Kayak
Fishing With Jeff McGovern
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by Jeff McGovern:
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Good as Live Bait?
The quest for the best fishing bait is endless. Each season, lure
companies tantalize us new offerings-- all claiming to be The
ONE. Every year, there is a break- through design that’s
irresistible to fish and over-advertised to fishermen. Once in a while,
a selection of products comes out that really IS everything that the
manufacturer says it is. Recent seasons have featured fish food
formed into replicas of the types of things fish feed on: worms, shrimp
and anything in between. After using this type of bait in my W
for two years, I can assure you that two of these products really work.
The brands I’ve been using are “Fishbites” (Carr Specialty Baits, St
Augustine, Florida) and the more widely distributed “Gulp”
(Berkley). They are very different in composition, but achieve
the same purpose for me: live bait results without the hassle of
storing or keeping bait alive in my W. Whenever I’m fishing
saltwater flats, both products are onboard and ready to catch fish.
“Fishbites” are the easiest to store. I keep a
pack or two of the small strips in my vest pocket. I trim the
little pieces to resemble a pork frog, and then hook that section onto
a jig head. It adds a bit of color and scent to the lure, making
it more attractive to fish. The strips are formed from the food
material pressed onto a fabric center section for durability.
Once the material gets wet, it bleeds off scent and color into the
water. Fish zero in on the lure, and pounce on it. The
product lasts for an hour or so of active fishing before it needs to be
replaced and will catch a number of fish before getting too worn to
use. These are a one time use bait and should not be returned to
the package. Recently, “Fishbites” came out with a new version
called “Fishbites Xtreme.” These resemble soft plastic
baits and are formed to look like small minnows or shrimp. I have
used them on a limited basis and caught fish with them. I’m still
testing these newcomers.
“Gulp” is a product I’ve used since it first came to
saltwater. For me, it has been phenomenal. Originally they
came in packages similar to soft plastic baits. Inside the Gulp
baits were soaking in the proprietary juice formula developed by
Berkley. There was a warning not to put used baits back into the
package, as this would ruin the remainder of the new ones. You
also had to take care not to let the Gulp juice leak onto clothing, or
worse yet, inside your vehicle. The scent attracted fish AND was
a highly effective human repellent. Even with those drawbacks, I
always had the stuff on hand. My first time out with Gulp shrimp,
I fished next to two other fellows using live shrimp. The Gulp
out caught the live baits six to one over the course of the day. It was
unreal.
Last season, Gulp introduced pint and quart
containers with a sea of juice, in addition to the zip lock bagged
product. This was a great improvement. Now we are told we
can recharge old Gulp and other plastic baits in the same bucket.
A word of warning: factory Gulp containers LEAK!!! I use a food
service container with a four lock seal purchased from a discount store
for just a few dollars. It’s easy to open and close in the W,
plus it keeps the Gulp juice contained in the proper place. (Gulp
juice is still the same effective human repellent. You really
don’t want to spill it on clothes or upholstery.)
I like to use these products on a jig head.
Saltwater style jigs are ideal for this purpose. The sizes I use
vary from 1/16 to 3/8 ounce. I choose the size based on the depth
I need to find fish. Sometimes the bite comes on a lighter head
drifting in the tidal current. At other times the bites occur
with the jig right on the bottom. I carry jigs in a variety of
colors: black, red, new penny, and chartreuse. That way, I have
plenty of choices. Gulp and Fishbites both come in a variety of colors
and scents. My Gulp colors are molting, new penny or white.
With Fishbites, I carry the strips in tan, pink and chartreuse in the
shrimp flavor.
If you saltwater fish from a kayak, these new live
bait substitutes make a convenient and effective addition to the tackle
arsenal. You’ll rarely, if ever, find my W without some
onboard. Give them a try and see if you agree.
Jeff
