Fish Sniffer On Demand Digital Edition Issue 3716 July 20- Aug 3 | Page 9

VOL.37 • ISS. 16 Freshwater July 20 - Aug 3, 2018 5 Putting PowerBait And Gulp! To Work For You! > Large Gulp! grubs have proven to be super effective for California saltwater species such as halibut, rockfish and lingcod. This big black rockfish pounced on a Gulp! grub drifted on a standard three way rig. These big grubs also perform well when pinned on a 2 to 3 ounce jighead. presents Salmon, Trout, Lingcod, Kokanee, Halibut And More: Are YOU Using Gulp! And PowerBait? I < Everybody that trolls for trout knows that a threaded worm teamed with a set of flashers is one of the most consistently productive rigs you can pull. For a modern twist on this tried and true rig, replace that dirty night crawler with a Berkeley Power Grub. This adds scent, color and action to an already deadly rig! > Gulp! Crawlers are super effective and versatile. They offer all the benefits of real worms without the mess or hassle. You can troll them for trout, pin them on a jighead for bass or drift them under a bobber for panfish. < ’m of the opinion that in most situations well presented natural baits will outperform artificials. Following this philosophy, when the going gets tough or when big fish are the objective, I typically reach past the artificials and rig up with natural baits. For example, if I’m after a derby winning lingcod, I’ll usually be mooching brined mackerel or a lively rockfish. If big trout and landlocked kings are on the menu, I’ll serve rigged shad and anchovies for the main course. I could go on and on… I’ve got to be honest, a few years ago when I started reading claims that Berkley Gulp! and PowerBait soft baits were as effective or even more effective than live bait I scoffed. There was no way that an artificial would consistently outperform natural bait! And then I started fishing with the stuff… Can you see where this is going? The more I used Gulp! and PowerBait soft baits, the more fish I caught across a range of different species and different situations. Over the past couple years I’ve used Gulp! and PowerBait extensively and the results have been impressive. Since I’m still in the experimenting phase, I haven’t reached any conclusions about the best uses or limitations of these baits. I’m just going to ramble forward and share my results and observations thus far. My goal is to prompt my fans out there in Fish Sniffer Country to pick up some of these intriguing baits and begin experimenting themselves. Before I start discussing the application of these baits, we should take a moment to distinguish between PowerBait and Gulp! PowerBait soft baits have been around a lot longer then Gulp! and PowerBait has quite a cult following in the bass fishing world. PowerBait soft baits come in a wide range of sizes and colors including translucent hues that are useful in clear water situations. All PowerBait soft baits put off the deadly PowerBait scent. What exactly PowerBait soft baits are made of is a closely guarded secret. The compound stores, feels and reacts much like soft plastic. Gulp! is less transparent then PowerBait. Gulp! is made from soybeans and is water-soluble, meaning it slowly melts in water. Due to the fact that it’s water soluble, Gulp! puts out 400 times more scent than PowerBait. Gulp! comes in zip seal packages and liquid filled tubs. If you allow Gulp! to dry out the baits quickly shrink and get hard. This doesn’t happen nearly so quickly with PowerBait. Both baits will draw strikes when still fished without imparting any action whatsoever…just like natural baits will! On paper Gulp! is superior to PowerBait, but in reality, I’ve enjoyed Fish Sniffer how – to by Cal Kellogg PowerBait minnows are must have baits for trout, bass and more. You can use the provided jigheads for cast and retrieve style fishing or you can rig the baits on a standard ring eye style hook and troll them behind a dodger for species like trout and landlocked king salmon. Continued on page 18