It has been said in many a publication that to properly fish plugs from a drift boat the plugs MUST be exactly side by side.
Preferably 60 to 85 ft. out. So, how do all of you pluggers get that exact placement time
and time again?????????
Just finished rigging my K14'S and was curious about your rigging techniques.
None of us knows more than all of us.

Hey you know there are pluggers on this site much more knowledgable than myself that will likely tell you it's important to have them side by side. I tried the side-by-side thing for a period of time but found it somewhat of a hassle. I suppose if you put a marker of some type on the line or counted pulls you may be able to get the plugs close. Now I just throw the lure out about 50' and have my passengers do the same. We seem to do as well as anyone else. Of far more importance IMO is plug color and design. Hope this helps.

RM

I simply have everyone count line passes on the levelwind reel. Assuming of course everyone has the same type of reel. I find that it does matter.

FYJ, I also have my people count the pulls and stress pull length from the reel all the way to the first eye (each and every pull), every pull the same to get all plugs as close as possible to the same distance. I have heard of others who mark their line at 60' with a marker of some sort. (60' is what I run for the most part others may be different)

As far as rigging goes, the big thing for me to learn was not to use a snap swivel on the main line to clip on to the plug. Instead use a horseshoe clip (I believe that is what it is called). The snap swivel will cause the plug to come to the surface more often than not (very annoying). Wiggle Warts come with this clip, I am not sure if the Hot Shots and Tadpollys do or not. Hope this helps

Doubletake

When I use to do a lot of plug pulling I would mark the 50 & 60' marks on my reels with different bobber stop knots. I would suggest using dacron because it comes in different colors. Also fly line backing works well too.

If you want a plug to run like a fine tuned watch tie a perfection loop to the eye instead of using clips. I agree it's a hastle but it works outstanding!

Good Luck!

I have three plug rods that I make my buddies use on my boat that the reel level wind moves. You just say three times across or how many you need. As far as the straight across thing I think as long as your close don't nessesarily need to be perfect but more important is to watch and make sure that they are working in the undercurrent were the fish are. I rig K-14's with a small sardine wrap and a two foot leader from a swivel off the main line to the dura snap. Just make sure you tune them right. Hope this helps.

Tight lines

Kevin

Counting the level wind passes is a great way to measure the amount of line out but it only works if people are paying attention. I use the bobber stops at 50 feet so you can fire off the plugs in a hurry at the top of a riffle as you drop into the hole. You'd be surprised how many people will lose count and then have to start over or they don't tell you and they are in too close or out to far by the time they put the rod in the holder. If you don't use the bobber stops, then use a black permanent marker.

In my boat we usually count the bars of the level wind if we all have the same reels.Last year we switched to the bobber stops,it works better for like Kid Sauk said
getting the plugs out fast for those one pop
shots I call them.Good luck,
STRIKE ZONE

I use Shimano LC1500 reels. They have line counters on them that keep the plugs at the same distance out.

Bobber stops at what ever distance you prefer also work. The only problem comes if you tangle your lines or break off somehow. When you re-rig you bobber stop wil no longer be in the right spot.

The problem with counting passes on the reel, beyond the paying attention already mentioned, is that both reels must be the same model as well as having the same line. If not, they will not be out equal lengths.

I was not sure buying the line counter reels was worth the expense when I was buying them. Now I am convinced it was some of the best money I have spent on gear.

Please, keep leaving suggestions. But if someone could send me a private message or e-mail me why running lures side-by-side increases fish, that would be great. I just don't understand why.

Matt

You gotta picture what the fish is seeing. You want the fish to run into plugs no matter were they move. Shift to the right oh theres a plug...shift to the left oh there's another one of those annoying things.....shift back to were I was confy to begin with and then kill the annoying thing as it comes by.....fish on Your agrivating them to bite. Hope this helps

Tight lines

Kevin

Hey R.D.L.
Your trying to create a wall. The idea is not to be staggard.

About the rest of the suggestions, keep em' comin, thier great.
When I said that I had just gotten done riggin it was like this.
Old dacron nail knots at 85ft.
60ft. for size 30 hot shots.
I started using nail knots when I found that permanent marker seemed to weaken the line.
Also if you have inexperienced fishers in the bow you then have to anchor up on the side of the current, get your plugs out yourself, and then pull anchor and row back into the current stream. By doing this you have just lost 20 to 30ft of primo plug water at the head of the run.A good, secure nail knot allows your fishers to simply cast and then click the thumb bar when the knot is 6 inches out of the reel. When I have to rerig I retie, put rods in holders in beached boat, grab both plugs and run out 25 paces.Any other ideas?????????


On the last float my k14's were constantly surfacing in the realy heavy water, whats up with that? thanx guys let me hear it..

when your tuning your K-14's run them hard to make sure that they are tuned. I take the rod upside down and pull it hard up stream. The only reason they are coming up is because they aren't quite tuned right.

Tight lines

Kevin

Thanx kev.
Will back the eye off one half turn and start tuning from there. I never have had to tune my kwikies much.

The simplest way to get exact distances is to mark your line with indelable felt pen. For instance my garage is 50 ft from the street so I measure it out and mark it. I have a marker on the boat to refresh the marks and if we lose a bit of line we pull over and match the lengths and it's pretty easy to remove the old marks. It makes it real easy and FAST to get the plugs out. I hate rowing my ass off to stay in a spot so one guy is slowly counting pulls.

As far as the length being the same I think it's real important. That one bit of fine tuning made a lot of difference. I mark my lines in ten foot intervals starting at 50 ft as when I'm plugging there should be no belly in your line. slow water i bring it in a little, faster water you can let it out. Remember that the closer to the boat the plug is the deeper it will dive and the farther away the shallower it will be.

I was told by the guy that taught me to plug that the reason the plugs need to be the same lenght is so the fish don't have an escape route. His theory was that the fish in a slot is being pushed back intil it's out of their comfort zone they will strike or completly roll out of the hole.

Any way thats my 2 cents. Good luck E-mail me if you like.

Ron Bob

On my stealhead plug rods I run Abu 5501's. I count the passes of the level when running out the plugs. I run my hotshots, wiggle warts or what ever plug Im using out 3 to 6 passes, depending on the water.
As for rigging a kwik fish. I always use a jet diver in front of a kwik fish. A #30 jet diver on an 18" dropper rigged sliding. I use a 3' leader to the plug. This will keep the plugs down in slow and fast water both.

Now were talkin,
Thanx willie

I'm amazed at how many of you guys really think that keeping the lures out an even distance makes a difference. Have you ever sight fished salmon or steelhead? When the bait/lure approaches the fish, if they aren't interested most simply move a few inches to one side or the other and let the bait go on by. They certainly don't run to the bottom of the hole and panic as some have suggested. I have thrown spinners in front of holding steelhead twenty times and never had them move an inch. Those that do spook are generally looking for cover, hardly interested in taking a bait once it gets near them. Spooked fish will just as likely move sideways or upstream as going down, then what? Maybe if a lure is just above, you've got him? Hmmmmmmmm. If a fish wants to avoid a couple of hotshots he certainly will, simple as that. And, if these fish spooked to the back of a hole everytime something strange came down the river there wouldn't be any fish making it to their spawning grounds. Some of my most productive days have been spent pulling one plug at a time. I will spend my time with the plugs in the water, not counting pulls. Happy angling to you guys!!

RM

Got to pass on that one!!!!!!!!!!


maybe later.

OH YEAH!!!!!!!!! FOR SURE LATER.

RIGHT NOW TIMBER MAN HAS GOT ME IN A BARBERS CHAIR!

YIKES!!!!!!!!!!