I'd hose it down inside, and out with carb cleaner. Pull the bowl off, and hit the needle and seat. Along with all the holes I could get to, including the jets. Then put it back on, and see if it helped.
Might cure the problem, might not. But since I'm sure that you haven't got a carb kit yet. That's the way I'd go. In fact, I'm not only cheap... I'm stubborn too. So that's exactly what I always do first. Carb kits are mostly gaskets anyhow. Those are easily made, should you happen to rip one.