Gulp Maggots Q&A

[ElkTalker]

I get a lot of questions about Gulp Maggots like how do I fish them, what color works best, how many per hook, how do I put them on the hook, what time of year do they work best, and do I like them better then scented corn.

Before I attempt to answer thees questions let me start out by saying (I AM NOT AN EXPERT ON GULP MAGGOTS) I have spent a lot of time with them in the water so I will share what I have learned.

First let me say I emailed Berkly and asked about the scent difference. They said the only difference is in the color.

OK, I fish them behind dodgers on spinner/hoochies/Apex's or any lure I put in the water for kokanee fishing.

The color I like best is chartreuse or pink but every color I have tried has caught fish. I don't get to hung up if I don't have my favorite color, I just fish what I have.

I use only one gulp maggot at a time. If I think I need some on both hooks I pull one in half and put it on both hooks. I like to pull one apart when I fish a 2" or 2.25" hoochies with longer hook spacing.

Some jars of maggots are .5" long, and some are 1" long. (I still only use one) I run the hook through the short maggots length wise. The longer ones I fold in half and run the hooks through the end so it looks like a horse shoe.

I have not found the time of year to make any difference in whether they work or not. Every time I put them in the water I catch fish.

To answer the question of whether I like them better then scented corn? My answer is; I'm not sure!!! I need to do more research.:D On the plus side they hold up much better. I some times go two or three fish with the same piece. Also I don't need to check the bait after a short strike. I just let if fish so my rod spends more time in the water.

Scented corn works great and you have more options if one scent is not working. I'm sure some days I could have done better with scented corn. I just don't know what scent or what day that might have been.

Any other tips or questions are greatly appreciated, ET

[Buck]

Great post. I would add that they seemed to like jigs tipped with the white color the one time I tried that earlier in the season.

[rum runner]

mmmm, Asticots..... :smash:

[SilverBullets]

Great information Chris! I have a question...have you used the new product called "Gulp Alive". From what I understand the maggots can be put back in the jar and re-scented in the liquid.
Also, have you ever tried soaking them in different scents prior to a fishing trip?

[dlm]

Some jars of maggots are .5" long, and some are 1" long. (I still only use one) I run the hook through the short maggots length wise. The longer ones I fold in half and run the hooks through the end so it looks like a horse shoe.

I have never seen these size maggots, just the one that are the size of a natural maggots. I will look again.

[moknots]

I've been fishing fake rat droppings, er, maggots, since the first year they came out. I still have that first jar (pre-color options), labeled not "Gulp", but "Power Bait". By the way, if you can ever locate the non-floating version of a Power Bait Egg, BUY THEM! Same goes for the Power Bait Crappie Tubes. They work!

The one thing I like even better than messing with corn is not having to! Double Ditto ETs comment about not having to check for robbed bait when you miss one. And my wife likes having a shelf of the garage fridge back (the one that had been dominated by 6 flavors and 4 colors of cured/dyed corn and 25 bottles of scent). Sometimes I match the maggot to the lure color, but sometimes I go to a contrasting color to switch it up (pink on pink vs. green on pink for example). As anyone who chases kokanee knows, sometime a slight change will get a slowed bite going again. If you want to get really into it, FallRiverGuy showed me his collection of Gulp Maggots that he dyed! Talk about opening up a can of maggots:passout: Why not?

I suspect there are days when corn with some scent or another may out produce maggots, but the Gulp product has been good to me, and it's always ready! I really don't understand the size variance. I have some that are the size of a real maggot, and like Chris, some that are huge. I always pinch the bigger ones in half. I guess the next best thing to thinking like a fish is thinking like ET:wink:

Here's a sidetrack for you. Anyone keeping track of Pautzke's Fire Corn vs. home cured and scented corn? The profile looks all wrong to me, but not to the fish! That stuff works too, and also offers the advantage of long shelf life. But it does not stay on the hook as well, and it's expensive given the jar contains a lot fewer, but larger baits than the smaller sized maggots. I did very well using the dark green version on a pink hootchie last trip out.

[Dan Grbavac]

We used them tipped on double hooked wedding rings at Paulina.
I won't fish without them again. They were hard to find in the stores.

[TroutBass]

These do work terrific. For anyone around Washington Square, Dicks Sporting Goods has a very good supply of these in all colors.

[HiTide]

These do work terrific. For anyone around Washington Square, Dicks Sporting Goods has a very good supply of these in all colors.

Maggots vs corn? I decided to have it both ways. As mentioned, corn gets stolen or falls off too easily. So, I put corn on first then the gulp maggot. Doing that keeps the corn on much longer and you have both to entice the fish.
Worked well for me at Odell last wkend.