Vertical jigging with gulp

One of the best ways to run a vertical jig is with a Gulp bait! This system is by far the most affective methods ever and it’s so easy it’s almost silly!!

If you’ve ever fished a vertical jig then you would know this scenario for sure.You drop a round over a great looking show on the sounder and you just know your going to be on! After all, the last two rounds have produced fish! In the back of you’re mind, you’re starting to think, when are these fish going to get a little stirred up and shut down? You start the retrieve. You wind your jig past the point where you should have got the big hit. You’ve only got a couple more winds left in you when you get that big ‘donk’ on the line…ON...and off!!This can happen on the very first drop of the day if the fish are not right on the job. I mean hell; I’m not always hungry either!!

When you start to analyse the pros and cons of what a vertical metal jig can bring to the party in the way of total edibility, the only things its got going for it, is that it sinks fast with action and it’s skinny and easy to wind up 100-m! No smell, no taste, no wiggly bits or softness and no bite appeal!!
Bring forth the mighty GULP! All you need to do is slide on a 5” or 7” Gulp Jerk Shad on to you existing assist hook or hooks and you have just completely changed the functionality of you vert jig. It now HAS smell, taste, feel, glow, movement and bite appeal. Your jig now has nearly twice the visible profile on the drop because as the jig sinks the Gulp bait swings up above the jig on your assist and trails it like a super wiggly booger! On the retrieve, the Gulp bait lays along side your jig adding very little profile to disturb your action but exhibits all of those wonderful things about Gulp that we love so much. Not to mention giving your rock hard metal jig some much needed bite appeal!It’s this ‘bite appeal’ that will turn a hesitant grab into a solid hold. It literally takes just this much to turn your day for 2 to 10 fish.
If you jig, you must try this.

Rigging your stuff goes like this –

• A knife jig weighing 100 – 250-g is suited to 1 x 5” Gulp Jerk Shad.

• A knife jig weighing 250 – 400-g is suited to 2 x 5” (on 2 x individual assist hooks) Gulp Jerk Shads or 1 x 7” Gulp Jerk Shad.

• A knife jig weighing 500- 600-g is suited 2 x 7” Gulp Jerk Shads.

• 1 x 5” Jerk Shad will slow your drop speed by 2 – 5 seconds.

• 2 x 5” Jerk Shad will slow you by 4 – 10 seconds.

• 1 x 7” Jerk Shad will slow you by 4 – 8 seconds.• 2 x 7” Jerk Shad will slow you by 10 – 20 seconds

Consideration need to be taken into account with regards to your drop speed. Adding things to your gear reduces drop speed, meaning you need to adjust your release times and your boat position.

If you’re into making your own assists then this little piece of single strand wire is accentual to keep you from being pantsed!

By running Gulp on your vertical jigs you are doing more than just attracting more fish to your rig. By putting this outfit through the water column continuously, you are affectively ‘berleying’ the water with fish feeding stimulant that will entice and motivate even the most shut down fish. Try doing that any other way at 100-m!!!!
If you’ve never trusted me before than trust me on this one! This method will catch you more fish!!

This is roughly how it should look. The double Jerk Shad on a pump/wind retrieve looks so much like a squid you’ll kill yourself laughing....until you get whacked!

Look forward to the reports and photos of the ones that didn’t get away!! Cheers Royter.