TexasKayakFisherman.com

How do you rig Gulp penny shrimp to fish under a popping cork? Hook type? How do you hook the Gulp? etc.
Thanks.

I use either a 1/16 or 1/8 ounce jig head. You want the shrimp to flutter as you pop it through the water not drop like a rock. Im sure there are other ways, but that's how i do it.

I like the light jig head too. I have seen some people use unweighted hooks for a weedless type of set up or circle hooks.

I like using a 2/0 kahle hook for my popping cork setups. It drops nice and slow after every chug.

Joey Barnet in Freeport uses a 1 or 2/0 circle unweighted in the marsh. It's got a nice natural fall and comes through the cordgrass (grass by the shoreline) pretty well.

As always thanks for the help. I have one more question. When I fish GULP in shallows (like the B&R flats) I use an Owner Twist Lock weighted hook (3/0) and no cork or extra weight. I insert the Twist Lock in the nose of the plastic and thread the hook from the bottom to the top. When I retrieve the plastic stays bottom down and flat during most of the retrieve (no helicoptering). It seems to me if I use the same set up under a popping cork the plastic will present in a vertical nose up configuration. Is that okay? (Sorry if it is a dumb question.)

Those hooks are fine for either presentation, with cork or without.

When using corks, I personally use either a 1/16oz jighead or just a single worm hook under the cork.

When throwing just the lure by itself, I prefer the Gamakatsu EWG without weight for both flats and marsh. Because the flats/marshes are generally so shallow, I have no worries about getting to a certain level of the water column, most of the time I am knee deep water or less. Favorite size for a 3" or 4" plastic/gulp is 2/0. Being able to rig it completely weedless is a plus, since many times reds are up in the grass or near it. I am able to intentionally overcast the lure into the grass, and gently ease it into the water without making as big a splash, and thus spooking the nearby red. Back to corks...another tip is that I keep one tackle tray dedicated just for corks. I carry different length leaders (from 12" up to 30"), types (cigar, oval, cupped) and the two mentioned hook styles all pre-rigged so that I don't waste time cutting line/retying knots while on the water. I simply pick the right cork setup for the current situation, and go. In fact, I carry 2 or 3 rods, each with a specific purpose: Topwater/Popping cork, Soft Plastics, and Spoon/Buggs.

Tight Lines...

When throwing just the lure by itself, I prefer the Gamakatsu EWG without weight for both flats and marsh. Because the flats/marshes are generally so shallow, I have no worries about getting to a certain level of the water column, most of the time I am knee deep water or less. Favorite size for a 3" or 4" plastic/gulp is 2/0. Being able to rig it completely weedless is a plus, since many times reds are up in the grass or near it. I am able to intentionally overcast the lure into the grass, and gently ease it into the water without making as big a splash, and thus spooking the nearby red.


Must be a EMata learned technique. hehe