Does this work or could you have tossed any plastic and caught your limit?

Yes it works. I've caught tons of fish on Berkley Gulp Alive Saltwater. I really like the 3" shrimp tails in newpenny. I use them on 1/8oz jig heads mostly, and quite a bit under a popping cork. I also enjoy the 4" swimming shads for flounder. I tie them in tandom, and use the pink and white in combination, or the white and chartreuse, or pink and chartreuse. They work fantastic. I've caught trout, redfish, flounder, croaker, whiting, sand trout, spanish macks, small grouper, red snapper, drum, blue fish, pompano, and jacks on them. They work. I don't go fishing without them in salt water. I keep tubs of them.

That's all I use for bay fishing other than top water and spoons.

One of the best soft plastics on the market. Never leave home without some 3 in shrimp. on occasion I've had these outfish live bait and they're pretty durable too. On average about 5 fish before it gets unusable but I've caught 8-9 trout on a single lure.

I limited on trout every day for 5 days (course it's 5 fish/day now) using nothing but 3" new penny under a popping cork earlier this month.

I've limited before on swimming mullet. I've also limited on regular old plastics too. But gulp might have an edge. Not sure but I always take them along.