Hello all,

I have been out of the area for almost 10 years. Recently returned to Port O'Connor for some inshore fishing. Typically like to fish artificial baits; Gulp Shrimp under a cork, jerk shad, top water, and Gulp Shrimp on a spinner bait, etc. Last couple of trips out, I fished the usual flats and channels. On just about every cast, some bait stealer is biting the tail off my Gulp or completely biting it in half.

This was not happening earlier in the year. I could not ever hook one of the little thieves. Bite mark/pattern showed a small mouth but the fish are pretty good size. They would follow the bait almost all the way in but never got close enough for me to see what it was. They feel almost like a trout or redfish strike.

I finally gave up on donating Gulp bait and switched to topwater. Only caught one decent trout. I don't ever remember this being a problem when I was in POC before. Never experienced this in Florida or Louisiana either. Any ideas? Next time out, I am going to bring some small hooks just to see what it is. Maybe some chum and a cast net too.

If these things can bite a Gulp clean in half, I am sure they are devastating natural shrimp and other bait fish. Cant be good for the bays.

Thanks,
Woolly

Only thing I've seen do that was a skip jack (lady fish).
They destroy tackle.

Have you ever seen it so bad that is was on every cast in every bay? I fished both North and South side of Bayoucos Island, Light House Cove, Army Hole, and Contee in the last two days. I covered a lot of water and it was the same everywhere.

Are you using jigheads? Try using a weighted hook. That may get the barb closer to the end of the soft plastic...i.e. Stingers

Same thing was happening to me last week. I put a treble hook on over the jig hook and ran one barb thru the tail of the Gulp. I got one more bite from the bait stealers, and never again. Maybe they're smarter than I thought.
Most of the ones I have caught were croakers.

Island Jim

I was using a Strike King Redfish Magic spinner jig with a New Penney Gulp shrimp on instead of the original plastic. Has been a "go to" for years for me for inshore redfish and trout.

The bait thieves are only nipping about 3/4" off the tail. I can see small mouth patterns. I have seen guys catch small trash fish, piggys, pin fish, etc. with small hooks and chunks of Gulp.

I think next time out if it is still a problem I will throw a #8 hook on my fly rod and catch some of these little thieves. Then I will cut up their carcass and fish it under a popping cork.