Best Herring Fishing Attractants of 2026

Paul Tilton Avatar
Paul Tilton
Last Updated: Jan 18, 2026

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Herring Fishing Attractants are a popular tool used by fishermen to lure herring into their nets. These attractants are made from a variety of natural and synthetic ingredients, such as fish oils, amino acids, and pheromones. They are designed to mimic the scent and taste of herring, making it more likely for the fish to approach the bait. Herring Fishing Attractants come in a variety of forms, including sprays, oils, and pellets, and can be used in both fresh and saltwater environments. Overall, these products are a valuable asset for fishermen looking to increase their catch and improve their success on the water.

At a Glance: Our Top Picks

Berkley Gulp! Alive!® Attractant, Garlic Spray Cover #TOP 1
Berkley Gulp! Alive!® Attractant, Garlic Spray
ftb score rating icon 9.8
Berkley Gulp! Alive!® Attractant, Shrimp Cover #TOP 2
Berkley Gulp! Alive!® Attractant, Shrimp
ftb score rating icon 9.7
Generic 5 Pack Fishing Bait Scents Cover #TOP 3
Generic 5 Pack Fishing Bait Scents
ftb score rating icon 9.5

Top 4 Herring Fishing Attractants

#TOP 1

Berkley Gulp! Alive!® Attractant, Garlic Spray

1130446
Garlic
8 Ounces
Berkley Gulp! Alive!® Attractant, Garlic Spray Cover
Berkley Gulp! Alive! Fish Attractant Spray Gulp!® with Garlic, Easy-to-Use Trigger Spray Bottle, Extreme Scent Dispersion, Works Great with Soft Bait, Hard Bait, and Live Bait

Enhance the effectiveness of your fishing bait with Berkley Gulp! Alive!® Attractant. Available in an easy-to-use trigger spray bottle, this fish attractant is perfect for soft bait, hard bait, or live bait. It makes any bait taste and smell alive with popular prey scents and flavors, attracting fish with its smell and holding them with its taste. The garlic scent comes in an 8-ounce bottle that shoots a stream or spray, making it convenient to use.

What We Like
Improved fishing success
High product effectiveness
Works well with lures
Good value for money

Berkley Gulp! Alive!® Attractant, Shrimp

GSP8-SHP
Shrimp
8 Ounces
Berkley Gulp! Alive!® Attractant, Shrimp Cover
Berkley Gulp! Alive! Fish Attractant Spray Gulp!® Saltwater with Shrimp, Easy-to-Use Trigger Spray Bottle, Extreme Scent Dispersion, Works Great with Soft Bait, Hard Bait, and Live Bait

The Berkley Gulp! Alive!® Attractant, Shrimp is a saltwater attractant that comes in a convenient 8-ounce spray bottle. It features shrimp and is designed to attract fish with smell and hold them with taste. The bottle allows for both stream and spray application, making it easy to use and versatile for different fishing situations.

What We Like
Convenient spray bottle
Attracts fish with smell and holds them with taste
Features shrimp
#TOP 3

Generic 5 Pack Fishing Bait Scents

Generic
10PackLiquidColors
Multi
Generic 5 Pack Fishing Bait Scents Cover
Generic 5 Pack of Scents for Soft Plastic Fishing Baits Plastisol, Garlic, Anise, Herring, Craw, Coffee

The Generic 5 Pack Bait Scents offers you a variety of five different aromas to enhance your fishing experience. You get popular scents like anise, garlic, herring, and cappuccino, which can attract different types of fish, increasing your chances of a catch. Each scent comes in a convenient 1-ounce bottle with a dropper, making it easy to apply the perfect amount without any mess. Plus, you can mix the scents together to create custom blends, giving you even more options to find what works best on the water. This set is a handy addition to your fishing gear.

What We Like
Variety of five scents
Includes popular fishing aromas
Easy-to-use dropper bottles
Mixable scents for customization
Compact 1 oz packaging
#TOP 4

Berkley Gulp! Alive! Attractant, Nightcrawler

GSP8-NCR
Nightcrawler
8 Ounces
Berkley Gulp! Alive! Attractant, Nightcrawler Cover
Berkley Gulp! Alive! Fish Attractant Spray Gulp!® with Nightcrawler, Easy-to-Use Trigger Spray Bottle, Extreme Scent Dispersion, Works Great with Soft Bait, Hard Bait, and Live Bait

The Berkley Gulp! Alive! Attractant, Nightcrawler is a fishing attractant that is designed to attract fish with its enticing smell and hold them with its delicious taste. This attractant comes in a convenient spray bottle, making it easy to apply to your bait or lures. The Nightcrawler scent is specifically formulated to attract a wide variety of fish species. With a generous 8-ounce size, you'll have plenty of attractant to last you through multiple fishing trips. The bottle also features a stream or spray option, allowing you to apply the attractant in the way that works best for you. With the Berkley Gulp! Alive! Attractant, Nightcrawler, you'll have an effective tool to enhance your fishing experience and increase your chances of catching more fish.

What We Like
Attracts fish with smell
Holds fish with taste
Convenient spray bottle
Buying Guide Image

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

1. What is the best bait for catching herring?

When the herring turn up in big numbers the surface of the water bubbles with them. Just about any small bait will work – including pieces of squid, prawn, pilchard and whitebait – while maggots are another popular bait in some areas.

2. What is the best scent to attract fish?

This gives you an advantage of being able to get a good hook set and catching the fish. Three scents that appear to be positive scents are salt, anise, and garlic.

3. Does garlic scent attract fish?

Garlic: This is another one that has anecdotal evidence that it attracts fish or at the very least neutralizes odors that can repel fish. I guess it is worth a try if you happen to have some garlic around on your boat. It might be a good way to get the smell of sun screen or bug spray off of your hands.

4. Is herring a good bait for fishing?

Herring as Bait Being an oily fish which releases plenty of scent herring makes a good sea fishing bait. They can be used whole for large species such as conger eels or strip of herring can be used as a bait for smaller species or to tip off other baits. Read more on the page on herring as a sea fishing bait.

Editor's Notes

During our herring fishing attractant research, we found 24 herring fishing attractant products and shortlisted 4 quality products. We collected and analyzed 12,272 customer reviews through our big data system to write the herring fishing attractants list. We found that most customers choose herring fishing attractants with an average price of $13.48.

The herring fishing attractants are available for purchase. We have researched hundreds of brands and picked the top brands of herring fishing attractants, including Berkley and more. The seller of top 1 product has received honest feedback from 384 consumers with an average rating of 4.7.

Written by
Paul Tilton Avatar

Paul Tilton is a fitness enthusiast. He doesn't like to work in front of a computer screen so he quit his job and runs a gym in Washington. He spent a lot of time on the road and has been a contributing writer for a well-known travel guide website. He is now happy to share his travel experience and professional knowledge of travel gear and fitness here.