3 Tips To Catch More Fish On Gulp Shrimp This Fall
- By: Tony Acevedo
- on
Redfish, trout, snook, flounder, and black drum will all smash Gulp shrimp.
But that’s not the only reason this is one of my go-to lures in the fall.
I also like it because:
- It’s versatile (you can fish it shallow or deep and retrieve it quickly or slowly)
- It’s easy to rig and retrieve
- And its scent and action make it great for both clear and dark water
In this video, you’re going to learn three tips to catch more fish in the fall with them, including:
- What the best color and sizes of Gulp shrimp are
- How to rig them (and why rigging Gulp shrimp is different than other soft plastics)
- How to retrieve them for trout and snook vs. redfish and black drum.
Let’s dive in!
How To Use Gulp Shrimp In The Fall [VIDEO]
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Which Color & Size Gulp Shrimp
There are lots of options for colors and sizes of Gulp shrimp, but I like to keep it simple and go with the 3″ size in New Penny or Pearl White colors.
These two colors are proven in dark and clear water, and when you’re confident in the color and size, you can focus on what really matters: finding feeding fish.
How To Rig Gulp Shrimp
Since fish will be holding tight to the bottom in the fall, I like to rig them on a jig head.
And unlike some lures, the type of jig head when you’re using Gulp shrimp is actually really important.
Since the lure will be sitting on the bottom a lot (especially if you’re targeting redfish… more on this in the next section), you need a jig head that will keep the shrimp sitting upright.
To do this, I like the Saltwater Assassin Pro Elite jig heads and the football-style Mission Fishin jig heads.
As you can see in the picture at the top of this post, these types of jig heads allow the lure to sit upright.
Although I love Trout Eye jig heads for rigging paddletails, I don’t like them for rigging Gulp shrimp because the heads are just too narrow and will cause the lure to fall on it’s side when it’s sitting on the bottom.
As far as jig head weight goes, it depends on the depth and current.
And as far as jig head color goes, it doesn’t really matter because the action and scent are what are really going to attract fish to it.
Now, just like any other lure, when you put Gulp shrimp on the jig head, you want it to be straight so that it will swim straight through the water.
If the lure is crooked on the jig head, it’ll spin through the water and not look natural (and not catch any fish).
How To Retrieve Gulp Shrimp
How you retrieve Gulp shrimp should depend on the species you’re targeting.
Seatrout & Snook
Trout and snook prefer to hit Gulp shrimp when they’re moving quickly, so I do two or three quick twitches, pause for a few seconds and reel in the slack, then do another few twitches.
Redfish
Redfish rely heavily on their sense of smell to find food, so I retrieve Gulp shrimp a little slower when I’m targeting them.
I’ll do the same two or three twitches as I would for trout and snook, but I’ll pause for 5-10 seconds between each set of twitches.
Black Drum
I use the slowest retrieve when I’m fishing for black drum with Gulp shrimp, but I’m also usually sight fishing for them, so I don’t need to cover a lot of water.
If I’ve found a school or even just a single fish cruising the flats, I’ll toss the lure in their path and let it sit on the bottom or slowly drag it along.
They can find it based on scent and will often pick it up without me having to twitch it at all.
Conclusion
Gulp shrimp is one of the best and most versatile lures you can use in the fall.
Nearly any predator fish will hit it, plus it’s easy to rig and retrieve.
I prefer to use football-style jig heads so that they’ll sit upright on the bottom when I’m retrieving them.
And if I’m fishing for snook and trout I’ll do a brief pause between twitches, a longer pause if I’m fishing for redfish, and I won’t really twitch it at all if I’m sight fishing for black drum.
Have any questions about using Gulp shrimp in the fall?
Let me know down in the comments.
You can get a pack of Gulp shrimp and the Mission Fishin jig heads from our shop here:
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Hi can I catch sea bass if yes what kinda jig head should I use thanks in advance
Absolutely! It will depend on the depth that you are fishing. If fishing any deeper than 30ft I would go with 3/4 to 1oz jig head.
We have various sizes here: https://fishstrong.com/products/hoss-football-jighead?variant=43052103139502
Hello I have a question I live in San Antonio Texas I drive down to the coast to port A.
Down here there is ALOT AND I MEAN ALOT OF sea weed what do you suggest I use? My wife and I usually use live shrimp 🦐 and try our luck what should I use thnxs for your help
Hey David!
You could rig a gulp shrimp on a weedless jig head or heavy Twistlock hook. If you like to use live shrimp, there are a few options for rigging them weedless. Check out these articles here:
https://www.saltstrong.com/articles/weedless-shrimp-rig/
https://www.saltstrong.com/articles/live-shrimp-weedless-jighead/
Are you using Whiteside up so it’s seen on the bottom and dark side down for upward view of profile?
Hey Kevin!
Thats just the color pattern of the Gulp Shrimp. The lighter side is the actual top of the shrimp and the dark is the bottom.
Hi, thanks for the info. what size of jig head are you using for the 3″ gulp shrimp?
No problem Mike!
Weight will vary depending on depth and current, it the hook size is around a 3/0
Thanks for the great vid dude. Last winter I liked using Z-Man baits, like the 4″ jerkshadz and the 3″ minnowz. The buoyancy helps reduce the sink rate as you know. I did get some Z-Man Ned rig stuff and want to give it a try too. I do still have some Gulp shrimp though, so maybe I’ll give those a try during a fall or winter trip this year.
No problem Adam, thank you for the great feedback!
Tony where were you fishing in this video? Awesome fish 👍
Thanks Stan!
Most of this is central east coast of Florida and some was around Tampa area.
Spot on Tony. Gulp Shrimp is my go to lure. I’ve had great luck in the chartruese color lately especially for Flounder which I fish like you would for a Red Fish. I never caught a Black Drum on a Gulp Shrimp and that is still a goal for me. In fact, I have never “sight seen” a Black Drum before, perhaps due to the murkiness of our water here. Great job, like the tip on the jig head (standing on the bottom and not falling over). Do you ever re-sent the shrimp, if you’ve had the lure out of the water for a few hours while fishing other baits?
Thanks George!
If I have any gulp product rigged up and I am not using it, I will have it dangling in the water. As long as the lure isn’t dried out, it will keep giving off scent since the scent in Gulp is absorbed into the material the lure is made out of. If the lure starts to get tough like it is starting to dry out, you can toss it back into a jar of gulp juice and it will go back to normal.
thank you, question..do you go away from the slam shady bomber now?? is fall better to be using the gulp shrimps?? again thanks 🙂
Hey Gary!
Gulp shrimp is a great year-round lure. As we get into the late fall and into winter (colder temps) baitfish will start to become more scarce and the diet of fish will shift from baitfish to mainly shrimps/crustaceans/crabs.
Well done. Thanks!
Thank you for the great feedback Brian!
Tony why you make it look sooo easy🤣 Great stuff as always thanks man.🎣💪
Haha thank you for the awesome feedback Stan!