Living on the Texas Gulf Coast, I spend a lot of time near the water with a fishing rod in hand. The prime catch around here is Red Drum, Black Drum, Speckled Sea Trout and Flounder. When fishing for these prized fish there is a myriad of natural and live bait choices available to the fisherman. The bait of choice for local anglers is shrimp.

The problem with shrimp is the ease with which it is removed from the hook. Often the little bait stealing fish, like Pin Perch, will nibble the shrimp off of the hook before a real game fish ever has the opportunity to get to it. With shrimp costing $4 to $5 per pound, this can get to be a costly proposition for the serious angler.

I quickly learned to apply a personal motto, "work smarter, not harder" to my fishing endeavors. At the advice of some of the local fishing experts I began using Gulp! shrimp and Gulp! Alive shrimp baits by Berkley. Gulp! claims to catch fish even better than live bait and the die hard fisherman of this area swear by them. Gulp! baits come packaged in either a bucket or resealable package that contains a scent liquid. The baits can be recharged by placing them back into the "Magic Gravy" (as Berkley refers to it). Gulp! baits use a combination of scent dispersion and action to attract fish.

Gulp! baits can be used under a bobber, fished off of the bottom or retrieved on a 1/8 oz. jig head. I prefer a slow retrieve, as it utilizes both the action and scent release of the bait to attract fish. Using this method of retrieval and rigging, I have caught a great number of fish. I find that Red Drum, Speckled Sea Trout, Ribbon Fish and Flounder are particularly fond of Gulp! shrimp.

Gulp! shrimp come in a variety of colors, including: New Penny, White, Nuclear Chicken and Natural. They also come in a variety of sizes, from 2 to 4 inches. Before you leave on your next fishing adventure, pick up some Gulp! or Gulp! Alive shrimp for your tackle box.