Q: do these work in freshwater? fishing for stripers / bass / etc.
A: They CAN work, (depending on the level of fishing pressure your freshwater lake receives.) It's possible to catch a Largemouth Bass with a 6" piece of Levis, Texas-rigged! The problem? Most freshwater fish through-out the US have seen lures before. Gotcha Plugs aren't a very "pretty" lure to begin with, (and are used for a reaction strike from Spanish Macs, Blues, Etc.), and in my opinion "smart", high-pressured, Bass/Stripers won't look twice at a Gotcha Plug. You might catch one or 2 fish but for consistent fishing I'd use a more realistic lure.