We finally got a boat . Now we can pull plugs. What kind of rod would we use? We have a couple of Abu 5501c reels. What kind of line? Drags set strong or light? Anything else? Thanks

before you concentrate on gear,learn the safe use and navegation of your boat,that said I use 12lb trilene xt,loomis mbr941 rod,5500 reels,set drag tight enough to set the hook but loose enough to let line if the fish needs it,set the plugs out 6crosses on a short slot,8crosses in colored water, 10 in clear water, some guys may not agree but if the rowing against the current is tough,move on the fish don't hold there

I agree with everything skydriftin said. You might want to try some of the new super braids. Low stretch, small diameter and strong. I add a five foot mono leader off the end because I run the high visibility colors. High visibility line helps keep track of where the plugs are. Another thing I do is pull out about fifty feet of line on each rod and mark the line with a black magic marker. Plugs need to be the same distance out to work best and this helps those that can't seem to count consistently. Get a book or look up some information on tuning plugs also. Really makes a difference!

8-12lb medium rod with a 5501 or 251 calcutta
lined with trilene xt solar green high vis with a 5' ultra green 12lb test leader.I'll run 45 - 55 feet of line out in most conditions.Having your plugs tuned is probley the most critical part of plug pulling.Set the drag medium to medium tight so it will get hooked but still take line if needed.Do not touch rod till buried and don't set the hook to hard either if at all.Good luck,
STRIKE ZONE

I also use the MBR 941 rods for pluggin'. They are one piece with a very fast tip so you can see the plug work.They also have enough backbone to get a good hookset. High vis mono(15#) helps keep the eye strain down.I run a 6' ultra green or Izor leader (10# or12#) depending on if we are into hatchery or native fish.
To mark 50' on the main,I have a pink bobber knot to contrast the yellow line.You can also feel the knot on the spool as you are thumbing out the plugs.
Kent (now at Three Rivers) set me up with these rigs a few years ago and I am very happy with them.
I always try to run at least one bait diver.
You need to row just enough to give the plugs action.
If you can't keep the boat straight,you are probably in too fast of water.
At first just run straight down the slot.You can learn how to slide across later.

Practice..Practice..Practice...

Don't worry how you look just try to keep the boat straight.

At first you're going to flail away at the water and wear yourself out. Relax and take shorter.eaiser stokes more often.

I mostly fish plugs with 9' Browning Gl6 rated 10 to 17. I have 17# Ande on it. Works great.

We have been playing with the 10-20 mooching rod with the knucklebuster on it lately. With 4 on the boat , the extra couple feet makes a big difference. I still have two fingers and a thumb left!

PS 5501's have the handle on the wrong side. They won't work. :p Everytime I pick one up I just stand there with the Rod in my hand trying to figure out what to do next. By then the Fish is gone

Being that I am a fisherman on a budget, I have a Southbend rod/reel combo I bought at Fred Meyers. It is a spinning reel, cost me $29.00. I don't know what model, it doesn't have one! Like I said, on a budget. I took the cheap line off that it came with and put on some 14lb abrasion resistant Stren. I can cast it pretty damn good and I pull plugs with it also. My avitar shows the last two fish I caught with this pole- big one is a 40" 29lb king. I don't reckon the fish know what kind of rod and reel I use, but I am not a guide either just a weekender at best. If I fished more often, I might spend more money for a decent rig but can't afford to. My partner went to SportCo and bought a Rapala rod, about 9' or so and loves it. When I can afford one, I will too. Looks like a Lamiglass but half the price, quality is on par. The guy at Sportco is really knowlegable and give great advice. He will set you up with a good rig at a great price if you let him know what you are after.

Oh yeah, I set the drag pretty light, just so it has good tension yet I can spool some off by hand with a little effort. I like the hood to set good but line to spool off if he runs. I am primarily a plug puller, haven't mastered the jugging or fly fishing yet. Need more time, man, need more time!!

Apparently I haven't mastered spelling or typing yet, either! You have good reels, just get a good all around type rod to go with them. $.02

Lots of good advice. You can get by without a top-notch plugging rod, although it will cost you a little of the ability to really see what's happening down there (you'll learn to read your tips over time!).

I prefer the Maxima Fibreglow over the Trilene .. but go with a high vis to run the seams and such correctly.

Also, set your rodholders either real ones or whoever's in your boat to hold the rods as straight forward and with as little bend as possible ... that allows the plug to work better and the fish has a chance to turn before hitting the meat of the rod!

Good luck!

Just wondering if I am the only guy that uses line counting reels (Okumas). I can run the plugs out to any length and still know they are running side by side.

Bob

Steve,

While I tend to spend too much money on my equipment (I must be insecure about the size of something), you sound like my kinda guy. Any time you want to bring your SouthBend gear over to Eastern Washington, look me up.

Dan

I have pulled plugs for probably 30 years now. All the advice is good. One more thing I learned over the years is this. The best rods for pulling plugs are glass rods. They have no memory and when a fish pulls the rod down, the rod stays with the fish, allowing the hook set. Trouble with todays graphite is that it wants to rebound and pull the plug "away" from the fish. Try E-glass for a guaranteed increase in % of hookups!

Tarponman speaks very wisely .... I too am a 30+ year man..... what he said is very good advice.. A 8-9' E glass fly rod blank, 8 wt makes an excellent 'bug' rod. Use a braided line (power pro), medium priced level wind, and go for it.....

I look for a rod thats not too heavy for the fish I'm after, and a more moderate action (think 'glass here). Most plug rods have fast or x-fast actions. I don't think that is the best for plugs. I want the rod to flex enough so that the fish can hit the plug and turn its head without the rod yanking the plug back out of its mouth first.
The 5500 and 5501 reels work great for me loaded with #10 line (12 for bigger fish). Although some might call this line light, the combination of it and the more moderate action rod means the plug can dive deeper and really dance compared to the same plug on a heavy, fast rod with heavy line.
I set the drag about the same as drift-fishing. The fish can take line but their is tension. A locked down drag will either break the line or turn the fish back so that it is facing straight at the boat where it has the best chance of popping the hook.
Depending on the size of the plug, you might look at Excaliber or Triple Grip hooks over the factory ones. Small light plugs like the Triple Grip better (lighter weight) while hot shots, etc will keep their action and still tune with Excaliber hooks. Can't say it will work for you, but I've landed 20 of the last 21, compared to 7 for 13 before.

I have been plugging for over 20yrs and I like a rod with a soft tip with lots of backbone.I use Izor line hivis 20lb straight to the hotshot clip(so I can use my plug
retriever if I hang one up)and make sure your hooks are sticky sharp!!! If the water is lower I will go lighter on the line to match the plug size and water conditions. <img border="0" alt="[eat]" title="" src="graemlins/eat.gif" />

Thanks for all the pointers - it saves alot of time and $ learning from this format. Bring on the rain!

Hey SteelieDan, if I come your way, you will be the first to know! Visa Versa, if you get this way, we'll load the South Bends in the Bayline and hit the sound, ya? Open Invitation!

There seems to be 2 schools of thought here:

1) Those who are "old school" and prefer glass rods because they work more fluidly without the stiff rebound of graphite. I have friends who swear this is the way to go.

2) Everyone else who leans towards the modern graphite rods designed specifically for plug fishing. I fall into this group.

The "glass" guys make very valid points but my question to them (or anyone for that matter) is if those actions are the time-tested rods to use, why don't the graphite rod makers follow suit? These graphite plug rods are designed by fishermen just like us. Yet, they invariably design sensitive tip, fast action rods.

I just find it interesting looking at the 2 schools of thought and how very different equipment can (debatably) produce similar results.

If I could afford a different rod for each application, I would have every rod made. Unfortunately, I use glass rods because I can only afford a couple of different rods that must perform in every application. I have a little super ultra light Shakespear for bass trout or crappie, a good size off-brand spinning rod I use in big water shooting for big kings and my SouthBend for all around salmon fishing. I have been flirting with fly rods at WalMart recently. I certainly have left my share of drool all over the new graphite rods and noodle rods and level wind reels and someday I will have a few! Probably when I retire and take my grandkids fishing, if I ever have any. My 12 daughter tells me I'll be dead by then! Over the hill at 36..........

I'd like to mention that I use a 6500 C3, that is the style with the clicker. I love to hear that line tear off! Really gets the attention of the Crackers in the front!

Hey Eric,

I got a third school of thought. HYBRID rods!

Don't know if they make em' any more but my plug rods are Lamiglas "Flame Tip", which have a softer flourescent red Glass tip on a good and stout Graphite butt. Awesome plug rods. Only 8', shorter is good, but the disadvantage being that it is a one piece rod. Handles lines from 10-20 and lures fom 3/8 - 2oz. Been using Ande or Maxima hi vis lines, but have recently switched to the PP hi-vis braided, which seems ideal having small diameter (less water drag), high test and best of all, no stretch!

It's not necessary to get a specific rod for plugging, but they are sweet. Visibility of the tip and the line is key for me though. I've seen some guys paint or tag their plug rod tips too. Even used colored yarn on the tip in a pinch.

Seems to me that working a plug in a boat is much like working a spinner, spoon or crankbait. You learn their optimum action and operating depth and fish em using the boat as an extension of your arm, working them down and through a slot where by watching the rod tip and line as it enters the water you are able to determine that the lure is working optiminally through the areas you want to fish. My eyes are always on those two places adjusting rod position and action with the oars, never breaking a sweat. This is why I try to encourage riders to leave their rods in the holders so they can be worked with the oars to their maximum advantage. This isn't to say riders are uninvolved because plugging especially for driftboats is a great team sport. Oarman concentrating on positioning and working the boat the pard' setting the plugs at the top and the pulling them at the bottom of the run. This helps to extend the plug run through the most productive, but most difficult parts of the run. Love those tailouts, but what a ***** to it is to try to manuver and reel by yourself, as your'e dropping out of a hole. If you're just beginning, fish different colors but keep the plug types to minimum till you know their specific limitations, some are definatley less finicky and some perform better on certain type of rivers. Check with guys fishing your river first. When you do find that one plug that consistently produces, put it under lock and key.

One last point, just because you can plug or you want to plug doesn't mean you should plug on many rivers. Be considerate. Don't hog a hole or run plugs through bankies without asking. Plugging utilizes a lot of prime fishing water and sometimes to be fair there just isn't enough water to go around. Better to live in harmony to plug another day when the rudest thing that happens that day is a boat-twisting plug takedown.

Plug on!

I was doing a search for some plug rod information and ran across Erics post. Interesting can anyone answer it?

quote:
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Originally posted by Eric:
There seems to be 2 schools of thought here:

1) Those who are "old school" and prefer glass rods because they work more fluidly without the stiff rebound of graphite. I have friends who swear this is the way to go.

2) Everyone else who leans towards the modern graphite rods designed specifically for plug fishing. I fall into this group.

The "glass" guys make very valid points but my question to them (or anyone for that matter) is if those actions are the time-tested rods to use, why don't the graphite rod makers follow suit? These graphite plug rods are designed by fishermen just like us. Yet, they invariably design sensitive tip, fast action rods.

I just find it interesting looking at the 2 schools of thought and how very different equipment can (debatably) produce similar results.
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I was doing a search for some plug rod information and ran across Erics post. Interesting can anyone answer it?


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Bringing it to the top one final time

Lead Thrower,
Not exactly sure what is the "it" is you're looking for an answer to?

If you're wondering about the glass vs graphite question that has raged on for decades now, it is definately a feel and personal preference thing. A fine point if you will. Like most things, everybodys got an opinion. This is mine:
For most fishing glass loses out, but the debate remains strong with "plug" rods because the sensitivity and speed of graphite (composite) is not as important as it is to other types of fishing. The slower action on the glass rods can be an advantage to the plug puller if the tip remains responsive because the rod seems to allow more plug action, the greater weight is not a concern to plug puller, they are far more durable and they are definately more forgiving on takedowns (a critical point) and playing a fish. Although they are not very common, I mentioned a "hybrid" rod earlier in this thread that is designed exclusively for plugging. It is a wonderful plug rod, having many of the advantages of both types of material, but it is not much good for anything else but plugging. Another approach for a "high performance" lightweight plug rod with the feel and advantages of glass is to build your own using one of the new composite fly rod blanks in a 8,9 or10 wt with a slow or "classic" action. Although I've piddled with that sort of thing, I'm just as pleased with the inexpensive "boat" rods that are out there. For me, drift boats and persnickity rods don't mix.

As to why you don't see glass being promoted to plug pullers out there, I think it is simply economics. The market is small, most aren't buying a specific rod for plugging only and there is no money in a "throw back" technology for a few "throwback" plug fanatics. And truth is the new stuff works just fine. But then there are always a few, and like I mentioned, Lamiglass did make, maybe still do, some plug specific rods like my cool hybrid "Flame Tip". So these guys do know what's going on, point is do most fisherman care?

Hope this helps with your question, but if not, I am sure that if you were more specific someone will be glad to answer, best they can.

Cheers.

Mooch

Thanks much

"As to why you don't see glass being promoted to plug pullers out there, I think it is simply economics. The market is small, most aren't buying a specific rod for plugging only and there is no money in a "throw back" technology for a few "throwback" plug fanatics. And truth is the new stuff works just fine. But then there are always a few, and like I mentioned, Lamiglass did make, maybe still do, some plug specific rods like my cool hybrid "Flame Tip". So these guys do know what's going on, point is do most fisherman care?"

That is what I was after.

I will have to look into those Flame Tips.

Both fiberglass and graphite have their good points and bad points!!! I have magnum Hotshot rods made by lamiglass that were made for pluggin only. I like them in heavy water but they slow the action of the plug down in soft water!!! In the soft water I like a IM7 berkely rod they are awesome seem to be able to fish almost dead water and they still keep my plugs working. The key is getting the fish landed after a hookup and after trying many,many different rods ,lami's,loomis, etc.., these are my go to rods now. So to get back on the plugging suggestion question my number one tip is a hook file, what has really improved my landing ratio is constantly sharpening my hooks not just when I put the plug out to start the day but every time I put the plugs out!!!PEACE