A GULP! Substitute? Maybe So . . .

[Leprechaun]

mark - I have a full repertoire of Kroks on the boat. Killers for when the bass are schooling on sand eels offshore. What is so surprising about that?

 

[CELLFISH]

Why don’t bait shops stock killies anymore?

TRUE BeeV, as a youngster I would get a kick from the Killies pop used in those old time Crab Traps... cellfish...

 

[buddha162]

Why don’t bait shops stock killies anymore?

Likely bc very few people use them anymore...killer bait in the rivers and far back bays, but even there gulp performs on par.

Last few years, the only time I see bait consistently outperform gulp is early season/cold water temps, back bay...single spearing, dragged by guys who know what they're doing.

A couple of late summer spots near me, live peanuts/snappers will catch consistently larger fish than gulp, but like spearing in the Spring it's a very short window where that's the case. You can pretty much use gulp anytime, anywhere, and be at close to 100% efficiency if you're targeting fluke lol.

 

[Savvy18]

Joe (flukinit), your link wouldn't open...Give it another shot.

Perhaps another option. I have never used them but figured id drop a link for a look. Im sure he will be at a few of the upcoming shows.
https://joebaggsoutdoors.com/bottom-dweller-scented

 

[Savvy18]

BennyV said: Why don’t bait shops stock killies anymore?

My guess would be that it costs too much to keep that livewell pump running 24/7. Add that to the fact that just about everyone fluke fishing these days is embracing the plastics...Especially GULP.

Like I've stated before, I have always LOVED fishing live bait and if killies were readily available at my local tackle shop, I would DEFINITELY still be using them!

 

[Roccus7]

BennyV said: Why don’t bait shops stock killies anymore?

My guess would be that it costs too much to keep that livewell pump running 24/7. Add that to the fact that just about everyone fluke fishing these days is embracing the plastics...Especially GULP.

Agree with Savvy on the cost issues. I used to catch all the killies I needed by dragging a small seine across any break in the eel grass in Mt. Sinai during outgoing water. The killies were getting washed out of the eel grass along with the outgoing water. Never took more than 3 swipes across the cut to fill the bait bucket, but most times 1 swipe was all you needed. Of course this was 40 years ago so who knows? Is it even "legal" to seine your own in these days??

 

[holty]

I am a long time lurker on the old site and very glad this site has been formed. I fluke the sound out of Huntington. I almost always fish Gulp. 4" swimming Mullets on 1/2oz bucktails early in shallow water and the 6" Mullets on three way rigs or heavier bucktails deeper as the season goes on. Seems as the popularity of Gulp goes up so does the price. This time of year Amazon has good deals on the small packets. Dicks also has a buy two get one free now and then. As I open these packets during the season I return the Gulp to the many tubs that I have collected over the years. My question is does the juice go bad? Some of these tubs are 6 to 8 years old. I know you can buy replacement juice (also expensive). So how long does the juice stay juicy? thanks

regards Holty

 

[pequa1]

I go by smell. So far they all still stink.

 

[Savvy18]

pequa, you took the words right out of my brain on that one!

 

[BoatGuy]

I used to use the killie and squid combo. Never really did that well will with it. Then I attended a fishing seminar given by Captain Rich Tenreiro. He mentioned trying a bucktail and teaser. Lep help me set my teaser height . I have been catching fluke ever since. I would love to try all-american stink by all pro. I am never afraid to try something new.

Where can you buy it?

Cany, I (like many of us old schoolers) swore by killies & squid back in the day. They were the go-to bait that in those days could not be beat. I would still use them today but my local tackle shop doesn't have live killies available and I haven't been able to catch any good "bait sized" killies at my dock in years.

We do, however, deploy live peanut bunker when they are available in July & August. Seems like a very tight window for when they are effective here to the west. That being early August thru early September. Besides that bite (at that time of year) the jigging bite is the most productive technique for fluking nowadays. Anyone not employing the Gulp with jigs is missing one heck of a great method for putting keeper fluke in the box.

If someone can demonstrate to me that there's a more effective way to put good sized fluke in the boat on a consistent basis (besides Gulp), I'd love to see it firsthand.

 

[Leprechaun]

Hiya Jay, Welcome aboard the "new" IT&T Board!

So I have some of my vast GULP! holdings in large snap-top bottles that Capt. Mike Bady turned my on to. I have had a bottle of my older GULP! develop a hairy growth on the individual pieces - which I assume is some sort of mold/decay. Those pieces went in the garbage. I washed off the rest, and put them back in the bottle in some fresh GULP! Recharge solution.

By mid-August, a few more of the pieces in that jar developed mold again - and once again I culled/discarded the bad ones. What was left in that jar kept catching just fine through the balance of the season. Now this is some really old stuff, maybe 7 seasons old, and it always resided in my below-deck storage hatch - which I suppose is subject to some pretty extreme temp fluctuations through the season.

So I guess its inevitable that I would take some losses. Ehh, only a minor setback, in the big picture of a boat-owning fool of a fisherman.

I'm sure you can identify!

 

[hartattack]

... A couple of late summer spots near me, live peanuts/snappers will catch consistently larger fish than gulp, but like spearing in the Spring it's a very short window where that's the case.....

Agreed Roger, back of Raritan Bay 2 Septembers ago . . Early September "hurricane" + tons of peanuts = no run to Ocean to Fluke . . . but all they would hit was peanuts, nothing else. And in 5 feet of water those Fluke went nuts when hooked. It's rare to see them still in the Skinny in September but match the hatch and you're in . .

 

[hartattack]

Anyone try these ? Bob’s Your Uncle Scented Bait Strips – Fishbites

 

[FredAZaiter]

Anyone try these ? Bob’s Your Uncle Scented Bait Strips – Fishbites

They work..but not like the Gulp.

 

[Leprechaun]

 

[FredAZaiter]

Well I like the tail action of the Stink better...wow...Hope they smell better than Gulp...lol

 

[holty]

Yes Pete, I can identify.............

regards Holty

 

[Leprechaun]

https://www.facebook.com/groups/40601788277/permalink/10157185692383278?sfns=1

 

[BoatGuy]

I would never mind buying one bag to test. I usually test by giving myself and another fisherman the same set up and see if one outperforms the other. Any shops near Rocky Point see this???

 

[Leprechaun]

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