How To Rig Berkley Gulp Saltwater Shrimp For More Bites [Product Review]
- By: Luke Simonds
- on September 10, 2019
I’m here to publicly admit, I’m a Berkley Gulp believer!
If you are a serious saltwater angler, you have certainly heard (and probably used) a Berkley Gulp shrimp before (one of their most popular Gulp baits for saltwater).
I know the first time I came across Berkley “Gulp! Alive” baits, I was a bit skeptical on how an artificial bait could really help me catch more fish due to the “juice” that it comes in.
Seemed kind of like a marketing ploy to me…
And I also had a problem spending more money per artificial soft plastic bait that what I was used to with some other brands, as these Berkley Gulps are not cheap.
But all of the skepticism and price fear went out the window after I finally got out on the water with Berkley Gulp Shrimp!
In other words, these Gulp Shrimp can catch some serious inshore fish!
Related Video Post: “How To Retrieve Berkley Gulp Jigs For More Strikes” (see that post by clicking here)
Berkley Gulp Saltwater Shrimp Review
In this independent review of the Berkley Gulp “Alive” Saltwater shrimp, the 11.5 oz “bucket” of 3″ New Penny color Gulp shrimp is featured since it’s a popular way to buy Gulp Shrimp (although NOT always the most affordable way to get Gulp shrimp – see this review about Gulp packets vs Gulp buckets)
(click here to get these Berkley Gulp Shrimp from our online store).
As I mentioned above, I used to be very skeptical of these Gulp baits as there was a ton of hype and they aren’t cheap.
But after actually using them on the Florida flats, I realized that they are a fantastic choice for catching redfish, snook, sea trout, flounder, and any other species that feed on the flats…
So here are my overall Pros and Cons of Berkley Gulp Shrimp.
Pros of the Berkley Gulp Saltwater Shrimp
- Inshore fish LOVE these baits
- They are easy to use in terms of putting on a jig head, casting, retrieving, and they can even be fished weedless
- These artificial shrimp are tough enough to last through multiple strikes (except for those pesky pufferfish that can bite them in half)
- Comes in a ton of different colors for certain areas, water colors, times of year
- Gulp shrimp catches less “trash fish” (like catfish) compared to fishing with live shrimp
Cons of the Berkley Gulp Saltwater Shrimp
- A bit more expensive than other soft plastic shrimp
- They cannot be left on a hook or jig head when not in use because they’ll shrink/harden when they dry out (click here for Gulp maintenance tips)
- They seem to cause hooks to rust faster than normal, so be sure to rinse hooks/jig heads off with fresh water after use
- The juice really does smell bad, so be careful not to spill on your clothes, boat deck, car, truck, etc.
How to Rig a Gulp Shrimp
Here is a quick video that will show you how to rig a Gulp shrimp onto a jig head for inshore fishing.
Click here to get Gulp shrimp from our online store
Bonus Tips for Gulp Shrimp
1. Turn Used Gulps Into Bait Catching Machines
After feeling tons of small nibbles from baitfish and seeing lots of pinfish follow the Gulp shrimp up to the boat while fishing with them, I began cutting up old ones into small pieces for catching pinfish for bait… small Gulp chunks work amazingly well for pinfish, pigfish, squirrelfish, grunts, croakers, etc…
Click here to see a great tutorial on exactly how to catch loads of bait with used Gulps.
2. Gulp Shrimp Skip Well Under Mangroves
These Gulp shrimp baits skip very well under mangroves and docks when rigged with small jig heads (and even better when rigged weedless).
See how this exact Gulp shrimp rig did for snook and redfish back in a secret lake that is only accessible by kayaks or paddleboards… 100% skipping Gulps under mangroves.
Conclusion
As you can see, the pros of the Berkley Gulp Saltwater Shrimp far outweigh the cons (at least from what I’ve seen in the amount of fish I’ve caught over the years with Gulp shrimp).
Whatever they put in that Gulp! Alive juice really does work.
So if you are looking for a fish-catching artificial bait that can truly compete with live shrimp in catching redfish, snook, trout, and flounder, then Berkley Gulp Saltwater Shrimp baits are a great option.
Any questions or tests you want me to put these Gulp baits through?
Let me know in the comment section.
You can get these Gulp shrimp from our online store here.
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Related Posts:
- Do Berkley Gulp Baits Really Work? And What’s In That Gulp Juice?
- How Often Should You Change Out Your Gulp Baits?
- How To Save 25% On Gulp Shrimp [Bucket vs. Packets]
- GULP Juice: Does It Work With Non-GULP Fishing Lures?
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when rigging a gulp soft plastic do you need a mono or FC leader or can you tie directly onto the braid?
We recommend using mono or FC leaders. Here’s a post showing the details: https://www.saltstrong.com/articles/how-to-tie-a-fishing-leader-for-snook-redfish-seatrout/
I get a ton of little bite and strikes on gulps but can’t seem to hookup many. Is there something I can do to increase my catches?
Where’s that hidden lake?
i was wondering how long does the scent stay on / in the gulp shrimp? How often do you suggest changing them out for a fresh one?
Gulp scent stays in the bait for a very long time given that it’s material is water-based which results in the juice being throughout the bait. I generally keep mine on for as long as I’m using it and just replace whenever it’s too torn up too fish with any longer or until I will not be fishing with it so that it won’t dry up on my jig/hook.
Is gulp shrimp use for handline fishing?
Why rig with the white side on top.
In a natural bait the white is the belly.
Thanks
Here’s a post that explains this color pattern from Gulp called New Penny: https://www.saltstrong.com/articles/gulp-shrimp-rig-upside-down/
How effective are they fishing for snapper, sheepshead, black drum, and Snook on a rocky bottom in a fast moving current where you may need a weight to keep it on the bottom?
Gulp shrimp can certainly catch all of those species (sheepshead is the toughest of them all). The key is to get it as close to the bottom as possible without getting snagged (I’d use a weedless jighead to be able to bounce it along the rocks without getting stuck too frequently).
How to hook a shrimp gulp on circle hook I tried with little sucess Thanks Harry
Hey Harry, sorry for not responding sooner… I somehow missed your comment when it came in. May I ask why you are trying to rig a gulp shrimp onto a circle hook? The only reason I can think of is for deadsticking it, and if that’s the case, then the rigging method doesn’t matter all that much. Otherwise, I recommend using jigs or j-hooks because you’ll lose a lot of strikes using circle hooks with lures.
https://www.saltstrong.com/family/bob-kuebler/ Luke, I noticed when you rigged that 3″ new penny shrimp on the 1/8 oz jig, that you rigged it with the dark side of the shrimp on the bottom. I’m thinking the natural shrimp is darker at the top and would expect it to be rigged like that. Are there reasons to rig otherwise and what would be the reason to do so. As always I find your advice to be exceptional so I’m looking forward to your reply. Thanks much again for the advice. Bob K
Hey Bob, sorry to have taken so long to respond to your comment… I somehow missed it when it was posted. The new penny color pattern actually does have the dark side on the bottom (eyes are on the light side and the feet are on the dark side), so that’s how I rig it. But I have switched it around and it works the other way too… the color pattern does not matter nearly as much as the action in the water.
When a gulp shrimp gets damaged because of a strike, i turn it over and use it again. This works well and saves money!
Luke, I notice you put the hook point through the bottom part( light side) of the gulp shrimp. Is this better than going through the top?
This “New Penny” color pattern for Gulp Shrimp have the light side on the top and the dark side as the bottom as seen by the respective placement of the eyes and feet of the shrimp. I have caught most fish using it like this, but rigging it upside down with the dark side up can certainly be effective too (color isn’t nearly as important as the action of the lure and the size of the lure).