# Gulp minnows?



## monkfish

Anyone ever have any luck with gulp minnows?


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## fredg53

I actually have hate to say caught drop shot bass many and a few steel on em i just think there over priced 

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## Bad Bub

Smallmouth love them on a dropshot. So do channel cats....

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## davef

On Monday I used them for a little while on Elk Creek in Pa. and caught 2 on them. I normally try to change whatever I am using every 20 minutes or so without a bite. Both times I changed I had a bite within the first cast or so then nothing. Like any other lure/bait/presentation sometimes just a change is all that is needed. I do not have enough confidence in them to make them my first choice however but they do have a time and place. I was using the 2 or 3 inch ones that come in the tub. Carry a couple with you in one of the old style film containers. They don't take up much space.


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## joel_fishes

Found out my dog likes them. Went downstairs last night and saw the Gulp minnow package torn open and all of the baits were gone. 

Have caught some fish on them. Not a magic bait, but worth a drift or two every once in a while.


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## fishinnick

I catch everything on Gulp minnows. Bass, eyes, trout, panfish, white bass, hybrids, cats, steel, anything that'll hit a minnow will eat them. I usually use 2.5 or 3in ones and in either smelt, emerald shiner, or black shad although I haven't really noticed a difference.

They're not super productive for steelhead, but I have caught a handful on them. When nothing else is working I usually give them a try. I always carry some with me.


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## Fishman

Picked up salted minnows a few days ago all I can say is WOW. Now this is what I call slammin' some steel~~!!


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## Wormdunker69

I have caught them on power bait in Rocky by the marina.


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## dstiner86

I ran the gulp 3" smelt minnows on a Johnson beetle spinner all summer in the rivers and holy cow do the smallies love them!!! but i agree with one of the comments up above.. Way to over priced..and personally the quality from ones i bought in the spring to the fall seemed to falter.. The last batch i got i had to put a new one on after 2-3 fish..they where just so soft any pull on the bait would send the hook slicing up it like butter..

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## fredg53

dstiner86 said:


> I ran the gulp 3" smelt minnows on a Johnson beetle spinner all summer in the rivers and holy cow do the smallies love them!!! but i agree with one of the comments up above.. Way to over priced..and personally the quality from ones i bought in the spring to the fall seemed to falter.. The last batch i got i had to put a new one on after 2-3 fish..they where just so soft any pull on the bait would send the hook slicing up it like butter..
> 
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Exactly my point too soft 

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## Bad Bub

They will get real soft if they are left in the sun or in a pocket. Another way to firm them up is to leave a few out of the package for a half hour or so. I use the tubs, and i'll take a few out and put them in a sandwich bag and lay them under the console before I take off in the morning. Just don't let them dry out completely.

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## dstiner86

Bad Bub said:


> They will get real soft if they are left in the sun or in a pocket. Another way to firm them up is to leave a few out of the package for a half hour or so. I use the tubs, and i'll take a few out and put them in a sandwich bag and lay them under the console before I take off in the morning. Just don't let them dry out completely.
> posted using Outdoor Hub Campfire


Even straight from the store to your hook they tend to be two soft any more.. But will have to try your idea..


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## RStock521

I have had luck using them to tip my jigs instead of maggots. Craig at Erie Outfitters recommended them to me and sure enough, they caught fish! 

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## Bad Bub

dstiner86 said:


> Even straight from the store to your hook they tend to be two soft any more.. But will have to try your idea..
> 
> 
> posted using Outdoor Hub Campfire


I prefer them soft for dropshotting smallies, and will actually leave the tub on the deck of the boat in the sun so they will warm up and get softer usually. But if i'm threading them on a jighead, I prefer to firm them up a bit first.

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## yonderfishin

Ummmm , they arent as fragile as a live minnow so how could they be too soft ? I dont think the company meant for them to be as durable as regular soft plastics that can be used multiple times , they were going more for realism. If you want something that is "minnow like" its gonna have to be pretty soft.


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## fishinnick

I never had a problem with them being too soft. Depending on what you're fishing for, yeah they only last maybe +/- 5 fish, but they've been that way since I started fishing them so I don't know any different. When you're done fishing don't leave it on the hook, because it will shrink and dry up and be a pain in the butt to get off!


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## yonderfishin

Which size gulp minnow have you caught steelhead with , the tiny 1" size or the 2.5" size ?


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## davef

I've used the 2.5 or 3 inch size, not sure which. Never thought of trying the 1 inch ones but some of the live shiners I've used were about that size so I'd guess even the small ones would work at times.


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## Rasper

Im going to give them a try today. I have some from went i went walleye jiggin. Im also going to give storm soft swimbaits a try as well. Gulp is 2.5" and swims are 1". Oh and it will be at the rocky close to the mouth.

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## camshaft

Can anyone suggest a place that has a good selection? Went to LBF and the selection was not very good in my opinion, I am just looking for 2.5 inch minnow immitations.


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## Bad Bub

camshaft said:


> Can anyone suggest a place that has a good selection? Went to LBF and the selection was not very good in my opinion, I am just looking for 2.5 inch minnow immitations.


Just about any big box store carries them (Dick's, Cabela's, gander mtn., walmart). Selecting usually varies on every trip.

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## Rasper

Walmart has them and they are the cheapest

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## Rasper

Alright... I must have this crazy lucky streak going on with a storm jr. thunderstick hardbait. An i have no luck at all with jig/maggot, swimbait or jig/minnow (gulp and live). I fished for about 45 mins with jig/maggot and jig/minnow (gulp and live) and i got nothing! I fished the same spot with jr. thunderstick and the 4th or so cast i get a steelie. I got the jig bumping the bottom just enough, no drag.. everything seems right but i cant get one. And also i use 1/32 1/16 and sometimes 1/8 jig. Some are hair jigs some are not. I use fluorocarbon leaders. I just want to be more versatile, and nothing else works but the Jr. Thundersticks.


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## yonderfishin

Rasper said:


> Alright... I must have this crazy lucky streak going on with a storm jr. thunderstick hardbait. An i have no luck at all with jig/maggot, swimbait or jig/minnow (gulp and live). I fished for about 45 mins with jig/maggot and jig/minnow (gulp and live) and i got nothing! I fished the same spot with jr. thunderstick and the 4th or so cast i get a steelie. I got the jig bumping the bottom just enough, no drag.. everything seems right but i cant get one. And also i use 1/32 1/16 and sometimes 1/8 jig. Some are hair jigs some are not. I use fluorocarbon leaders. I just want to be more versatile, and nothing else works but the Jr. Thundersticks.



Thats probably not so unusual , when they hit a jig its probably a true feeding response while the thunderstick usually triggers instinctual agressive response in fish not necessarily to eat it just to smack it.


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## Rasper

yonderfishin said:


> Thats probably not so unusual , when they hit a jig its probably a true feeding response while the thunderstick usually triggers instinctual agressive response in fish not necessarily to eat it just to smack it.


So im just pissing them off basically. Well so my main question i would ask then, what would be more productive? im guessing the answer most people will give me is... jig/maggot/minnow will be productive at feeding times and the thunderstick when they are not feeding. So my conclusion to my own answer if im correct would i guess ill just have to keep giving them a try if they dont work and im getting pissed off... ill turn around and piss them off.


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## yonderfishin

Rasper said:


> So im just pissing them off basically. Well so my main question i would ask then, what would be more productive? im guessing the answer most people will give me is... jig/maggot/minnow will be productive at feeding times and the thunderstick when they are not feeding. So my conclusion to my own answer if im correct would i guess ill just have to keep giving them a try if they dont work and im getting pissed off... ill turn around and piss them off.



Im just learning steelhead basics myself but the theory is sound since almost all fish act that way. Somebody else will probably have more information but I think its safe to say that just like any other fish sometimes they want what you have to offer and sometimes they dont , and when they dont.....try and piss them off with a thunderstick.


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## fredg53

Ok this thread is getting crazy yep u can catch a fish on em but now eggs eggs eggs 

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## Rasper

Ive only used eggs once this year. Never gave them a true try. So ill add those to my steelie kit this winter as well. Rodmakers in strongsville have them? Or fin feather and fur in middleburg?

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## Bad Bub

yonderfishin said:


> Im just learning steelhead basics myself but the theory is sound since almost all fish act that way. Somebody else will probably have more information but I think its safe to say that just like any other fish sometimes they want what you have to offer and sometimes they dont , and when they dont.....try and piss them off with a thunderstick.


I have ZERO experience with steelhead, but they are a predator fish just like bass. With bass fishing, the reaction strike is a much more "dependable" way to catch them in my opinion than solely looking for a feeding response. My belief is that you can make them bite out of reaction when they are inactive, and those that want to eat will hit whatever you pull by them anyway. Now, what a specific individual considers a reaction bite is always up for debate. Could be a fast moving jerkbait, crankbait or just a jig or worm falling in front of a fishes face. The position of a fish relative to cover, structure, current, etc. Will usually be the #1 deciding factor on just how reactionary you can fish.

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