Gulp! Jerk Shad VS. Alabama Leprechaun [Jerk Bait Lure Contest!]
- By: Tony Acevedo
- on
In this Jerk Bait Lure Contest, will the Gulp! Jerk Shads or our Alabama Leprechaun catch the most fish???
I was curious to see if one lure outperformed the other and if the fish had a preference.
Check out the on-the-water action and final results below!!
Jerk Bait Lure Contest [VIDEO]
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Alabama Leprechaun 5″ Jerk Shad Setup:
- Rod: 7’6 Century Weapon Jr. Medium Power Fast Action
- Reel: 2500 Shimano Stradic FL
- Line: 10lb PowerPro
- Leader: 20lb Berkley Vanish Fluorocarbon Leader
- Lure: Alabama Leprechaun 5″ Jerk Shad
- Hook: 3/0 Hoss Helix Hook 1/8 oz.
Gulp! 5″ Jerk Shad Setup:
- Rod: 7’6 Slot Machine Medium Power Fast Action
- Reel: 3000 Shimano Stradic FL
- Line: 10lb PowerPro
- Leader: 20lb Berkley Vanish Fluorocarbon Leader
- Lure: 5″ Gulp Jerk Shad – Camo color (watermelon can also work)
- Hook: 3/0 Hoss Helix Hook 1/8 oz.
The plan for this contest was to make 3 casts with one lure and then switch to the other and repeat the process for the entire trip.
Gulp! is pre-scented with Gulp!’s own blend of attractive odors.
I applied Dr. Juice Scent to the Alabama Leprechaun to include a scent on both lures.
Both lures are rigged the exact same way on a 3/0 Hoss Helix Hook weighing 1/8 oz.
The knot I used to secure the 20lb fluorocarbon leader to the hooks is the loop knot.
Rod power for both of the rods in this contest is the same.
However, one is the Salt Strong Slot Machine and the other is a custom rod from Century I had customized by Black Pelican Custom Rods.
They are both Medium-Power Fast Action inshore saltwater spinning rods.
The Slot Machine was paired with a Shimano Stradic FL 2500 and the custom rod was paired with a Shimano Stradic FL 3000.
The reels perform the same, the slight difference is the gear ratio is higher in the 3000 which simply means it picks up more line quicker.
All else being equal, I set out to see which lure would catch more fish!!
I used the same exact lure retrieve for both jerk shad lures.
After I cast the lure out, I bounced the lure twice off the bottom and then stopped for a full pause.
The only slight difference between the two lures is the color, of course, and the different scents.
On-The-Water Details
I tried casting to wherever I saw action or bait on the surface.
Using the Alabama Leprechaun, I hooked into the first solid redfish of the day.
The next fish I hooked into did shake the hook, however, because it struck the lure I counted that.
After two fish, it was 2-0 Alabama Leprechaun.
A little while later I switched spots and again the Alabama Leprechaun enticed a redfish to shoot out from the grass and strike.
It seemed that either on the first cast or the last cast with the Alabama Leprechaun I would hook into a fish.
Then when it finally became the Gulp! Jerk Shads turn to hook into a fish, the line broke on my hookset.
But that counts because the fish was interested to strike the lure.
Since I had the Alabama Leprechaun already tied up, I quickly tossed that out there to see if I could catch that fish.
A super solid trout crushed the Alabama Leprechaun in the same spot my line broke off on the Gulp! Shad.
After another redfish on the Gulp! Jerk Shad, the total tally was 4-2 in favor of the Leprechaun.
A few casts later I hooked into the nicest fish of the day on the Gulp! Jerk Shad.
Most of the fish I caught seemed to be 20-25 yards off the shoreline in 1-2 feet of muddy water.
Some showers started to roll in and I decided to call it quits.
The final score: 6 fish for the Alabama Leprechaun and 4 fish for the Gulp! Jerk Shad.
The biggest fish of the day went to the Gulp! Jerk Shad but the majority of strikes came on the Alabama Leprechaun.
So as you can see they were about even, one didn’t severely outperform the other in this contest.
It was a huge plus to be in an area with actively feeding fish.
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That was interesting and fun to watch..
Glad you enjoyed!
Hi Tony, I was wondering if you were to squirt some of the Dr. Juice into the bag the lures come in would that impregnate them with the scent better?
Hey Roger!
Yes you can add a small amount into a bag of soft plastics. Dr. Juice doesn’t soak into the baits, but it coats them since it is an oil based scent.
Just my two cents: I do love this comparison. I’ve done the exact same test myself, but gulp was 2 to 1 winner. On certain days, a lure with a faster fall rate will catch more fish. On other days a slower fall rate will catch more fish. In this scenario…the fall rate isn’t the same… even if you used the exact same weighted hooks. I once tried a test between Zman Jerk Shadz, and zoom super flukes. I used the same weighted hooks, but because the Zman material is buoyant, the Zman had a much slower fall rate. The zoom has added salt, so it has a faster fall rate. I’m sure this is the same case for these two lures as well, as the gulp is obviously made from a different composition than the Alabama Lep. The AL also has a ton of gold flake which adds flash, where the gulp in this scenario had none. Flash can give a significant edge. Combine those factors, with the fact you swapped back to the AL after the gulp broke off.. its apples to oranges. On a side note… Gulp just came out with a paste scent additive, that you can apply to any lure. And because it’s water based, it disperses its scent better than oil based scents. As far as scent goes, gulp remains king. Now you can add gulp scent to anything, even hard baits.
Thank you for the feedback John!
Enjoyed the action, Tony. Definitely a close contest. Tight Lines.
Thank you Robert!
I love your content and videos. However when you broke off on the gulp large strike using the gulp you instantly used the AL. That kind off nullified the experiment. With that said I like your lures, they hold up and you don’t go through as many baits. Again a great bait and I use it, just this experiment look less unbiased than most of your content. Awesome work though, keep up the good work.
Hey Jake, his procedure was to switch lures after each catch so that getting into a school of redfish where 3 fish could be quickly caught in 3 casts.
He counted the break-off as a catch, so he switched lures just like he switched to the Gulp after each catch with the AL.
Luke nailed it. I switched lures every 3 casts and whenever I got a strike. Every strike was counted even if the fish wasn’t landed.
Looks like a pretty even Contesta me. One way or another. It look like a great morning of fishing. I’m guessing this was in Florida?
Was definitely a close one! Yes this was in Florida.