Berkley PowerBait CullShrimp: Sizes, Colours and How to Fish the New Pre-Rigged Shrimp

Berkley has added a new shrimp to its PowerBait line: the PowerBait CullShrimp. It is part of Berkley Australia’s 2026 PowerBait releases and is now turning up in Australian tackle shops. It is a pre-rigged, weighted soft-plastic shrimp built around the same Honeycomb tail idea as the CullShad swimbait. Here is what it is, the sizes and colours, and how I would fish it for flathead and other bottom feeders.

What is the PowerBait CullShrimp?

In short, it is a ready-to-fish shrimp. The soft body comes on a pre-rigged weighted harness, so you tie it on and cast. No jig head to choose and no rigging at the bench.

• Honeycomb tail: Berkley’s honeycomb structure gives the tail a lifelike kick and makes it tougher. Some shops note you can fill the tail with scent gel (for example a prawn-flavoured gel) for extra smell.
• Active swim legs and mono antennae: the legs flutter on the drop, and the fine antennae add movement even when the bait is sitting still.
• PowerBait scent and flavour: Berkley says fish hold on “up to 18 times longer” than with plain plastic, which gives you a moment longer to set the hook.
• Line-through hook system: when a fish is hooked, the body slides up the leader, away from the teeth and the thrashing. That should mean fewer torn baits and more fish per pack.

Sizes, weights and prices

There are three sizes, all sold as packs of two. Prices are Berkley Australia’s recommended retail in AUD, and shops vary.

Because the weight is built in, the size you choose also sets your sink rate. The 9 g model suits shallow estuary flats and calm water. The 25.5 g 5in is heavy enough for deeper water, current, or casting distance off the beach.

Colours

All three sizes come in the same six colours:

• Gold: a strong all-rounder in stained water and on sunny days
• Glow Chartreuse: dawn, dusk, dirty water and night
• Sangria: a dark red-purple for contrast
• All Natural: a clear, natural prawn look for clear water
• Garlic
• Disco Violet

If I were buying only two, I would get Gold for everyday use and All Natural for clear water, then add Glow Chartreuse for low light.

Target species

Berkley sells it as a saltwater shrimp, and almost everything in the sea eats prawns. In the promo images it is shown with a flathead, and a coral trout has been shown on the 5in. Realistic targets include:

• Flathead (dusky flathead in Australia, and bartail flathead or Japanese flounder in Japan)
• Bream and snapper
• Coral trout and other reef fish on the bigger sizes
• Mangrove jack, barramundi and estuary predators around structure

How I would fish it

These are my suggestions based on how weighted shrimp baits generally work. They are not official Berkley techniques.

• Lift and drop on the bottom: cast, let it sink to the bottom, lift the rod tip sharply, then let it fall back on a semi-slack line. Most bites come on the drop, when the legs are fluttering.
• Slow hops and pauses: for flathead, keep it close to the sand with short hops and long pauses. A shrimp sitting still on the bottom, with its antennae moving, is a natural target.
• Drift it with the current: in channels, cast up-current and let the weighted harness bounce along the bottom as the tide carries it.
• Match weight to depth: if you lose touch with the bottom, size up. If it snags constantly, size down.

On the Japanese surf, where I usually fish, I can see the 5in (25.5 g) model being useful for magochi (bartail flathead) and hirame (Japanese flounder) in summer, worked slowly along the sand like a shrimp-style jig head bait. If you are interested in that kind of fishing, see my Magochi flathead guide.

My take

Pre-rigged shrimp are not new, but the CullShrimp puts several good ideas in one package: a scented PowerBait body, a tougher honeycomb tail, and a line-through harness that should save baits. For people who fish flathead in estuaries, or anyone who wants a shrimp they can tie on and use straight away, it is worth trying.

One thing to note: at launch it is an Australian-market release through Berkley Australia, so stock outside Australia may be limited. Availability varies between tackle shops, so check with your local store.

Read next

• Magochi (Bartail Flathead): Japan’s Summer Surf Fish
• Five Lures for Japanese Flounder From the Beach
• REAL FISHER Ebi Jig: A Shrimp-Shaped Metal Jig

MINAGIMAN

JAPAN ANGLER

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Born in 1994. Originally from Hyogo Prefecture, I moved to Iwata City in Shizuoka Prefecture in search of the sea. I am an Enshunada surf angler who enjoys surf fishing. I am also active on YouTube, and my fishing grounds range from Irago to Iwata.