Lure of the Month: Berkley Gulp! Alive! Minnow
by Terry Madewell
Crappie-catching lures are evaluated in multiple ways, and for me the first is to gauge results on the day I’m fishing it as a simple proof-of-performance criteria. Another factor is longevity of that performance over multiple trips.
When fishing with a lure I’ve used multiple times in recent years with consistent success my confidence level is high. If I do my job of working out the pattern, I believe that lure is likely to catch crappie.
One such lure is a soft plastic minnow imitation first marketed in 2006. It quickly became a hot crappie-catching lure and 18-years later, it is still on fire, surpassing any longevity proof of performance anglers could require. That makes the Berkley Gulp! Alive! Minnow in the 2.5-inch size, the July 2024 CrappieNOW Lure of the Month.
Aaron Wavra, Senior Product Manager for Berkley Fishing, said development and testing was ongoing long before the product hit the market.
“The development goal for Berkley Gulp! Alive! Minnow, and the Berkley Gulp products marketed in 2003, were to imitate live bait,” Wavra said. “We wanted them to perform better than live bait for crappie fishing. That’s a tall order, but I think it was achieved. By employing the fish-attracting senses of sight, motion, scent, and taste into the development of the lure, the final product displays real minnow attributes.”
Wavra said the sight and motion senses are met by having the life-like profile and natural swimming action of a minnow incorporated into the lure. Combined with an array of color patterns, this lure appeals to crappie in diverse habitats.
But the secret sauce is literally the scent and taste senses.
“Scent and taste are not interchangeable,” he said. “Crappie see the profile of the lure and if it looks and swims like the real thing, they may eat it, but certainly are tempted. Scent is an attractant furthering the crappie’s attention, and that prompts the fish to take the lure. When it does, we’ve incorporated the right ‘taste’ so it tastes real. And they hold on to it, giving anglers time to react with a hookset.”
Wavra said testing has been ongoing for more than 35 years and thousands of combinations of scent and taste options have been scientifically studied and researched at the Spirit Lake, Iowa, research facility.
“The Gulp! Alive! lures are open-cell, water-based products where internal scents transfer into the water,” he said. “Many soft plastic lures have a closed cell design blocking scent, except external scents placed on post-purchase. Gulp! Alive! products deliver 400-times more scent dispersion and lab results prove that fish hold on 18-times longer because of the taste component.”
Wavra said the Gulp! Alive! Minnow can be utilized any way a live minnow can be fished including cast and retrieve, vertical fishing, longlining, spider-rigging and shallow-water under a cork fishing. It’s usually fished on a jighead with the jig weight and profile based on habitat and depth fished.
“The lure is more durable than a live minnow and doesn’t have to be replaced after every fish caught,” he said. “Its doesn’t die, it’s always ready to go fishing with you and doesn’t need refrigeration.
“It is everything we’d want a minnow to be, and more. The scent expands the strike zone and when finished, simply put the bait back into the solution to re-charge for the next trip.”
I enjoy fishing this lure because of its productivity on crappie, but also because other piscatorial critters eat it. Quality lures catch multiple species of fish, and I’ve caught black bass, striped bass, white bass, big bream, white perch, and the occasional catfish while targeting crappie.
Scent and taste make a difference on crappie and many species.
Terry Madewell of Ridgeway, S.C. has been an outdoor communicator for nearly 50 years. He holds a degree in Wildlife and Fisheries Management and has a long career as a professional wildlife biologist/natural resources manager. He’s passionate about sharing outdoor adventures with others.
