I fished with the Berkley fakes last year and could not get a bite. A buddy of mine had the real thing and was catching crappies and bluegills consistently. Being a hard headed fool, I would not give in and fish with his bait. I knew I could catch fish with the fakes. Nothing. Next day, nothing. Tried one more time, nothing. My $.02 is that they are junk, but it could be that my batch was bad. Just give them a try and see what you think, they are fairly inexpensive so you wont be out much if they don't work for you.