a spy
C R E AT I ® NG
By Tyler Brinks
Spring 2021
With Josh
W
hen you see a fishing lure with a pros
name on the package, there’s often a
story behind how that bait made it there. Sometimes a professional angler agrees to promote
an existing product and others are very hands-on with
the development, which was the case with Josh Bertrand
and Berkley’s SPY.
The journey from idea to retail sales took nearly a year
for Berkley with Bertrand and included everything from 3D
printers and test tanks to real-world testing across a variety
of fisheries. Now that Bertrand, has had the official retail
release onboard his boat for a full season, he shares a couple
tips and the making of the lure.
THE IDEA
Bertrand
Berkley came to Bertrand asking if he had any ideas for lures and a slow-sinking spybait was at the top of his wish list.
“The biggest thing I wanted was a spybait that I could fish shallow,” Bertrand said of the idea that would eventually become the Slow Sink version of the SPY. They also released a standard Fast Sink in the process built on the same body but with a different weighting system.
Besides just looking to make a spybait, Bertrand said they put thought into building it to his specifications.
“Berkley’s big thing is they want the lures to look good, but they want them to catch fish,” he said. “We took a look at the other products and made our version of it. We made sure that when we tested them, they catch as many or more fish than what was out there.”
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The spybait is a style of lure that has entered the mainstream after several years of regional success. These lures are here to stay and Bertrand was a fan of what was out there but wanted something a little different.
THE DEVELOPMENT PROCESS
Once the idea was set in motion, Bertrand took a trip to Berkley’s Spirit Lake, Iowa facility to get to work.