BAIT TIPPING CHALLENGE...WORMS vs GULP!

[Jim Gronaw]

Well, I had never done it before, but today I decided to try tipping my 1/64th oz shad dart jighead with two different baits to see if it would make a difference. I fished a small public lake in Adams County, PA from 3 to 5 pm. Weather was splendid...68 degrees and partly sunny skies and calm and the fish were biting.

Last week I had to go to the drop-shot/live worm rig to catch fish that had settled near the bottom of 6-8 feet of water after a cold front. Not today, as I found fish 5 ft from the surface over a submerged creek bed. Using the jig with a small piece of garden worm, I caught fish steadily until I reached a count of 19 fish, then decided to try the Gulp! minnows as a tipping bait. Since the entire 1 inch minnow would make a bulky, oversized offering for the gills, I decided to use the back half of the minnow as a tipping option, suspended just like the jig/worm option. Here are the results...The first three fish I caught on the Gulp minnow tipped jig were the three largest of the day at 10 to 10.5 inches. I don't know why this is, maybe a small group of bigger fish just cruised in at this particular time, but the top three were on successive casts. Maybe the jig and Gulp presented a slightly larger offering that only the bigger fish would approach...just a guess.

I caught the same amount...19 apiece...on each tipping option for a total of 38 released fish. Most of the fish on the Gulp tipping were 9 inches or better, and the worm offering fish were just slightly smaller. I fished each option for one hour.

Worm fish tended to take the bobber under with more gusto, and would make the bobber dissapeer. The fish that took the Gulp tipped jig tended to 'trail off' with the jig, not always pulling the bobber below the surface. Sometimes, they would just 'tilt' the bobber and you had to be able to recognize the strike. Most fish were caught over the creek channel, which is easy casting distance from the shoreline.

So what did I find out? Probably, not much. The fish were on the feed as a warm 70 degree November day had them going and action seemed just as fast with either bait. Water was at 56 degrees and clear. The only noticable differences was the 'trailing off' bites on the Gulp and the larger fish on same. Need to experiment more...maybe this Saturday at another lake!

No, didn't prove much today, except it was a beautiful time to be out and those lovely fish made it a great time.

[Jim Gronaw]

I tend to agree with Adam's conclusion on the Gulp! Alive...it has it's time and place and, sometimes, can save the day if other bait options are not available.

Like Jason, I too have had mid-winter success with Gulp! The first time I tried it during a mild January day several years ago I caught a whopper 11.25 inch male bluegill on a 1/64th oz dart head jig tipped with the Earthworm product. Along with the jumbo, I managed about 20 keeper sized gills. That same year Matt and I got InFisherman Master Angler sized bluegills by tipping worms and, Gulp and maggots during tolerable winter conditions. Snow was on the ground, but there was no ice cover on the waters we fished.

[carl hendrix]

so;; is it a actual scent thing that attracts fish??   Jim Cosgrove has his way of making a fish scent;; and I have my way also!!    I gave some to Jeffery earlier this year to try out;; haven't heard yet if he has used it tho

[David, aka, "McScruff"]

Yes Carl.
Berkley has done a lot of research along these lines and the Gulp! Products are steeped in a scented liquid.
They're made of a soft material, much like a soft plastic bait. This absorbs the essence of the Gulp! formula and releases it in the water. You can also place the baits back in the juice to "recharge."
Berkley claims they can produce a universal attractant so appealing, fish cannot resist it. It would be so expensive, though, that no one would buy it.

[Leo Nguyen]

Please. The formula combo already long been broken. The exact amount is diluted in the company's product, but the original formulation at the highest concentration has long been broken 2 years after they released its ultimate scents in 2006.

[David, aka, "McScruff"]

Their comments, not mine.

[Kelly Peterson]

So Leo, what is this formula?

[Leo Nguyen]

Distilled organic leftovers. This is the bulk of the costs. Distillation process is arduous, stinks to high heaven, but the final product at its peak, high attraction and instant jawlock (with additional salt inclusion). I've done this distillation in the past as part of the grand experiment for my fellow researchers on artificial bait attractant, royally pissed off my wife, but there was no denying the distilled products. I will resume again when I have a better location to fiddle around with, away from the house ans far away from the populus. For now, I only experiment using existing, non melodious recipes. I discovered 1 recipe that worked 45% effective as the distilled product. Look up for the recipe called Yap Cheese bait, since it was not my recipe to start out with. However, further refinement increase its effectiveness against catfish, stock trout, and carp.

[carl hendrix]

ok;; so basically then;;  you could dip;; say any type of jig; or fly into the mix;; and get the same results??   gets you to thinking doesn't it!!!   I have said for years now;; scent is a overlooked factor in our blue gill fishing!!   and im experimenting on making a scent for our beloved little gills!!  

[David, aka, "McScruff"]

Yes, you could soak your Aunt Tillie's teeth in Gulp! And catch fish.
Theoretically.

The soft "critter" bodies Berkley employs are like a sponge and hold the scent longer than your aunties choppers. So, that's a difference. But Berkley says the same thing about scent that you do.

[Slip Sinker]

i agree scent does work...sight, texture and scent working together is powerful dynamics... if im not careful gills are swallowing the Gulp products im presenting to them. sight, scent and texture working together.

[David, aka, "McScruff"]

Do you think sight is an important cue, in deep water?
Their eyes are like ours, and without much light it's hard to literally see things.
Is it possibly a combination of senses?

[Leo Nguyen]

Indeed. It has always been a combination of senses. Sight is the final deciding factor. However, recognizable movements (preys in motion, or from injury) with a touch of outline identification, and scents play critical role in low light environment. However, it has been proven that similar-mimic shapes (not colors) dictate the potential strikes from the fishes.