Product Review: Berkley Gulp Alive Jigging grub

This post uses amazon affiliate links. I receive commission from any sales at no additional cost to yourself.

Berkley Gulp Alive jigging grubs are a small soft plastic lure impregnated with Berkley’s scent.I have used these grub extensively fishing winter flounder, and have experimented fishing for brook and rainbow trout with them.

The Berkley product page states that they are work great on panfish, I do not have panfish in my area, so cannot speak to that claim.

These are my go-to bait for winter flounder fishing. I always tip my small home made bucktail jigs with these grubs. The 1/5″/4cm grubs are the perfect size to fit on the smaller hooks required for fishing winter flounder.

Flounder are a species of fish that have a highly developed sense of smell, and they love the scent of these jigging grubs! Fish with one grub for fifteen to twenty minutes. After that time switch it out for a new grub, as the scent will have worn off a bit. You don’t need to throw the old grub away though, plop it back in the scented fluid and the bait will recharge.

Berkley Gulp! Alive! Jigging Grub (Amazon Link) can be bought here.

These Berkley baits stay on the hook much better than real bait does, so the Gulp! Alive jigging grub is an excellent choice if you’re fishing and area with bait stealing fish or crabs.

Since these lures stay on the hook so well, you’ll probably run out of recharge fluid before grubs. You may also just spill the container by accident (has happened to me multiple times). The Berkley Gulp! Alive! recharge liquid should last you many seasons. I’ve been using the same bottle for three years. It’s useful to replace lost scented fluid, or just replace old fluid. I replace the fluid my grubs are in at the start of every season.

Berkley Gulp! Alive! Recharge Liquid (Amazon Link) can be bought here.

Speaking of the recharge fluid, leaky containers are no fun. Having that fluid leak in your tackle box results in a stinky and sticky mess that’s a mess to clean up. I use the Liqua-bait wallet to prevent leaks. I’ve been using it for a years and haven’t had it leak yet.

I’ve heard claims that trout prefer the scent of Gulp Alive over regular plastic and live bait. Through my own testing I haven’t really found this to be true. While these grubs will catch a trout from time to time, the performance is mediocre at best. A trout magnet, a Berkley trout worm, or a hares ear nymph will all out perform these grubs if you’re fishing for trout. These grubs are better suited for flounder.