Berkley Powerbait Gilly Review

Our goal with the Tackle Warehouse Product Review is to provide customers with an honest opinion on the latest bass fishing tackle and equipment, so they can make the most informed and optimized purchase possible. The products are distributed to a team of trusted Tackle Warehouse employees who have a wide breadth of fishing knowledge and experience. Each reviewer is responsible for testing and grading the product before and after use. After we are done testing, the grades are averaged and the reviews are compiled to highlight the most important elements – all in an effort to provide as much information as possible before you proceed to checkout.

Category	Rating
Performance	3.63
Durability	4.38
Value	4.50
Utility	4.25
Overall	3.88

All scores are rated from 1-to-5 with 1 being the lowest score and 5 being the highest score.

The latest addition to a burgeoning category of bluegill-inspired soft plastics, the Berkley Powerbait Gilly Swimbait was highly anticipated among reviewers following the buzz from this year’s ICAST. After giving the bait an initial inspection, the bump-riddled Gilly had the whole office scratching their heads, but as the novelty wore off you could start to see the wheels turning. One-by-one we all seemed to find a valid, yet different application for the peculiar looking soft plastic – and then another, and another, and another. While no one could nail down a technique that we all felt would be “the one,” we could all agree that there was a long list of inventive riggings that would allow the Berkley Powerbait Gilly Swimbait to shine, but there’s only one way to find out…

During the testing of the Berkley Gilly Powerbait Swimbait, the theme that was echoed throughout everyone’s assessment was versatility. On the outside of the clam shell package, there’s a diagram with four suggested rigging techniques, (sideways as a Texas-rig, on a jig head, weighted swimbait hook, line-through stinger, and drop shot) but in our opinion, this is just scratching the surface of how the Gilly can be utilized to win your next tournament

While testers unanimously agreed that the Gilly was going to be their go-to bait for bed fishing this Spring, alternative utilization seemed to vary depending on everyone’s fishing style. Some of our resident finesse specialists immediately latched on to the 90mm size for drop shotting, while our more power-driven anglers were quick to thread the 110mm and 130mm size on a jig or Texas-rig.

And because it's offered in a dozen colors throughout three different sizes (encompassing everything from printed HD color to time-tested staples), there’s plenty of options for ned rigs, Carolina-rigs, free rigs, vibrating jig trailers, neko rigs, biffle heads, punching, and almost any other application you can imagine. However it was fished, each reviewer reported bites and catches, which for our highly pressured local lakes that are not yet out of Winter-mode, can be very difficult and speaks to the bait's overall effectiveness.

Nothing can be as disheartening as looking down on your deck after a long day of fishing and seeing that expensive pile of soft plastics staring back at you, especially when it wasn’t caused by a lights-out day of fishing. We are happy to report that if you do end up with a pile of Gilly confetti on your deck, you will probably also have a sore thumb and a big smile. Initially there was some skepticism surrounding the durability of the Berkley Gilly Swimbait based purely on the thinned out midsection, but that was quickly muffled once everyone began fishing it. The plastic was described by Jeff from the buying department as being “resilient, but not in a way that makes it too much.”While Buying Assistant Doug reported “...multiple fish on the same bait. Plastic is tough, but still soft at the same time.”

If you have ever fished a detailed soft plastic like the HD colors offered in the Gilly, you might have reservations about how long the detail will hold while fishing. Our reviewers shared the same apprehension, but had this to say after testing “very impressed by the HD colors maintaining their out-of- the-package look after a lot of use.” In fact, the only ripping or tearing that was noted was when the bait found its way into a bush or rockpile and had to be yanked out, which is to be expected with just about any soft plastic.

In recent years, there has been a quiet explosion of “bluegill-style” soft plastics. Usually carrying a heavier price tag, these baits have almost exclusively been the product of either JDM brands or boutique swimbait manufacturers. Capturing the spirit of these niche baits without the price tag, the Berkley Gilly Swimbait’s MSRP is $7.99 for the 90mm (4pk), 110mm (3pk), and 130mm (2pk). Considering the glowing durability reviews, extended versatility, and price compared to similar baits, the Berkley Gilly Swimbait is very cost efficient. Not only does this lessen the blow to the billfold, but itwill also give anglers the confidence to fish around a laydown or brush pile without costly repercussions.

Any local hammer worth their salt knows how fruitful fishing can be once bass get keyed in on bluegill, and if you’re anything like the reviewers here at Tackle Warehouse you have tried to tempt bluegill-crazed bass with just about every size, color, and style of bait imaginable. Sometimes successfully, other times, not so much. With key features like a hollow head, flared side panels, pectoral hook guards, and a flared tail stabilizer, the Berkley Gilly Swimbait opens the door to a near-endless range of rigging possibilities, so you can tempt fish over-and-over again with fresh presentations. Ratcheting attraction a step further, the Gilly, like all Powerbait products comes packed with that unmistakable Powerbait scenting. And while it might not be as pungent as a fresh pack of Chigger Craws, the scenting does seem to stay with the bait after extended fishing.

Like carrying a pocket knife in your tacklebox, the Berkley Powerbait Gilly Swimbait’s non-traditional design ensures that you will always have a unique and effective presentation to fish. Why is this important? To put it simply, fish are smart. After a couple encounters with the same bait, they will start to recognize the look, action, and general signature of a lure, so tempting them with something new is oftentimes the key to success.

Finding a bait that is unique is the easy part. Finding a bait that is unique AND effective can be like finding a needle in a haystack. In our opinion, the Berkley Powerbait Gilly Swimbait meets both of these requirements – and then some. With more options than Bryan Thrift has rods on his deck, the Berkley Powerbait Gilly Swimbait offers a color or size for just about everyone, no matter how you fish. While it may not replace the effectiveness of a worm in your day-to-day fishing, the Berkley Powerbait Gilly Swimbait provides a sneaky way to garner bites, especially from discerning fish that have seen just about everything that Tackle Warehouse has to offer.

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