When the Smallies are on the feed I swear some days an old cigarette butt will work. On those slow days live bait has always found the fishes mouth. I do use live leeches and hook them through the sucker or below on a single bait holder hook, some days a floating jighead.. I fish them on a Lindy slip sinker with the bail open but some days when they are taking it softly or take and swim towards the boat they deep hook themselves and then I will go to a Jig tipped with a leech. I have to admit I never tried the Gulp Leech, need to pick some up and give them a whirl. My first choice is always a tube after tossing Crank Baits to locate them after marking them on the electronics. There have been days all I use is what works first, usually a natural coloured tube on dull days and bright colours on overcast, sometimes the other way around. Fishing can be a oxymoron when it comes to tactics. For Perch nothing but Emerald Shiners dead or alive. Mid summer I actually fished with a guy that uses his downrigger in deep water for Bass. To my amazement it worked.
