Gulp bait: Does it work better than live bait?

[Juan Grande]

Do you guys fish Gulp on a plain hook or do you use jigs?

[Drewski]

I usually thread it onto jigs.

[Bottle Fish]

I'm with dreweski I use jigs as well. Although I have never tried a plain hook either.

[ozzie]

jigs.....small 1/32 or 1/16 and even 1/8 over deeper water but I like to use a jig with a longer hook shank so the hook is closer to the tail......I use the gulp alive black shad 2.5......if I have to I have cut the minnow down to be smaller

[Reaper8]

I use the Gulp Alive Chartouse waxies on a small jig I use a bigger jig for Walleyes with the Gulp Alive leehes and cath just as many as my buddy using live bait. I will say that at times live bait is the way to go, I am yet to have them not bite on live and only plastic, but at times they will bite on only live.

[Matt Johnson]

Gulp! Alive 2.5" Emerald Shiners have been worth their weight in gold in my boat this spring. I've been fishing them both on a jig and on a drop-shot rig for crappies. The drop-shot rig has taken the cake for those deep water crappies. I have yet to even consider buying any sort of livebait this year so far... the Gulp! Alive has definitely changed the way I fish!

This past weekend I chased walleyes and used the 4" Gulp! Alive minnows... again, I don't personally see a huge need to use livebait when we have this available... more durable and when profile and action is king, what better way than to attack with artificials...

[zepman]

Are you drop-shotting the 4" for eyes too Matt?

[Matt Johnson]

You can certainly do that if you want, but I've been sticking to the 3" for eyes when drop-shotting. The 4" works wonders on the bass if you want to use it for a drop-shot though...

[fiskyknut]

Matty.. Whats your take on the gulp in the bag twisters?

Can they go into the alive jars/juice?

[Borch]

This past weekend the gulp 3" minnows in smelt and Rainbow were totally out fishing minnows for walleyes and crappies. The last morning the score was 2 walleyes and 3 crappies in the boat before my dad finally switched over and starting catching fish. We were using the bags and not the tubs.

Seems like when the water heats up though later in the summer that Gulp isn't as effective for me though.

[metrojoe]

You can certainly do that if you want, but I've been sticking to the 3" for eyes when drop-shotting. The 4" works wonders on the bass if you want to use it for a drop-shot though...

Do you use a different length drop depending on what your fishing for?

I've been having great luck using the Gulp 2.5" in Black shad and Emerald shiner this spring.

[MinnesotaMongo]

This is my 2nd full year without live bait. I am totally sold on Gulp, and I haven't even experimented with all the products yet.

I think the biggest issue it keeping and storing live bait. I hate messing with it. Gulp is easier and as I gain confidence with it - is just as effective for me.

Like the prophet Al Lindner has always said "Confidence has a lot to do with it..."

[zepman]

GULP! does work great but I've had very good luck with the Powerbait as well. I really like the 2" and 3" minnows tipped on jigs. Little bit cheaper and don't need to worry about leaving them on the hook and placing them back in the juice.

[Matt Johnson]

Norm,

The Gulp! in the bags are great too! And yes, you can put those into the tubs and let the juice from the Gulp! Alive take over I take a lot of my standard Gulp! products and put them into the Gulp! Alive tubs. BUT REMEMBER... when using the tubs don't pull the seal all the way off, because that if you seal for keeping the lid tight enough so the juice doesn't trickle out. Just peel open a little corner of the seal and then make sure it lays back down when you screw the cap back on. That Gulp! Alive juice can stain your carpet

I use a lot of the standard Gulp! products becuase of the color choices offered in the minnows... also there are several products offered in standard Gulp! that are not offerred in Gulp! Alive...

As far as drop-shotting goes... I will vary my length depending on structure and plastic choice. I also like changing things up to see what zone the fish are feeding in. Sometimes I can my fish right off the bottom, while other days I'll catch them 3-feet up. If you use a longer drop-shot and a light weight it's amazing just how "finesse" things can be...

[harvey lee]

I totally agree with Matt on the Gulp products. I tore one seal of a tub and that was not a smart thing to do.

[riverrat56]

I've been having good sucess with the Gulp Alive 1" Fish Fry, much eaiser for panfish than messing with live bait. It fishes really well in place of the plastic tails on Mini-Mite jigs.

[drdr]

Took my 5 year old daughter out last week. She was using gulp maggots on a plain hook and I was using the pink/white mini-mite. She caught 16 bluegills, and I only caught 6, so the gulp does work well. I like the gulp maggots for fishing with kids since you don't have to keep putting bait on like with waxies. Often the sunfish don't even get the gulp off the hook and you can catch 5 or 6 with the same bait.

Of course, I might have caught a few more if I wasn't so busy unhooking her fish. It was really a great afternoon for everyone.

[bgreen82]

has anyone had good success with the 3" "alive" minnows for crappies in the metro. i used them on opener down on washington and caught a couple, but was wondering if there was some action for decent crappies up here.

[half-dutch]

has anyone had good success with the 3" "alive" minnows for crappies in the metro. i used them on opener down on washington and caught a couple, but was wondering if there was some action for decent crappies up here.

I normally go a little smaller than 3" down a bit to the 2" minnow grubs or the new 1 1/2" jigging grubs (in the small jar). That inch and a halfer is a real winner for both crappies and bluegills. But I have also had an occasional very good response on live golden shiners in the smaller sizes; so the 3" is not too large, if you get on the right schools.

IMO the metro crappies have been a little slow this spring. There definitely are nice crappies to be had in the metro, but finding the larger ones can take some hunting (and some sorting). My biggest this spring is 12" and I had to cast along a lot of shoreline for that fish.

[ozzie]

if you have the 3" and feel they are not getting the bait in their mouths fully just shave off or cut off some from the head of the bait...we buy 2.5" GA and have reshaped them with a razor down to our prefered size but alot of times the 2.5" is perfect for targeting a better quality of fish

[Juan Grande]

Oz,

Maybe some time you can show me where the crappies are on Blue. I have a tub of 2.5" gulp minnows in the boat so I'm all set.

[ozzie]

would love to....now if we can only coordinate our times on the water.......and get the crappies to cooperate....I have only been out a few times this year on Blue but had 2 so-so days (25 crappies or so) and 1 good day (70 crappies or so).....look for the underwater weeds, they are all over, and either cast out to the weedline and slow retrieve or cast into lanes of weeds and pop and drop retrieve.....(lanes are spots void of weeds in the weedy areas)......2 not-so secret areas I can give you are leaving the flat access go right and work that area or go towards the points and work the east point the dock over to the over hanging tree....the weedline there ends towards deeper water and we usually will cast from the edge of the weedline towards shore and if nothing come through the weeds and cast out to the weedline edge......I used more tubes on Blue than Gulp but we have had success with GA on blue also......use a light jig for a slow fall.....good luck and my boat is now black in color...painted 14' with 15hp mariner........I will try to make it out there this weekend but not sure when. What does your boat look like and where is your place on the lake?

[RumRiverRat]

Oz,

Maybe some time you can show me where the crappies are on Blue. I have a tub of 2.5" gulp minnows in the boat so I'm all set.

I have an idea or two about where they are, never caught many when I have fished it.

[ozzie]

The 2.5 gulp has been the main bait now for me on Blue...I start at a few diff weedlines and work down them and then if nothing is working I go down the weedline casting out to the deeper water working the bait on a 1/32 oz jig and working all water depths if nothing then put on a 1/16oz jig and look for the fish suspended over the deeper water usually between the points.......good luck

[-JAKE-]

i recently bought a small jar of 1 inch minnows from gulp alive just wondering on what jigs to use with them. thanks