How To Rig The Berkley Gulp Swimming Mullet (For More Strikes)
- By: Luke Simonds
- on
- Found In: Fishing Tips, Inshore Fishing, Lure Reviews
It’s Swimming Mullet Time!
Back in October, we posted an in-depth review (plus some really cool underwater footage) of the Berkley Gulp Swimming Mullet (see it here).
But one thing we forgot to include was how to actually rig the lure on a jighead (which is pretty critical considering an unnatural swimming bait will eliminate all strikes).
So in this video, we wanted to show you the best way we’ve found to rig this for a more natural presentation (aka more strikes).
Note: this is the 4-inch Gulp swimming mullet (see best prices to buy here) and it’s paired with a 1/4oz DOA Cal jighead (see best prices to buy here)
Enjoy!
Gulp Swimming Mullet (RIGGING VIDEO)
Related Posts:
- Berkley Gulp Swimming Mullet Review (see it here)
- Do Berkley Gulp Baits Actually Work? (see it here)
- How To Rig A Berkley Gulp Shrimp For More Bites (see it here)
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Good video, however; you can improve on the rig by using a “tiny” dab of gel type crazy glue on the area of the jig where it meets the head of the bait. Place a dab then press the fit together until dry (only a moment or so). Make sure the contact areas are dry before applying the glue. I’ve also found that I get better hook ups if I use the horizontal configuration instead of the vertical which you advocate by bringing the hook out side (either) instead of the top or bottom of the bait. Everything else about the arrangement is the same. This approach has the added benefit of being able to use all four sides of the bait instead of just the two when the bait begins to tear at the hook. Further, more of the hook will be made available on the hook up when using the side arrangement because less of the hook will be buried in the bait. Hope this helps.
Do you use the glue often on Gulp products? I always assumed it wouldn’t work since their products are made from water-based material.
Luke, I try to make sure that part of the bait is fairly dry befor applying any glue. The effect when crazy glue is used is somewhat like what happens when you get your fingers stuck with it. These baits have an almost skin like surface feel to them when you dry them (I use an ordinary cotton rag). Not all the Gulp products have this texture, but like most things, you won’t know unless you try especially since there are so many different glues that fall under the “crazy glue” category!
A great attractor that gets a lot of strikes, but I’ve completely given up on these things because the tail gets nipped off so quickly. It’s a problem for all the sickle tails, but the Gulp is the worst. All I carry now are paddletails.
rigging in your video is shown with the tail in an up position. with these and ripple mullet, ripple shad, paddletails, etc.; i have always rigged them with the tails pointing down. your preferences, advantages and disadvantages of both?
I like the tail up position a bit better because the up position has the water drag pushing the back of the bait down which seems to give it a more natural and controlled falling motion when I’m using a jigging retrieve (but I most often use a straight retrieve for which either method works equally well).
I like tail up. The bait undulates more.
As far a retrieval, a slow swim is fine, but I get way more hits when I twitch and jerk. Often the bites happen as the bait flutters to the bottom. It doesn’t hurt to let the bait sit on the bottom, too.
A friend of mine insists that grubs work better tail down.
That could very well be true… I haven’t done a formal test on it so can’t say for sure one way or the other. I don’t use soft plastics with thin tails like this very often because they are so prone to get bitten off by junk fish.
Luke, what kind of retrieve would you use on that?
The tails of these gulp swimming mullets have a lot of action, so I generally just do a straight retrieve and let the tail do the work.
You can buy jig heads a lot cheaper at Walmart. Approx $4 -$5.00
My only complaint is that the tails are bitten off by small fish. I wish that they were tougher.
zman elaztech scented baitz are pretty tough, tho i doubt the amount of scent released is nearly as good as gulp.
Yes, the Zman baits are extremely tough. But I have yet to find a soft plastic that can catch fish when cut into small chunks (https://www.saltstrong.com/articles/how-to-catch-pinfish/), so I make sure to have some handy for days when the bite is slow.
Because if there are a lot of tail biting junk fish in the area, using these gulp products can end up being an expensive trip.
I totally agree… these swimming mullets need to be replaced when their tail gets bitten off (unlike the Shrimp and Jerk molds that can still work well without their tails).
Note: If you ever use live pinfish, be sure to hold on to your ruined Swimming Mullets because you can chunk them up to catch a ton of pinfish as shown in this post: https://www.saltstrong.com/articles/how-to-catch-pinfish/
I’ve had really good luck with just the body after the tail has been bitten off. I use it like a twitch bait and have caught both trout and reds. It has a great erratic action like an baitfish with an injured tail.
What brand and type of jig head do u use in this video? Have u ever used the gulp jig heads, the darter or the bait delivery system(bds)? Thanks videos are always helpful
DOA Cal Jigheads (I put a link right above the video). Tight lines!
I have used the Gulp Darter jig heads… I really like them for Gulp baits (holds then shocking well), but I don’t like them very much for other soft plastics like DOA, Zman, Zoom, etc. that I use fairly often. So I often go with these DOA CAL jigs that handle all types of soft plastics pretty well.