Today we will be taking a look at the new Riveter Buzzbait from Berkley, and there’s a lot to unpack here. For starters, this will be a two-for-one special. We are going to review the more traditional Skirted Riveter Buzzbait as well as the skirtless Toad Riveter Buzzbait. I’ve been fishing with these baits for a couple weeks now and have caught a few fish on them. Both of these lures have some rather unique features that I want to touch on. Here are my thoughts.
A Tale of Two Buzzbaits
As for on the water experience, I fished these baits around seawalls, docks, grass, and wood. I reserved the Toad Riveter primarily for grass and for skipping under docks. And then I threw the Skirted Riveter out in the open more and around hard cover. These buzzbaits have a tendency to run left out of the pack, which is true of the majority of the buzzbaits on the market. I just used that to my advantage, fishing with the bank on my left so that the bait could run up against cover and under docks.
As for the Skirted Buzzbait, it has a heckuva knocking sound straight out of the pack. The prop is setup to where it will smack the lead head, and it does so with gusto. This is one of the loudest buzzbaits I’ve ever thrown in that regard. Now, if you don’t want that aggressive of a sound, I found that you can bend the arm up just slightly and the bait will have a more traditional, squeaky sound and buzz to it. The majority of the bites I got on it came with the arm opened up a little.
Switching to the skirtless Riveter, I slid a Zoom Horny Toad up onto the back of it. The main appeal to a buzzbait like this is that it can be skipped far better than a traditional skirted buzzbait. I found that to be the case with the Toad Riveter, and I was able to skip it deep under docks and under bushes. The biggest bite I had on it came in a grass patch, and the bait held up to haul the fish out. Let’s look at some of the key features of this bait to see why.
Key Features
Starting with the Toad Riveter, the most noticeable difference is the 45-degree welded bar that bridges the gap between the arm going to the prop shaft and the main wire of the bait. This design element was implemented to keep the bait from being bent, either when fighting a fish or when an errant cast under a dock smokes a pole. I found that this brace did it’s job. There was one time when the small portion of the wire between the prop and brace bent a little, but I would have probably bent a regular toad-style buzzbait numerous times by then.
Sticking with the Toad Riveter a bit longer, there are some other things worth noting as well. For starters, there’s a small band around the line tie that creates an eye where there’s traditionally been a U shape. This band keeps your knot where it should be and not slipping down the shaft one way or the other. The rivet used at the bottom of the prop creates a pretty sweet squeaking sound. And the barbed lead head locks your bait on tight. The Berkley Fusion 19 hook is nasty on this one too: sharp, strong, and with an O’Shaughnessy bend.
Moving to the Skirted Riveter, you have the same band at the line tie, same rivet at the base of the prop, and the same O’Shaughnessy hook, but that’s really where the two baits part ways. The Skirted Riveter does not have the 45-degree brace, and it obviously has a skirt. Looking at the head, you’ll see it has a long and narrow head, which allows it to come through the water and cover well. You’ll find the weight of the bait painted underneath the head, something I really like as I have a tendency to forget which size bait I’m using. To wrap up the Skirted Riveter, there’s a molded lead bait keeper on the shaft of this one.
As for sizes, the Skirted Riveter comes in 1/4 and 3/8 ounce options. There are two options in the Toad Riveter as well, but they both weigh 1/4 ounce. The only difference between these two is that one has a larger blade and one has a smaller blade. Both baits have three prop color choices, and then there are 7 color combinations available in the Skirted Riveter Buzzbait.
Final Thoughts
There’s a lot going on with the Berkley Riveter Buzzbaits. I could have easily broken these two up into separate reviews, but I think there’s something to be gained from testing them and reviewing them side by side.
The Skirted Riveter makes for a great all around buzzbait. It did veer left as most buzzbaits do, but the hook design, the weight of the bait stamped beneath the head, and the squeakiness of the rivet on the blade came together to make a really intriguing bait.
The Toad Riveter offered an option for skipping, and it skipped really well. Adding the 45-degree brace to the wire of this buzzbait to prevent it from bending was a really good idea, and its effectiveness proved out on the water.
All in all, both of these buzzbaits are solid. They each bring something new to the table and they both get bit.
