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Gulp! Does it out fish all other baits!

9K views 35 replies 30 participants last post by  Icetrey  
#1 ·
I have a Carolina Skiff J-16, and I am on the water almost 24/7 and use many diff. types of Lures, from TTF to H&H Coastal Tackel. And I have found that PMPKN/CHRT to be the most effective during the day and any thing CHRT the best at night. But I have not done that well with Gulps. I have tried Natural, New Penny, Pearl White and the Electric Chicken, anywhere from 4in to 3in, but it just doesn't seem to be as hiped up as people say it is. I've mostly worked them under a cork, and not so much on the bottom, that might be my problem. So I'm asking what is the best way to fish with Gulps.
 
#2 ·
They've been hit or miss for me.
Some days when the bite is tough i'll put on Gulp Jerk Shads and its on.
Then another day i might start w/Gulp and my buddy is using a Bass Assassin and kicking my butt.
Just like any other bait I don't think it matters too much, its more about finding the fish and presenting the bait correctly.
 
#6 ·
Gulp

I have had great luck with Gulps. I fish the Jerk bait and the shrimp in 3" new penny and molting. The Jerk I use the chartruse color (kind of yellow). I used to be a firm Bass Assassin Man but did a test myself on Reds and found the school to respond to the Gulp when the bit on the Bass Assassin and some topwaters to be slow. Granted that was a one day test on that particular school but it convinced me. I do think you need to be confident in what you are pitching and present it properly. I use both gulps with a jig head only on a mono leader with a loop at the end tied to 30lbs braid by way of a swivel barrel. I have caught reds, trout, flounder, sand trout, grouper, whiting, and even a few hard heads and two crabs (probably reeling too slow) on them.

Just try different speeds, jerk them alot as you reel in. I try jerking up then after a few cast to the side for a different action in presentation.

However, lately I have not been catching much on anything. Several slow trips in a row have almost made me do the dark side thing and buy bait.
 
#7 ·
Last Friday and Saturday I fished in Port Occonner and caught a total of 3 keeper trout, 5 keeper reds and 1 keeper flounder:

Breakdown as follows roughly fishing a total of 10 hrs on Friday and 7 hrs on Saturday

Topwater: 2 reds and 1 trout on Saturday
Croaker: 1 trout on Friday
Gulp: 2 reds, and 1 trout on Friday and 1 flounder on Saturday
Spoon: 1 red on Saturday
 
#10 ·
I use all types of bait and arties depending where I am and who I am with. Gulps do have a spot in my arsenal, but they are usually at the last part of desperation.

I do well with everything else. I agree with the others on confidence.

I seen a article that a dude made a lure out of a deer antler and caught trout.

Thats what I am talking about. I used to use Al . foil on a hook or a cig butt to catch fish when i was a tiny peep. Shoot, there is a guy who catched reds on jalapenos.. Its like a hatchery where he is fishing, but he gets em in the boat..

It is the confidence.
 
#13 ·
It's good when you know there are reds in the area, but they are being finicky. Otherwise, I usually catch a lot of trash fish on it. I don't think I have ever caught a trout on a Gulp. I'm sure some have, but I don't this it gives much advantage for them as trout are primarily sight feeders whereas reds rely more on scent.
 
#14 ·
I have hammered the trout with them. Fish them on a jighead just like any other soft plastic. The rootbeer eel looking ones seemed to work best. Have seen the same lure get crushed by reds as well. Never had any luck trying to fish one under a cork.
 
#17 ·
Last time i was in the water, 2 weeks ago, i was trying everything to get them to bite. watching them chasing bait, coming clear out of the water. these trout where hungry but for what. After working topwaters for an hour, then switching to nortons for another hour and a half, still nothing. tried a spoon and you guessed still nothin. went back to the baot and tied on a new penny 4"gulp on a 1/8 jig head. Still nothin and now i am into the 3 hr mark still with nothin to show for my determination. so for lack of otherwords i said 5 more casts with a cork with a 18" leader it was on after the second cast. ended up catching 11 trout and one red all under 16" but had 4 nice trout towards the end. So as for as me, i am going in the morning, not to sure as to where yet because of the wind, but there is definitly a couple of gulp shrimp in my wading box now.
 

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#18 ·
I tried them one fall for flounder a couple years back and they work much like bait, which I gave up over 20 yrs. ago. As stated, like fresh dead, they will catch hardheads, etc. They are an advantage in offcolor water, though. But, most of them have little action compared to other soft plastics and that can work against you. I don't keep them in my arsenal, but I might use them again one day for flounder. Tournaments might need to take another look at their use. Presentation and confidence are always factors not to be excluded.
 
#19 ·
Gulp

Like any bait..you have to present them correctly and put them in front of fish. No bait... live or arts.... are going to catch fish when fish aren't present. But...the added scent that these baits have ...over unscented baits....does increase the chances of fish wanting to eat them. They do work ...and work well if you know what your doing.
 
#21 ·
I use them if I know there are Reds in the area. For Trout, i stick with a TTK. I don't seem to catch many trout on them. We had 4 guys in the boat drifting LLM, 2 w/ gulp under a cork, and two with TTK. After about 30 min, the two with the gulps had each caught their limit of reds while the TTK guys did not have a hit. Switched rods and the other two caught thier limits on the gulps while the TTK had nada.
 
#22 ·
With the Gulp shrimp, I will put them on a jighead and put under a cork.

Gulp swimming mullet, Ill make a tandem rig with 2 1/8 jigheads and put one on each. Cast out and just reel back in. No slow or fast just a normal reel.

Colors: Shrimp-Pearl white or New Penny
Mullet-The only one I have really had results on is the red.


Another artificial I have always loved is touts. H&H makes them. They are officialy"shrimp tails" but I havce always known of them as touts. I have looked for the past 5 years since I have ran out and finally found them at the College Station Gander. They had 6 packages left, I bought all 6. As far as all-time results-glow-the-dark touts have caught the most specks and reds. I have mostly fished the San Bernard river. Put one on a 1/4 jighead and a slow to medium reel in with a few bumps. Thats what I caught my personal best 28" 9lb speck on in the San Bernard. But sadly when I gave him to a taxidermist to be mounted, he went out of business and I never saw him again:cry:
Sorry for the lecture but thought Id put my input
 
#23 ·
Last night I tried something a little different, after we got our limits on flounder out in the bay, we pulled up to some lights in Chocolate Bayou and I grabbed my pole and started working a 3in natural gulp off the bottom, and to my amazement I had caught 2 keeper reds in about 15 min. So it does mostly just depend on how you present your lure, and your confidence in the lure.
Thanks for all the posts
Supersneek jr
 
#24 ·
yea, they work well. They work well if you know what you are doing and even if you don't know what you're doing. Scent is always an advantage. But, remember you will catch "trash fish" and suffer bait stealers. Trout, also feed by scent. I am a speck fisherman and use a variety of lures(plugs,soft plastics, spoons). But, I'd rather catch one fish on top than 4 or 5 any other way. That's just my preference. But, sometimes good action on a bait, like an assassin and "covering water" will catch more fish. One guy said he was outfished by assassins once when he was using gulps. Those fish may be reacting to the action of a rattail bait. Of course, location is important. Probably more so than colors, etc. in my opinion. I try to cover water. But again, I love to eat flounder and enjoy fishing for them in the fall. And, I won't rule out gulps to increase my chances.
 
#25 ·
Icetrey, I am with you on that style, but I have never tried the red, even though thier red is one of the best reds on the market. I just wish they would make that red with a white tail, it would be devestating on the forunder. I am still waiting for a plum from Gulp. A plumb/Chratreuse jerk shad or swimming mullet would be unreal, and would be my new bestest favorite bait,lol.
 
#26 ·
GULP! Its the bait!

Gulp is my GO TO bait! I have been fishing them since they first came on the market. The photo of me here with the stringer, my limit of trout and reds caught in about one hour on one; yes one gulp new penny shrimp. This was a wade on a shell reef in the month of May middle of the day in Aranssas Bay. I have done this on other occasions also, when only pearl would work and they would have no part of new penny. My true go to of all of these Gulp Baits which many people over look is DRUM ROLL PLEASE.......... The Poagy in Smelt color 3". This is trully a great bait! I fish all Gulps with a jighead to leader to braid no, I repeat NO terminal tackle. My preference. I work it with quick very short jerks. Have limited out many times with these baits in the surf @ POC, over mud, on shell, under birds, summer, spring, winter,fall, Copano, Aransas, Carlos, Mesquite, Cedar, Baffin, Mansfield you get the idea and all statements are true not thrown in for laughter to get the point across. Try this test next time you are out. Tie on a Poagy and drop it in the water where there are bait fish and they will tear it a new one. My only dislike of the 3" poagy is you loose the paddle tail to bait fish quite often. Try them you will like them. I will quit now. I'm sounding like a guide who writes in a paper distributed that fishes out of Rockport who says little about fishing and lots about salt shakers. ANY GUESSES WHO? LOL! Good Catching!