First bluegill on Gulp minnows

Finally broke down and bought a $4 pack of 1" chartreuse gulp minnows after seeing Realistic Fishing on YouTube use them for sunfish time after time. I couldn't manage to get any fish on my usual nightcrawlers but got two on these new baits, rigged on a super light jighead stolen from a store bought crappie jig, and 6lb line. Has anybody else had success with gulp minnows? If so what is your favorite way to fish them?

Did you steal the truck from the same store as the jig heads ? JK, looks like the start of a new bunch of lunch.

LOL thanks coolpix9! You're right, I snagged the truck when I was getting the baits at Walmart!! Lol

Nice Gills and good work using the Gulp Alive Minnows. First of many more to follow.



Side Note: Steve aka Vogey who I call the "Master of Fayette" has been using Gulp Alive Minnows for the past several years and has caught many of many "Monster Bluegill". You can go back and see some of his past post. I think he will be going out this week and should be posting a new thread soon. He uses them on a drop shot rig. As for me I have always used what I call the "Bait of Champions" Worms! (Night Crawlers)!


Also several other anglers use the Gulp Alive Leaches with very good results.

Great Bait ! But don't use them if you want to be a Champion...

Or just to old to change!


Side Note. Again some super fish and post Lonestar Angling!

Nice slabs. For me it is small spinner baits and the Gulp Alive leaches!

Vogey, if you don't mind me asking, do you use one or two of these baits when drop shotting? I have seen a lot of people use two about 6" apart with great luck, but if you have luck with one I'd rather avoid the tangles.

I'll still keep a box of nightcrawlers in my cooler to ensure I can still be a Champion, don't worry! Going to have to give the leaches a try, thank you for the tip Banker and Laker!

Nice fish!

Lonestar...I only use one...

Thank you Pot Licker!

I appreciate the pic Vogey, I'll be giving a similar setup a try next time I get out there

The Gulp minnows are fish catching bait for sure but I almost refuse to buy any more. They are just too soft and fragile. One snag or missed hookset, a couple nibbles from tiny fish, or even a cast with too much whip in it, causes the hook to tear through the bait. I spend just as much time fixing or replacing my minnow as I do fishing.

One trick I use to shore them up is to thread one on my hook and leave it in the sun for 20 or 30 minutes before using. The minnow firms up a bit. Doesn't seem to decrease the number of bites even a bit. Then again, neither does threading them upside down, backwards, or using only half a minnow. Sunfish eat everything.

Also, I can only seem to find the zip top packets of them. Never the jar. Those packets leak.

I keep wishing that Nikko or Zman would make some of these using tougher plastic.

Best way I've found to fish these is 1) on a jig head under a float 2) dropshot 3) what Europeans call a kickback rig.

I bought my first bag of the gulp minnows and some small jig heads today, thanks for the tip.
I’ll let y’all know how I do-

David, they really do tear up easily. Though I've managed to catch 3-4 fish on one bait, I've also managed to tear two out of the ten in half trying to rig them. I'll have to give the sun cure a go when I'm out some time If you look on Amazon they have the jars, I bought a two pack to safe money and avoid going back to Walmart.

Steveiam, I hope that they work as well for you as they have for me. If casting I work the bottom of a snag-free area really slow, trying to make it look like a dying minnow darting around. Also works well if I drop it down where I usually drop a worm. Looking forward to hearing how they work.

My last trip out, I used the Gulp minnows and the Gulp crickets with equal results. Bass hit the crickets just as much as the minnows.

I used the crickets last time out as well, and also had good results. Like Lonestar, I usually get 3-4 fish on one before changing out. I do not let them dry out because I feel you don't get the same flexible action and the softer they are, the more of the liquid scent they absorb. I only use the jars & last year bought a case, which holds 15 jars. The jars are available at several places on line. The liquid is kind of messy, so I store mine in a small Playmate cooler in the boat. It keeps them from getting hot in the sun, which makes them even softer. You could probably put a little ice pack in there as well, which also would help keeping them a little firmer. When rigging, the first time I load them slightly to the top of the bait so that when they start sliding down the hook after a few fish, I can load to the bottom side the second time...this way you can get another fish or two before tossing out & getting a fresh one...these things are fish catching machines...not just sunfish, but bass & catfish as well...

BillS2006, I'll have to give the crickets a try if I can find them, I haven't seen them locally but don't mind going online if they're as great of a bait as the minnows.

Vogey, we do the exact same thing with flipping the minnow upside down, or even sideways if they don't tear down the side. I've had good luck with them on catfish as well, the biggest I've caught was around 16" but I'm sure larger would bite. Here's a pic of a small one that hit:

https://www.berkley-fishing.com/collections/gulp-alive/products/gulp-alive-cricket-1285395 This is about as good of price you can get, unless you can find them local. I ordered from Berkley, couldn't find any minnows or crickets local.

I just saw these minnows in the bargain cave at Bass Pro for 3.99 per jar, but if you want free shipping you have to order $50 worth of gear etc. Earlier this year I caught a yellow cat on one of these minnows as well...it was an intense battle on 4 lb test line, but we prevailed...I posted this pic a few months ago, but love reliving the memory...

Aaaaawesome!

I can see why you would love reliving that memory Vogey! I recently started using 4lb line and lighter gear for most catches and all I can say is WOW. What a battle it must have been