Jerk Shad, the overlooked GULP!

Backbays and early season (cold water)...I've found the "dead action" of the Gulp Jerk Shad infinitely more effective than the more popular curly tailed models.

The 5" on a 1/8 - 3/16oz jig head is my go-to creek bait, and the larger 6" (the 7" is discontinued alas) is a perfect fit behind a 1/2oz Spro for deeper water.

That was very informative! Thanks Roger!

That was very informative! Thanks Roger!

Thanks George!

Not overlooked here lol.... here's one a shade over ten that fell for a 5" white jerk shad fished a foot above sinker on a 5/0 bait holder hook. Elephants like peanuts

Overlooked?? Naaaaa. It WAS more of a secret GULP! to me. 😉

Asides from the 6" grub the 7" jerk shad is my absolute favorite for targeting large fluke. I did not know that the 7" was discontinued. That explains why I have been unable to find it. I still have a few that I'll save for this year's Montauk trip. Two years ago I caught this nice pair on 7" jerk shad (nuclear chicken)

9.2 and 8.6 if I remember correctly.

Writing from my phone instead of working, but in a nutshell, Koz is right - the 7” jerk shads can be deadly. I bought about 10 packs of them in a kind of bright fluorescent green with black spots, when they were on close-out, from one place or another. I have a few packs left, which I am treasuring for when the big grubs are not being hit with alacrity. They have bailed me out several times over the past few seasons.

I also like the 5” versions in pearl white, fished over sand bottom on the B/S rig. We had one trip a few Springs ago that these were the only lure they would touch. Threw my multi-colored, multi-type, multi-sized GULP collection at them, but all they would touch were those 5” pearl white jerk shads.

Also, I like to fish the jerk shads with a very thin (no more than 1/2” wide) strip of fish belly or Korean Market “cuttlefish” squid. I cut them to a length just a tad longer than the jerk bait size I’m fishing. Freakin’ deadly over the deeper hard bottom I prefer to fish. Like really so. . .

Oh, great video Roger and those pix of Rick’s and Koz’s fish are gorgeous! I believe we can never see enough pix of plus-size flukies!

The 7" was a great bait, as were the Belly Strips...

I don't fish teasers...but the lack of any paddle/curly tail allows the jerk shads to get much deeper on the same weight jig. I always have a few in the gulp container for when the current picks up.