Gulp or live crawlers

[eyecatcher1]

Originally Posted by PRO-V16

My personal belief is the rapid rise and fall of the jig is what triggers them. Plus it thumps bottom harder.

I usually use 3/8 oz up there. Sometimes 1/4 if they're real shallow. How heavy of a jig do you use PRO-V16?

[PRO-V16]

1/4 to about 15', 3/8 when I go deeper.

[Huntindave]

I'm in agreement about the need for "action" with any plastic, Gulp or otherwise.

[tv4fish]

This is just my (our) experience -- When the bite is really ON - I will try to switch to either a Gulp crawler or minnow - the minnow always seem to work better. The artificial leech doesn't seem to work as well.

IMHO - you will never outfish live bait with an artificial..............

[Huntindave]

Originally Posted by tv4fish

This is just my (our) experience -- When the bite is really ON - I will try to switch to either a Gulp crawler or minnow - the minnow always seem to work better. The artificial leech doesn't seem to work as well.

IMHO - you will never outfish live bait with an artificial..............

"When the bite is really ON - I will try to switch" Is this a fair test under these conditions? Seems like the conditions are skewed towards what ever bait is already working.

as an example, lets try the following.

Say you are trolling crankbaits and the fish are really hitting the perch pattern Shadraps. "the bite is really on" but you will try to switch to a lazy Ike or a spoon; results, the Shadrap always seems to work better.

conclusion= you will never outfish the Shadrap with a Lazy Ike or a spoon.

I'm not sure either conclusion is totally accurate.

[kona77]

As others have noted when the fish are really active we always switch to Gulp (or other plastics).. You can usually catch numerous fish on a single Gulp minnow and it just saves time from re-baiting. Have a brother who just wants to use plastics (including small crappie type plastics) and he usually catches as many fish as any one in the group (early June..fly-in's)..


I do agree that it helps to change your jigging methods from "snap jigging" to sometimes even just dragging the bottom to find what will trigger the fish.. We are almost always fishing in 4-12fow and use the lightest jigs we can ( 1/16oz, 1/8oz).. Will only go heavier if we have a strong wind..

[walleyeguy3]

Interesting advice on fishing Gulp versus live bait. I am glad that I dialed up this thread. We have never done very well switching to Gulp, but maybe that is because we have presented it much the same as our live bait. I am going to give it a try next week near Ear Falls with this new information. Can't wait!

[PRO-V16]

Good luck and report back. I always buy the buckets of Gulp. They don't dry out like the bagged ones.

[kettyspanky]

I tried gulp for perch when we were up there. Not worth the hassel. Gulp nuggets anyway. I have tried gulp leeches and caught a few walleye on them. We mostly go for perch and crawlers always work best. I have tried the gulp minnows also and not much luck. Just my 2 cents.