Impressions: Let’s face it - there are already a lot of excellent single-bladed buzzbaits on the market. Some of my personal favorites include the classic Boogerman and Picasso Hog Snatcher models. What I look for in a buzzbait is a combination of a well-designed blade and rivet interface, consistent contact between the blade and head to produce an extra “clack,” and, most importantly, a solid wire arm that keeps the bait running true and tracking cleanly over or around vegetation. It sounds simple, but I’m constantly surprised by how hard it is to find buzzbaits that both sound great and fish well. Many do one or the other, but few manage both consistently.

The Riveter is available is 1/4 and 3/8oz. sizes

Then there’s the dreaded break-in period. This is very real: some baits sound fantastic out of the package only to lose their signature squeal or clack as components wear, while others require tuning, or even days of rivet wear, to hit that ideal fish-attracting sound.

Berkley introduced a trio of new PowerBait infused baits recently alongside the Riveter, including the Chop Block 8

The first thing that stands out about the Riveter Skirted Buzzbait is its simplicity and clean design. No fancy multi-propped blades, no exotic materials - just a well-thought-out head and skirt paired with wire geometry that makes sense, and a setup that looks and feels ready to fish right out of the package.

The Skirted Riveter is available in two sizes—1/4 oz and 3/8 oz—and offers a variety of head, blade, and skirt combinations. Most of the popular color patterns are represented, including White, White Chartreuse, White Gold, and a darker option called BL Special, a black-and-blue base with subtle purple highlights. True to Berkley form, the skirts incorporate their signature PowerBait, adding a subtle scent and flavor to the silicone for added attraction.

The Chop Block 8 is a PowerBait infused soft bodied swimbait with a complete integrated dual Fusion 19 hook setup

Real World Tests: I received two of the new Riveter Skirted Buzzbaits along with a pair of Riveter Toad models, which serve as the unskirted variant designed to pair with your favorite soft-plastic toad, from the team at Berkley. The Toad version swaps the traditional head for a streamlined connection point and features a reinforced 45-degree cross-wire bracket that prevents flex or deformation when contacting cover, docks, or vegetation. For this review, I focused primarily on the Skirted Riveter, though I also spent time fishing the Toad version for comparison. Most of my testing was done using braided line, but I also experimented with a monofilament leader to evaluate how the bait’s lift and planing characteristics changed across different line setups.

There is also a non skirted version of the new buzzbait called the Riveter Toad

I received these baits toward the tail end of buzzbait season and spent most of my time testing them on the California Delta and nearby lakes. There was a period when wire baits like spinnerbaits and buzzbaits made up most of my Delta topwater fishing, but over the past decade I’ve found myself gravitating more toward frogs for surface action, and bladed jigs have largely replaced spinnerbaits in my arsenal. That said, getting the Riveter in hand felt like a chance to revisit those earlier days on the water, and I was eager to chase a few more explosive topwater blowups.

Key to thus new buzzbait is the custom serrated rivet and anodized blade

Operation: I love fishing buzzbaits over the Delta weed flats—what we fondly call “the cheese”—and tested both the 1/4- and 3/8-ounce Skirted Riveters across a mix of weedlines, ambush points, and even the open water of shallow flats—all classic buzzbait territory. The Riveter planes up quickly and immediately emits a lively mix of squeals and clacks as the blade contacts the head. I really like the elongated head shape, which helps balance the bait, keeps it tracking true, and provides a solid strike point for that distinct clacking sound.

I found that the Riveter created a loud and consistent squeak and knock right out of the package, no special tuning or break in required

Like most buzzbaits, the Riveter’s wire frame is adjustable and allows for easy fine-tuning. Bending it in slightly increases blade-to-head contact for a harder “knock,” which I find especially effective in stained water or low-light conditions. Opening it up restores a cleaner, high-pitched squeak, ideal for clear water or when fish are more pressured.

The bait also features a conical bait keeper which similar to the spinnerbait does a great job holding trailers in place

The PowerBait-infused skirt adds bulk and presence while carrying Berkley’s signature scent. Trailer security was also excellent thanks to the conical keeper, which gripped plastics tightly and kept them in place even after multiple fish. While the skirt helps shape the bait’s profile and plane on the surface, I’ve always felt that when it comes to driving strikes that the color, and even scent, are secondary to the sound and surface commotion a buzzbait produces. In that regard, the Riveter delivers exactly as promised. It’s easy to get that ideal blend of squeak and clack right out of the package, without the usual break-in or tedious tuning many buzzbaits require.

If there was one area for improvement it would be the rubber banded skirt. A wire implementation would last longer, but on the plus side these skirts are easy to change or repair when the time comes

Next Section: Performance, Price and Ratings