | Joe Shead

I will say this: I don't know what brand of treble hook Berkley uses on the Dough Rider, but it is lethal! I mean over the top lethal: the first three fish I hooked all required pliers to remove the hook!

None of the fish were deeply hooked, but man, those hooks held!

One Small Drawback

If I had to pick a fault with the lure, I think the tinsel tail may be a bit long. I can see how short-biting fish might miss the lure. Or maybe the scent would fire up the fish enough they would aggressively hit the whole lure!

I left the tail alone, but cutting off a half inch would be a snap with a pair of scissors if it seemed like fish were missing the bait.

The Berkley Dough Rider Verdict

Berkley Dough Rider spinners come in barrel or minnow bodies, in four sizes and 10 colors. A sample of PowerBait dough is included with each lure, to be tucked into the Scent Vent on the lure body.

Inline spinners are a great choice for a variety of species in lots of different conditions. I’m planning to turn to the Berkley Dough Rider Spinner this season while fishing white bass, smallmouths or northern pike. It's a fun, easy-to-fish bait that catches fish!