Gulp! ?

[Hawnjigs]

Mfg. Berkley claims outfishes live bait?

My first year here in Nebraska tied jigs have worked well enuf for trout & walleye. May into early June wipers were biting jigs OK, but lately they won't touch lures be they jigs, cranks, slabs are what I've tried. Probably cuz there is an abundance of shad and/or alewives coming in close to shore at night?

Live baiters using that resource are getting wipers with ease, while I've been flailing away for over a week with zero bites. So, tried some 2-1/2" smelt color Gulp! Minnows the past two early mornings. Yesterday due to stormy weather got to the lake too late for the wiper nite bite, but a few dink smallies obliged. Today started at prime time 3:30 AM till sunrise. After flailing a few hours finally got a small wiper about 4#, + another few bigger than last time smallies when it started getting light. Not the expected results, so I'm wondering if Gulp! size choice was too small to match the 4" or so baitfish or if mfg. claims are just hype?

 

[BucktailJiger]

It Gulps your wallet !!!
Have never really been impressed with the Gulp line of products . Have tried a few with no success . But on the other side there are others that use it and have great results .
The best thing I have found that does work is a spray called " Trigger-X" it comes in various flavors for various species .

 

[slammingjack]

There are times that Gulp will out fish even live bait. Take the 3" white or New penny shrimp bait. If your fishing for flatties using live shrimp works good but everything eats it. With the New penny Gulp other fish will hit it but not all will eat it. You will almost all ways have better luck with the Gulp. As far as size of bait. Yes it matters if what is running is bigger then what your fishing with. I love swim baits I have molds for 1 1/2", 2 1/2" , 3" , 3 1/4" ,3 1/2" 3 3/4" and a 4 3/4". When the Mullet is running matching the size helps as well as the color. With that said after they have been running for awhile, something with a different color like a green back or a mud minnow will out fish the mullet. Guess they get tired of eating it. This is just MHO but is what works for me.

 

[hookup]

Never used it. But I hear that there are times & places where Gulp excels.

 

[Jig Man]

If used them in the surf with buck tail jigs And they helped. But I haven't tried them in fresh water

 

[dbeam]

I have never been impressed with Gulp in freshwater, but inshore on a jighead or under a popping cork it works great. It does not hold up to pinfish as well as Z-Mann, but it is a little tougher than regular plastics.

Darrell

 

[Hawnjigs]

Thanks for the replies. Taking the upsize suggestion tried 3" Gulp! Minnows today and they got bit satisfactorily. Got two chunk wipers and might have got more if I had brought more than 2 jig heads. The first around 10# bent out the hook during careless de-hooking and the second bigger snapped the 6# leader as I was attempting to attach forceps more carefully to the hook to prevent bend out. Since I release in water it was bye bye jig as the big girl swam away.

So, further testing needed but it seems that Gulp! could be a viable alternative to bait when wipers are hesitant to hit lures.

 

[Hawnjigs]

Additional Gulp test commenced 3 AM this morning. After some flailing a 3" Gulp Minnow on a 1/10 JH got hammered by a typical nasty chunk wiper and a moments distraction stressing on a less than ideal line entry angle into the water was all it needed to break the 8# PP main line on a surge. Subsequently decided to also test the 2-1/2" next and got a perfect 22" eater walleye. But that was it till sunrise except for a few mediocre smallies as it got light. Could also mention that a small catfish both yesterday & today found the Gulp! attractive enuf to latch on.

Just ordered 4 packs of 3" Gulp minnows from best price Walmart online.

Here's some interesting info about Gulp! direct from the inventor.
http://www.fieldandstream.com/blogs/fishing/2010/11/qa-doctor-gulp-himself

 

[JSC]

Just a thought ... Have you tested it out against a regular plastisol minnow ??

I have not found any difference but area and waters could make a difference.

 

[Hawnjigs]

Earlier this year tried Powerbait and Mister Twister Exude plastics and neither impressed me as being worth adding to my gear. Specifically side by side testing with Gulp!, no.
Think I'm done with soft plastics due to toxicity concerns, and Gulp! claims to be less so.

 

[Hawnjigs]

Gulp! effectiveness appears to have limits, as it no longer works for Lake Mac NE walleye and wipers.

However for a mostly dink smaller sizes mixed bag of smallies, channel cats, & a few wipers both the 2-1/2" and 3" minnows got steady action at the Sutherland Reservoir outlet canal this morning.

 

[Hawnjigs]

Jeez, this Gulp! stuff is addictive. Drove 130 mile RT to a new spot yesterday and today, and the 3" minnow on a 1/10 oz. 1/0 hook head got steadily bit by small cats, white bass, and wipers. Best wiper was 5+#.

Tried one of my ties for a bit, and got zero bites.

 

[slammingjack]

Ok I got to ask what is a Wiper?

 

[Hawnjigs]

Thousand words here.

View attachment 7

 

[Hawnjigs]

Borrowing a pic of Nebraska's premier Master Angler - thanks Daryl.

 

[AtticaFish]

Ok I got to ask what is a Wiper?

White Bass crossed with Striped Bass = Hybrid Wiper. The picture does say it all!

I haven't used the Gulp! stuff much, but you are making me think i need to try. However...... with the beautiful cool afternoons we have been having, 2 evenings ago i went up to my local reservoir ( round trip 3 miles ) and only took a small pack of 1/32 & 1/24 hair jigs with weighted bobbers, 2 ultralight rods & a bucket. Did not expect much except mosquito bites, but ended up an excellent mixed species 2 hours dusk bite. Brought home a couple big bluegill and a crappie...... but also caught a small bass, several other bluegill, a yellow bullhead and 2 channel cats that measured 26" & 28"! No meat on the hair jigs, just popping the cork with the jigs tied 2 or 3 feet below. Black/orange kip jig was the main producer. The success was most likely random.... but sure love those right place, right time trips.

 

[slammingjack]

Thx guys never hear of one. Have hear of a Hybrid bass . But then I ain't fished sweet water in 30 years.

 

[JUNGLEJIM1]

Many swear by the gulp baits but I haven't had any luck with it. Bought a bunch of the little baits around an inch long and tried it during the cold water period and watched fish nip at the tail and spit it. Removed the hook and dropped a few in to see what they would do and the fish spit it. Not one was eaten even without a hook in them. I have caught plenty using the Berkley power nibbles and maggots. Big fan of the power baits and the 3" chigger craw has become a favorite bass bait.

 

[AllenOK]

I've heard two different sources for the moniker "Wiper":

1) A combination of "W"hite Bass and str"IPER".

2) Way-back-when, the comedian Jerry Clower would be a guest angler with either Bill Dance and/or Jimmy Houston. They would usually target Hybrid Stripers, and in the process, loss most of the lures they had. Jerry Clower would say, "they will WIPE out your tacklebox!"

 

[Hawnjigs]

Mr. Clower exaggerates for comic effect, as wiper are fairly user friendly generally not digging for bottom snag breakoffs like other species. My few losses have been due to light hook bendout or careless inattention line failure.

Finally ran into a situation yesterday where Gulp! was outfished by others throwing shiny cranks targeting white bass. The previous day targeting white bass and small wipers at another spot Gulp! 3" Minnows noticeably outfished most of the 10 other anglers sharing the inlet pool. In fact, I gave the guy nearest me who hadn't caught anything despite digging into a well stocked tacklebox my remaining baits and jig heads when leaving.

Geez AF, those are some BIG cats on light jigs - right time right place indeed! Catfish (smaller) consistently respond well to Gulp! in my experience.