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.

[Darrell Beam]

Maybe not definitive either way but it makes you feel better about your chances when all you have is some gulp in the tackle box.  Thanks for sharing

Darrell

[Slip Sinker]

my month of august and september i actually outproduced live bait (night crawler segments) with Gulp Maggots

[David, aka, "McScruff"]

Yeah, Ken, but that's them NORTHERN fish!!
LOL

[Slip Sinker]

im stuck in the drive way unable to disprove that... i need to test this!

[David, aka, "McScruff"]

:)

[Andy is OptiMystic]

Maybe Sunday if I can find a worm (they are dormant but not that deep under mulch near the house) I will take it for a boat ride. I have bits of precut Gulp already in the box.

[Slip Sinker]

a little testimonial and tribute to GULP ALIVE Waxies and Maggots... i set out on the lake and  scanned the first break at 9-10 ft then marked waypoints at the concentrated schools. i then anchored over the schools and loaded everyone up with drop shot rigs baited with  GULP alive pink waxies.... it was one fish after another. my wife and i were so busy loading everyone up with bait and taking fish off the hook we caught only a few with the time to spare. fishing was very efficient, economical and clean... could you imagine the mess and time consumed  baiting with cut crawlers!

my feeling is that if you are in a spot that has fish this bait will catch them.

[Slip Sinker]

theyve been known to tag a few preds along the way too!

[Jim Gronaw]

Well I must say that the Gulp Minnow gig for fall bluegills is happening now, just as it did last year in November. In the past week, four other anglers and I caught and release over 400 gills, seeds , bass and a few crappie on the Gulp Emerald Shiner Minnows on a 1/64th oz jigs. We modified the minnows by pinching 1/4 inch off the head and made the overall package slightly smaller...and I believe this led to a much higher % of successful hookups  and fewer tentative strikes. We fished them on bobbers from 5-7 ft down and primarily along windy shorelines. Warm, balmy weather didn't hurt either. Here are a few pics...

The Gulp Minnows don't work very well during the warmer months in our local lakes, but the cooler fall temps seem to trigger this 'minnow bite', especially from larger, 9 inch and up bluegills. Crappie dig em, too.

[James A. Freda]

I have been using Gulp Alive products since they came out, and the larger fish are coming from cooler waters.When water temperature rises,I fish a little deeper. I'm going to try Northlands, Impulse products. If I can get out soon.

[Ronald A Wilson]

I use gulp almost all the time . the small 1 in minnows in most flavors are just great .In warmer weather i use the 1in leeches ,wow do they ever work .I usuall use a 1/32 oz jig usually orange ,usually vertical jig ,but some times cast.some times lately i have been using a small spoon .really does the thing up here in northeast ohio

[lupe rodriquez]

wow that was a great tip i'll try it in texas