GULP! GEL Q&A
– Russ Babekuhl
Q. Why do you use Gulp! Gel?
Every fisherman loves to have some sort of advantage. We don’t get to fish every day so maximising your chances when you get on the water just makes sense. Not only does Gulp! Gel improve the smell and taste of your lure it also helps to mask any foreign smells on your hands like sunscreen, bug spray etc. For me In the tournament arena it’s all about the 1% differences. You go to all the effort to chose the right spot at the right time, have the right lure then put in that perfect cast. It fills me with confidence knowing that my lure will have 1000s of hours of scientifically researched bite triggers smeared on it to give you that extra advantage.
Q. How do you gear up to target bream in the racks?
I like to run a few different style outfits in the racks. For crank baits and topwaters where I’m generally fishing the nastiest country I use a 3-5kg 7”4 rod with a 3000 size reel and 10lb Berkley X9 and 10lb Berkley Vanish leader. My general soft plastic outfit of choice is a 2-6 kg 7”2 rod with a 2500 reel, running 8lb Berkley X9 with 6 or 8lb Berkley Vanish leader.
Q. What is the best way to apply Gulp! Gel?
I generally just apply a pea sized blob onto the lure and rub it all over the lure with my fingers.
Q. How do you work a scented lure?
You will find with scent you can apply a lot more pauses whether it be a soft plastic or vibe at rest on the bottom or a paused jerk bait or topwater. The scent allows you to just holt the lure in front of the fish and let the scent disperse triggering a bite.
Q. What do you look for in a scented lure bite?
I find myself particularly for bream using the scent a lot on surface lures and vibes . Bream are notoriously fussy in clear water at times and will often follow a topwater for metres sitting millimetres off it but not committing to eating it. I find a good smear on the back end of most topwaters that sit low at the back is just enough to turn follows into bites. With vibes, a fish will more often then not eat it off the bottom. I’ve witnessed them hover above a vibe in clear water pick up on the scent and suck it in off the bottom motionless.
Q. Any final tips to help catch more fish using Gulp! Gel?
Don’t over do it! You don’t want a lure just covered in scent to the point it may affect the action of the lure. A small smear rubbed in often is much better then a large amount at once. I also try to avoid rubbing Gel on my fluorocarbon leaders when you can avoid it in clear water on fussy fish.
