Berkley GULP Leeches: As Good as a Live Leech?

I'm a big fan of using live leeches when fishing for walleye, whenever it is convenient for me to do so, I use live leeches for vertical jigging, on harnesses, and lindy rigs.

However it is not always convenient or economical to fish with leeches. If you can't catch them yourself they can cost a fortune. And if you can catch your own, it requires a lot of time that I would prefer to use fishing. Even buying leeches requires time, it limits the time you can start fishing to the time the bait shop opens.

Berkley has perhaps a solution to this problem. They released a new product in 2005 as part of the GULP line of artificial baits. It is called the Berkley GULP leech, it is 3 inches long, and is available in black and pumpkinseed. The GULP technology supposedly releases 400 times more scent than the average plastic bait. They come in packs of 12, and cost about $4, which is about the same price you would pay for live leeches. But anyone who has fished live leeches knows you will lose several of them to short strikes, the GULP hooked on a bait holder will most probably stay on much longer.

I have yet to try this new bait, but in just a couple of weeks walleye reopens here and I will be up on Lac Saint Pierre with some of these new baits to give them a shot. I'll be comparing them to Berkley's Power Leeches, as well as to real live leeches, and of course I will tell you what transpired.