This Is The Trick To Avoid Berkley Gulp SHRINKAGE [VIDEO]
- By: Luke Simonds
- on
- Found In: Fishing Tips, Product Reviews
SHRINKAGE!
As George Costanza from Seinfeld learned the hard way, no one is impressed with shrinkage…
Same goes for expensive fishing lures… no one enjoys a shriveled up soft plastic.
As an artificial only angler (well, at least 95% of the time), I am a huge fan of Berkley Gulp lures… in particular, I love the Gulp Shrimp and Gulp Saltwater Jerk Shads.
The only issue with these soft plastic baits is that they are expensive (and they can SHRINK).
In fact, I spent many years bashing Berkley Gulps because I thought they were way too costly, and I had seen a few of them shriveled up on docks over the years.
However, any negative thoughts and comments about Berkley Gulp Baits quickly changed once I started making some minor adjustments when using them. These small, but critical adjustments allowed me to catch more fish per bait than any of the others artificial lures I was using… bringing the cost per fish caught way down.
These small, but critical adjustments allowed me to catch more fish per bait than any of the others artificial lures I was using… bringing the cost per fish caught way down.
Berkley Gulp Bait Killers…
This video below explains the two biggest killers of Gulp baits (and it shows you how to keep your baits from an early demise).
First, I show what happens when a Gulp bait is left out of the super secret Berkley Gulp liquid for too long…
Ultimate Bait Shrinkage!
It reminded my brother of the movie “Beetlejuice” when everyone’s heads were shrinking.
Fortunately, this issue is easily dodged with simple maintenance that is fully explained in the video.
Next, you’ll need to be mindful of rinsing the hooks or jig heads that you rig the Gulp baits on with fresh water in order to prevent them from rusting… I’m not sure what exactly is in the “Gulp juice,” but it seems to cause hooks to rust if it’s not washed off after use.
Here’s the video.
How to Maintain Your Berkley Gulp Baits for Maximum Fish Catching
Conclusion
Berkely Gulp soft plastic baits can be a great addition to your arsenal when pursuing snook, redfish, seatrout, and any other predator fish that call the inshore waters home. Just be sure to use these simple tips to help you save money on tackle.
Just be sure to use these simple tips to help you save money on tackle.
And avoid shrinkage at all costs…
What do you think?
Do you have any other tips on making sure your soft plastics last longer?
Let me know in the comments.
Bonus Gulp Tip (Live Bait Gulp Trick)
For Gulp baits that are too damaged to properly use on a hook or jig due to catching tons of fish is to save them for cutting up into really small chunks for catching pinfish if you are ever in need of them or if you want to let some kids have a blast catching lots of fish… click here to see how to use Gulp chunks for pinfish.
Related Post: 10 Fishing Tips That Will Make You A Better Inshore Fisherman
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A few things I’ve learned with gulp, when you buy the tubs and open them try this. Don’t peal off the seal, cut around the lip interior this way the lid maintains full contact with the jar. If a fish bites the tail off I’ll than use an Otter tail or a bait strip and have caught nice sized flounder. Also use the spray gulp juice to refresh between drifts. The bags are a waste I put all the bait in a container and add the juice.
Went to see the video on my dried out gulp bait . Sound didn’t work !!
I just tested out this video, and it seems as if the sound is working. Please give it another try and let me know if it somehow still doesn’t work for you.
For those of you, like me who occasionally forget and leave a Gulp bait on a jig head overnight (or a few days?)…I have actually had very good luck removing them without any damage to the jig head. Soak them in very hot tap water for a couple of hours and grab them with pliers and they slide right off.
Thanks for making time to leave the helpful comment Jim!
I always wondered what is the shelf life of opened Gulp shrimp and are they harmful to the fish that eat them?
Great advice.
Good to know. I wonder if the same thing would be for freshwster panfish .
Sorry I missed spelled your jighead its by a company called Cotee I need to text slower anyways thanks again
Luke I know this is an older video because it’s without your telltail beard but anyways I have used gulps pretty much ever since they came out but can’t really recall them ever destroying any of my jigheads I did notice though that the jighead you were using on the video looked like one made by a company called Corte and I have used them before but they seemed to be of a little bit less quality then say the slayer or strike king flats series that I normally use maybe if you only use the voters maybe that’s why they rust so bad because like I say mine never have although yes the gulps do dry out fast if not in the water or kept all the time in there juice anyways thanks for the tip
Yes, that is a Cotee jig head that’s shown in the video. I completely agree that they are lower quality compared to many others out there. I used them a lot a long time ago, but upgraded to stronger jig heads once I realized that the small amount of extra $ for them is well worth it due to the hooks being much stronger. I purposefully used the Cotee jig head for the one that demoed the Gulp shrimp shrinkage in case it ruined the jig head:)
Luke, I use the Gulp shad jerk bait on the 1/16 oz. Owner weighted hook. I get a lot of strikes but not many good hook ups with this rig. Any recommendations?
My first guess is that it has to do with the equipment… What rod are you using? And what line do you use?
Luke, to answer your question. I use 20 pound test braid line. My rod is a 7′ 6″ Shamino . I catch plenty of reds, snook and trout with this gear using live bait or a jig and Gulp shrimp.
How offten should you change the juice. I have noticed it turns brown. I ended up throwing everything out. I wasn’t sure if I would catch anything after that.
I keep the same juice until it gets brown… typically that takes years though.