Looks like quite a few guys a fishing plugs for blackies lately. I picked up a few on Ebay and don't really know how to properly rig or fish them. Recently Downriggin and others brought up plugs in another topic. I'd like to get a little more info.

The plugs I got are Silver Horde Tomic plugs that measure 71/2". Are people fishing plugs that are this big? Do you fish them behind a Flasher or just straight off the DR release? I'm thinking that you fish them w/o the flasher since they have their own action. Sounds like you troll them pretty fast right? As far as setting them up with a hook - which style of hook works best?

Any other info about thw hows and whats of plug fishing would be appreciated.

Steve

Steve, for BM I fish 4 or 5" (5" primarily) Tomic or Silver Horde plugs. I stick with mostly white and mother of pearl colors, although the past year I've done well with the "cop car " plug from Silver Horde. If fishing Silver Hordes, I remove the treble hooks as they make releasing shakers very difficult. I add a tru turn hook instead and have very good hooking success. The Tomics come with a single hook. I usually remove the hard wire from the Tomics so that the line then goes through the plug body like with Silver Hordes. This way if your line breaks, the plug will float to the surface. I very seldom lose plugs this way. You don't want to lose a good plug. Only about 1 in 6 or 8 I purchase really work great. I always fish the plug plain and at least 50' behind my downrigger release. I don't use a swivel to connect the plug but tie directly to the plug. Plugs should be fished at a good speed but you don't need to fly. You can go to the Tomic website and they have a great information page on how to rig and fish plugs with good photo's. Here's the address: http://www.tomiclures.com/rigging_instructions.htm
Whatever you do when you get a good one guard it with your life. I have a couple of plugs that look like a grinder has been working on them and they catch fish.

Yup, fish them right off the rigger, tied directly to the plug, no swivel and no flasher. I usually fish them pretty close because I fish them deep, right on bottom. The nice thing about fishing plugs is that you can fish them along with a lot of other gear because they can be fished at several different speeds and still be effective, unlike some gear that needs to be fished slow or fast to be effective.

The Tomic #602 & 603 are good producers right now, both in 5". I also have a real good blackmouth plug that I can't seem to find right now but it has a rattler in it and looks like a 602 but a little dark along the back.

I agree with the posts above but would like to add one thought. IMHO plugs fish better when you pull them further behind your down rigger. I commercial troller for years in both Washington and Alaska and fished my plugs a minimum of 30' behind the mainline. I went as far 50' if I thought i could get away with it without creating too many tangles. I beleive the plugs fish better if they are allowed a longer line to swim with.

Of course my Dad belives otherwise. He thinks that the wire had a natural attraction and that closer is better.

I saw this on Craigslist $50 for a box of plugs
http://seattle.craigslist.org/spo/49348409.html

I'm with the other guys on tying plugs to the main line directly. I use 30' behind the release. One other thing to do if your are fishing with another is to pull a flasher hoochie or flasher spoon rig on the other rigger at about the same depth as the plug. This will increase your catch rate on the plug dramatically!

This is why I love this website. Great posts guys. The one issue that hasn't been addressed is speed. Do you plug guys tipically speed up for the plug or stick with your normal trolling speed.? I like to stay between 2-2.5 mph or the angle on the cable gets to be too much. I will have to start tying the plugs directly to the main line, as I'm sure it will increase the action, haven't tried that yet. I also have a tendancy of not retying the main swivel soon enough and will lose the whole set-up as it fatigues.

We used almost plugs exclusively fishing at the Shearwater resort on the west coast of BC this summer. Used pearl and solid gold. My back and arms were sore by day 3 from all the hauling in. They ran the line right through the plugs, tied on a short bead chain and then pinched on a siwash. Even hauled up a 26 lb ling trolling about 75 down on the plug. Wife reeled on the ugly face for 25 minutes before it got in the boat. I've also caught all species of Sound Salmon on them (as well as dogfish). They are usually the second choice after glow hoochies, even before herring for me.

I generally remove the post from Tomics. Seems the plug gets a little better action...

For speeds I don't run anything less than 2.5kts. Matter of fact, I do a lot better at 3.5 or 4 kts than at slower speeds. Of course when fishing at these speeds, I am generally dragging bottom in 80-110 feet of water to alleviate the major blow back.

My best scenarios for plug fishing are:

1) "Too much" bait (herring) in the vincinity
2) When there are major schools of squid in the area. Don't know the reason why, but I theorize the movement and speed of the plug mimic squid...

Agree w most of the above w Tomic plugs. I never use the tow bar, always cut it off. I use 25# fluocarbon leader with sampo ball bearing swivel at 7' or more if I am using Canadian rod. I fish the 7" plugs for run fish N of Nootka in 600 series, 84flg w or without rattle is good.
They also make a 84flg like plug w pink in the sides that fish holding in front of rivers really like. I fish those in Comm bay.
The Tomic hooks really require a bunch of file time to get fishable, so For hooks I use Gami open eye siwash and I crimp those to a Berkeley swivel. I also use a small colored bead between plug and hook. Glow/green or red, mix it up. I use 4/O for 4", 5/O for 5", 6/O for the 6" and 7". Sometimes I stack beeds on the big plugs to get the hook where I want it.

The 602 in 4" is killer for BM and run fish. I do think it helps to have a flasher at similar depth or slightly below the plug on the other rigger. I also think that the wire has + effect IF your boat has right voltage , then 25' back works fine.. I run three riggers and the plug often ends up in the center deeper than the others, so then I do run 50' back.
I agree that some fish better than others. I also have 5-6 out of 40 that are all marked up w tooth marks but outfish the others. I gob smelly jelly: anchovie, herring on the face and the top of the plug + the leader.
It is true, Mr. Bucket mouth will hammer a too slowly trolled Tomic as will Halibut. I had to release a 60# butt off the flat at PT 2 days before Hali opener. It hit a 5"602 right on the deck.
A word of caution, 25# leader is very fragile with big fish you are trying to release boatside w hook releasers, Tomics float for recovery but they also pass thru nets...you may have fun getting that plug back.
Finally, no idea what speed I troll - but I go by cable angle, I do know that at the speed I fish both hot-spots w hootchies 42" back and Tomic plugs without tow bars catch fish!....get a decent fish with one and you will shun the flasher rod...

General rule of thumb that I use as far as speed goes is to troll fast enough to make the plug dart off to one side or the other occasionally instead of just wiggling along in a straight line.

Thanks guys a ton of good info.

So the plugs taht I bought seem a little big and different then what is talked about above. These are 7" plugs - most guys are talking about 4 and 5" plugs. Are these too big? I bought them with some cheap flashers off ebay. They didn't say what size they were I assumed 5". These plugs have Tomic on the side of them, but where you attach the line and hook to is not a looped over wire that runs through the plug. Instead its basically a metal fin - same idea, but I can't cut it and pull it out to run my line through it. Maybe these are comerical plugs?

Steve

You sure they don't say "Ace Hi Canadian". Those have the through body attachment like what you describe. The Tomic plugs I have (lots) don't have the name Tomic on them. The larger plugs will work but usually for summer and fall kings.

Thanks Hoghunter - They do say Tomic on some of them. I bought them a guy in Pt Roberts.

I think I'll give these a short, but I might have to wait until the summer fish show up.

Steve

I was on the boat today - not fishing Thought I would look at the box of Tomic plugs to pull some numbers of the more productive ones besides those I already listed: in no order
319, 278, 178, 232, and 109 are all proven King killers. Big Coho like them too. I do have a few Army truck plugs also - they do not have a number on the bill. I have never had much luck w those. Truck hootchies are killer tho.
Hope this helps you
Jim

I love the Silver Horde Plugs, I sware by them. Infact that's all I use in the Ocean, the Silver Horde Plugs Helped me Catch my 55 lber this past Summer..

The 4 in plugs are the ones to use at this time of the Year, if the Shakers are still getting them Bump up.

The Atomic 603 is my favorit atomic plug.. That Plug is a King Catcher.

These are my favorites 3"-5".
I can't believe nobody has mentioned Lyman Lures. (Take a look at the plug on the far right.)

Lyman- hand craved and painted! Well worth the extra $$$$

I still use a Point Defiance (or Point) Special (Mac's Squid plug)! Anyone remember these? One plug probably has close to 700 fish on it (counting grandpa's fish). I don't think they are made anymore, but I did recently see an ad for them... might have been old. I know Narrow's Tackle still has a few of them, and the all white red lip is still tops!

Just knew when I climbed into the boat I should have taken the digital cam with me... Tomic website has few of the colors we are talking about or have in pics.
Next time I go by Narrows marine I will look for DR's recommendation and the Lyman also. Just what I need more plugs...

I have these Plugs I got from an Estate sale. They say, I think Ace Hi above the eye. Kind of faded.

Anybody ever heard of these plugs? They have monge marks from where the Salmon attacked them so they must work, right?

I've caught a few smaller salmon with them. Even a small ling. Nothing of size though. Just want to know if anybody has had any success with them is all.

And I don't want anybody telling me they don't work, and to send them to them. :p