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Best Soft Plastics for Flounder

16K views 33 replies 16 participants last post by  Thrifty Angler 
#1 · (Edited)
Wanna add a few soft plastics dedicated to flounder... To be used in the surf and inside the inlets and creeks occasionally.

I know I'm gonna get everyone saying Gulp, I have that covered with 2 colors of swimming mullet and shrimp.

What regular soft plastics would you use? 3" twister tails? 3" paddle tail grubs like used for trout? DOA shrimp? What colors?

I will be tipping them with mud minnows, small finger mullet, or strips of some fish or squid.
 
#6 ·
Bass Assassin...

makes a couple of plastic lures that i found work great as the waves swash at the OBX. they are called saltwater shad and shad assassin. a guy i meet several years ago in VA turned me onto them. we found them in the clearance bin at BPS. look for the color called albino.
 
#7 ·
if you have gulp in your bag then there is no need to have anything else. Some amazing flounder fishermen I know did extensive testing between gulp and regular soft plastics over the course of several days and gulp absolutely destroyed the other baits. For instance 4" white gulp mullet compared to 4" white twister and gulp out fished the twisters over and over again. If you are going to tip soft plastics with live bait why not just fish live bait?
 
#9 ·
Amazing how some folks have great experiences with gulp but others(my self and about fifty guys I can name) can't catch a thing with the stuff:confused:
Come see me in May or June .. I'll make you a believer :) Seriously !

On another note I have fished Gulp from North Carolina to New Jersey and its been a killer bait . You'd be surprised at what will eat Gulp . There are times IMO that Gulp isnt the right choice or perhaps it doesnt make a difference in abnormally cold water or fast currents where the "scent" could be washed out or not strong enough to make a real difference .
Flounder , Weakfish , Stripers , Tog , Seabass , Blueline Tiles , Spot , Croakers , Bluefish and Grouper just to name a few frequently fall prey to Gulp for me ;)
In the past 4 years I have landed near or over 1000 Flounder over 18"

Let me know when your ready to believe :)
 
#10 ·
Come see me in May or June .. I'll make you a believer :) Seriously !

On another note I have fished Gulp from North Carolina to New Jersey and its been a killer bait . You'd be surprised at what will eat Gulp . There are times IMO that Gulp isnt the right choice or perhaps it doesnt make a difference in abnormally cold water or fast currents where the "scent" could be washed out or not strong enough to make a real difference .
Flounder , Weakfish , Stripers , Tog , Seabass , Blueline Tiles , Spot , Croakers , Bluefish and Grouper just to name a few frequently fall prey to Gulp for me ;)
In the past 4 years I have landed near or over 1000 Flounder over 18"

Let me know when your ready to believe :)
Add Cobes,drum,and triggers for me... :D
 
#21 ·
#22 ·
I'm not trying to stir the pot here but gulp baits work for crap up this way....they are expensive and couldn't catch poop!!!
Maybe they are great baits in the southern part of the country but they don't seem to work in New England water's.......

I have friends and family that fish in the U.K. and they are not to impressed with gulp baits......

http://www.sea-fishing.org/ftopict-22563.html

http://www.sea-fishing.org/ftopict-21986.html

http://www.sea-fishing.org/ftopict-21559.html
Rob it sounds to me like they want an alternative to bait to use deadsticking . It also sounds like they dont often use lures . What kind of fish are they after ?
You could be right that Gulp doesnt work "Well" up North but I doubt it .. A Flounder is a Flounder and it will eat GULP .
 
#28 ·
I'm on a crusade to use more artificial soft baits this upcoming season.
Sorta tired of the messy real thing.

Sure wished you had mentioned the junk fish earlier....Oysyercrackers, Searobin , Skate , Rays. Guess they will hit anything ....real or artificial.

Hope they don't clean me out of the pricey Gulps. :rolleyes: I prefer to have quality fish such as croaker, spot, blues take the good stuff. :D

I might try to chop up the Gulp pearl white swimming mullets I used last season. Too many tails taken off...yet not many hook ups.

Thanks again.
 
#32 ·
It might be a little different down here, but my two favorites on the flats along the Gulf Coast of Florida are the Gulp shrimp or a D.O.A. CAL shad tail on a jig head.





These two baits in a variety of colors have produced the most flatties for me over the last few years.

I've had success on the East Coast of Florida as well around Fort Pierce and Sebastian Inlet. Conditions there are more similar to what you up north East Coasters get.
 
#33 ·
Best soft plastic for flounder

I don't think there is a "best" soft plastic or lure for flounder or any fish for that matter, they all work good if the fish are eating in that particular water at the time. There have been times here around southport/oak-island that I have outfished both live and artificial bait with flies, white halfandhalf, when I'm flyfishing for flatties, that is my fly of choice.
 
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