EAT ME, GULP AND OTHER BRANDS OF WANNA BE BAIT

[Yellow Submarine]

Ok I was brousing the GULP Website, They didn't miss a thing with the selection of baits, they even have squids 10" long and 4" crabs too. I know more about boats than I know about fish. I had caught my share of redfish and trout back in the day using fresh bait bought from the side of the road. I am very curious about all these wannabe baits, how effective are they do they really work fantastic? how do you store it can you leave in the hot truck for a week? Do you keep it cold, I donno? I couldn't find anything on the net. These baits aren't cheap I bought 6 saltwater 4" shrimps for $7 out of the clearance bin. Please give me some feed back on this. I understand nothing is better than live bait, but the wannabe bait seems very convient. OR Maybe I should just stick with the deadly dudly and be a purist or something like that. Maybe it's all about presentation, and enticing them. :spin:Is it a swear by them or a swear at them? How much does it cost for live shrimp these days if you can find it anyway? I got a million questions but this is enough for now.

[Yellow Submarine]

I really got to start tagging along with you guys so I can learn more...

[yak-aholic]

There are alot of people here who swear by Gulp...

Personally, I have not had good luck with them. I have some in a jar that I never bring out with me. With the amount of skunkings I have had recently, I may have to give them another shot.

[Where Y'ak?]

I find Gulp very effective. It is now one of my "always in the boat" baits.

I have seen it catch just as good as live bait on several occasions. One thing I wasn't used to was catching hardheads on plastics and I have done that with the Gulps a couple of times.

They are expensive-Gulp Alive shrimps are about a buck a piece. But if rigged right, they will last through several fish. I've found DOA jig heads hold them very well.

One tip--don't leave one on the hook overnight. It will shrivel up to an exact miniature of itself and can only be cut off of the hook. You won't pull or tear it off.

Live shrimp average about 30 cents. I use them, but the extra hassle of a livewell or bucket sometimes isn't worth it. Sometimes it takes several live shrimp before you hook up and only rarely will a live shrimp last longer than one fish.

We had a four-man limit of trout last month using live shrimp and Gulp shrimp. I got lazy and just hooked the Gulp on the Kahle hook we were using for the live stuff. The Gulps would last for a few fish and then tear off. Much better to use on a jig head.

Here's a photo of two Gulps that were in the belly of one of the trout when it was cleaned.

Nothing is a magic bait that works all the time. Gulps are a proven fish-catcher and I recommend them.

[fishtaco]

All I can tell you is that Gulp is not needed to catch redfish. I've got some Gulp products, but I rarely go to them.

[ReelThrill]

Gulp is my most productive bait by far. A lot of times gulp out fishes the live bait I have with me. Ghost shrimp are my favorite but I will use the regular shrimp and also the pogies. It is very convenient and also a good substitute if you run out of live bait. Tsunamis shim shad is also a must have in the tackle box. I have caught trout using leftover pieces of ghost shrimp they have such good action.

[yak-aholic]

One tip--don't leave one on the hook overnight. It will shrivel up to an exact miniature of itself and can only be cut off of the hook. You won't pull or tear it off.
If you do happen to leave one on a hook, just throw the hook and all back in the liquid and it will re-absorb the liquid and return to it's original shape so you can remove the hook.

Another tip I heard was to leave your gulp out for a couple hours before using it. This will cause it to "dehydrate" a bit and last a bit longer.

[tefishmaster]

I leave them a home now .... got tired of catching HARDHEADS.

[Shankapotomus]

I have had good luck with Gulp. Mainly with trout, but also with Redfish.

[Glwlsu]

Curly tails and new penny always have a pint with all types on the yak.

[Choupique]

I have used the curley tails in the past with some success for flounder, but those shrimp are usually so twisted in the bag they spin. Plus I’m not very fond of the whole opaque color options they are limited to. I like non-gulp plastics so I know when I hook a fish its a GAME fish.

[Tigerfish]

One tip with the Gulp Alive shrimp....Don't over weight the presentation.

What I mean is that I have often found that using the Gulp Alive shrimp with a plain hook only does the trick. And I agree with Where Y'ak, that the DOA hooks are great for this bait. The tiny barbs hold it on great. Just thread the Gulp Alive Shrimp on there the same way that a DOA shrimp would be. IMO, it gives it a more life like presentation like this than it does when it is weighted. But, in heavy currents or if you just prefer to use some weight then I recommend a flutter hook.

[RedFinn]

The first time I used Gulp Alive shrimp was at the Hwy 11 bridges , Oldman aka Larry gave me some to try ,was able to catch three flounder and a trout on the same bait.Be sure to close the jar real snug had one open up in my tackle bag,not a pretty sent or sight :)

[Yellow Submarine]

OH, Man! This is great stuff, lots of good info from experenced fisherman. Kinda helps clear the fog of how to do things.
When I went to Bass Pro shop they had about 6-8 isles of fishing lures and some prices made my skin crawl too, I was overwhelmed and felt like my mini-wallet had to take steroids. this is a great help, please keep this stuff flowing cause its really priceless.
I still have a million questions too., Different kinds of rigging , sliding corks, types of leaders, fishing on bottom, how many rods are really needed on a kayak?,

[Branch_Office]

I will answer your last question on how many rods.....Only the one (1) that is catching fish!

[Choupique]

I bring 3-5 rods.

[Shankapotomus]

I bring 3-5 rods.

+1

[Kingfish]

I carry them but they are always the last thing I go to on a slow day.

A few years ago, I was fishing at Bason's in January. Was skunked for 4 hours or so and then tied on a white gulp curly tail. Caught a 31" red, quickly followed by a 28" red. Was it the gulp, or the water warming up?

[Speckled_Tiger]

3 (one with cork, one with spinner/spoon, and one bottom rig)

[Yak-a-Lou]

Love me some GULP. They're convenient and they work. Early spring is a tough time to fish. To get a little edge I'll use small GULP baits - small white curly tails or small molting shrimp. Late summer early fall they don't seem to be as necessary but I have them with me anyway. I believe it turns a tentative striker into an aggressive striker.

Put a small curly tail on a 1/8th ounce weedless gold spoon and go catch flounder by hopping the spoon along the bottom at a slow/medium pace. In my experience you get more strikes and more hook-ups with GULP. It (apparently) taste good to a fish so the fish seems to hang on to it for a few extra seconds as opposed to immediately trying to spit out an un-natural, unflavored plastic bait.

Contrary to the instructions on the package I put lots of different baits in my GULP bucket. There are Deadly Dudley's, sparkle beetles and other baits in my GULP buckets and no ill effects have been observed. To the contrary, I've noted positive results. They make a spray you can use on any bait so why not let other baits soak in the bucket???

I use the more affordable little GULP strips on spoons and topwater baits sometimes. The action of the spoons and plugs may be affected a bit but the overall results seem positive.

Yes, GULP is relatively expensive. However, it's a whole lot more convenient than live bait. Yes, I believe live bait will absolutely catch more fish. I give up a fish here or there for convenience sake. It's a PITA outfitting all five of us with live bait.

[Yellow Submarine]

Do you have to store it in a cool place or can you leave it behind the seat in the pickup truck?
I didn't know you can put other soft baits in there with them too...
#2 Do you use a leader, and just clip the hook on or do you tie a proper knot with your line?, I heard some make a loop in the fishing line with the hook on the loop... I do like the idea of a sliding cork with the tiny sliding knot to adjust the depth, I just learned that one works great too. The old way was to use the cork with a stick.. Ya see I am teachable, ya know..

[Yak-a-Lou]

Do you have to store it in a cool place or can you leave it behind the seat in the pickup truck? It cooks where ever I leave it. No problems.

#2 Do you use a leader, and just clip the hook on or do you tie a proper knot with your line? I use braided lines on all of my reels so yes, on my trout rods I always use a 2-4' flurocarbon leader.

I heard some make a loop in the fishing line with the hook on the loop. Loop knots are great at increasing the action of your bait. I usually use a Palomar knot because I haven't committed a loop knot to long term memory yet. :frown:

I do like the idea of a sliding cork with the tiny sliding knot to adjust the depth, I just learned that one works great too. This is another technique I need to explore. My only concern here, and with the loop knot is line strength. I'm sure it won't matter 99.9% of the time but, one of these days, when I hook a 12 lb. monster, yellow mouthed,sow-bellied she-trout I'd be very concerned about knot failure or a weakened point cause by the sliding knot.

[yak-aholic]

Loop Knot

http://www.animatedknots.com/rapala/index.php

This one looks pretty simple... basically an overhand knot before going through the eye, then an improved clinch knot tied into the overhand knot. Not the best description, but look at the link... I use this one on my top water plugs from time to time.

Also, looking at Seaguar's site earlier I noticed that they recommend using chap sitck to lubricate your line when tying knots.

[Yak-a-Lou]

Loop Knot

http://www.animatedknots.com/rapala/index.php

This one looks pretty simple... basically an overhand knot before going through the eye, then an improved clinch knot tied into the overhand knot. Not the best description, but look at the link... I use this one on my top water plugs from time to time.

Also, looking at Seaguar's site earlier I noticed that they recommend using chap sitck to lubricate your line when tying knots.

Thanks for the link. I have it already, just haven't practiced it enough to get it in long term memory.

Chap Stick? Spit is free and I don't lose it. ;)

[yak-aholic]

I like the spit method too. Just wondering if anyone had heard of chap stick. I have also heard that the enzymes in saliva can deteriorate your line. I would think that if you tie your knots the night before or day of your fishing trip, you wouldn't have to worry about your spit being on the knot long enough to negatively affect line strength.

[Yellow Submarine]

So, You don't use any leader at all, just the line, I know how to tie the knots, I always thought you used a leader with a hook, Well Thats good info for me, I will use it from here on out when fishing inshore.. After all I'm not fishing for sharks if he bites the hook off, OK by me.
Maybe thats why some people bring multible poles, One for top water with a cork, one for fishing bottom, One for trolling, etc., Do any of you guys teather tie your rods to the boat or attach a large float, I assume everything in your basket is tied down too, Right?, Camera Phone, Mini-wallet..

[Yak-a-Lou]

Maybe thats why some people bring multible poles, One for top water with a cork, one for fishing bottom, One for trolling, etc., Do any of you guys teather tie your rods to the boat or attach a large float, I assume everything in your basket is tied down too, Right?, Camera Phone, Mini-wallet..

I typically carry four pre-rigged poles. One has a gold spoon for redfish. One has a topwater plug. Tow have jig heads - depending on tidal range/strength I'll have one @ 1/16th oz. and one @ 1/8th oz OR one at 1/8th & one @ 1/4, etc... Depends on where I'm going, what time of year and as I said, anticipated tide range/strength. I use popping corks that I can put on or take off as I please so either of the jig head lines can have a cork added at will. An hour after sunrise I sometimes remove the topwater plug and tie on another jig head.

One of our best fishermen (waaaaaaay better than I am) brings one pole, 3-6 jig heads and a handful of plastic baits. He's definitely a minimalist whereas I carry even a kitchen sink. ;) Everyone is different.

The old adage - "Leash it or lose it" is true.