07-09-2015, 04:47 PM
[#0000FF]I never fish them with a bubble. Although I do fish regular minnows under a float.
I make and use a variety of heads and colors specifically for fishing Gulp minnows. Having the right size hook and the right weight of head can be important in getting the right action. And the Gulp minnows don't have wiggly tails like some plastics so you have to impart the action with your rod tip and retrieve.
I like the wobble head jigs for fishing GMs. They flutter on the fall and wiggle on the retrieve. Plus they don't hang in the rocks as much and they act like standup jigs when resting on the bottom...with the minnow pointing up like a real minnow with its head down feeding...or whatever. I have had a lot of hits while the Gulp minnows are motionless...but only after some sexy jigging.
I use other styles of jig heads too. The important thing is to match the size hook to the size of the bait. I run it down into the body a ways and then out...usually through the top of the minnow but sometimes out the side. The hook coming out the side helps give the impression of a wounded minnow as it flutters on the jigging retrieve...especially when using a wobble head.
As you can see in one of the attached pics I usually rig tandem...often with a smelt color on a silver glitter 1/16 oz. wobble head on the bottom and a white on a white/red eye 1/32 oz. round head on top. For 3" GMs I usually favor a size 1 or 1/0 hook. That is the advantage of pouring my own. I can put a larger hook on a lighter jig head for special applications.
If you want more wiggly action on your GMs, try rigging dropshot style...with a size 1 octopus hook tied directly to the line about 18" above the sinker. Then rig the GM by hooking it once...crossways through the nose. That is deadly and the way a lot of successful drop shooters prefer to do it. You will go through more of those spendy little Gulp goodies with this rig but you should catch enough fish to ease the pain.
Oh yeah, I do not use fluorocarbon leaders. No quarrel with those who do but I have never been able to prove to myself that they work any better than my Silver Thread Excalibur...which is less costly and more abrasion resistant.
[/#0000FF]
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I make and use a variety of heads and colors specifically for fishing Gulp minnows. Having the right size hook and the right weight of head can be important in getting the right action. And the Gulp minnows don't have wiggly tails like some plastics so you have to impart the action with your rod tip and retrieve.
I like the wobble head jigs for fishing GMs. They flutter on the fall and wiggle on the retrieve. Plus they don't hang in the rocks as much and they act like standup jigs when resting on the bottom...with the minnow pointing up like a real minnow with its head down feeding...or whatever. I have had a lot of hits while the Gulp minnows are motionless...but only after some sexy jigging.
I use other styles of jig heads too. The important thing is to match the size hook to the size of the bait. I run it down into the body a ways and then out...usually through the top of the minnow but sometimes out the side. The hook coming out the side helps give the impression of a wounded minnow as it flutters on the jigging retrieve...especially when using a wobble head.
As you can see in one of the attached pics I usually rig tandem...often with a smelt color on a silver glitter 1/16 oz. wobble head on the bottom and a white on a white/red eye 1/32 oz. round head on top. For 3" GMs I usually favor a size 1 or 1/0 hook. That is the advantage of pouring my own. I can put a larger hook on a lighter jig head for special applications.
If you want more wiggly action on your GMs, try rigging dropshot style...with a size 1 octopus hook tied directly to the line about 18" above the sinker. Then rig the GM by hooking it once...crossways through the nose. That is deadly and the way a lot of successful drop shooters prefer to do it. You will go through more of those spendy little Gulp goodies with this rig but you should catch enough fish to ease the pain.
Oh yeah, I do not use fluorocarbon leaders. No quarrel with those who do but I have never been able to prove to myself that they work any better than my Silver Thread Excalibur...which is less costly and more abrasion resistant.
[/#0000FF]
[signature]