what's a good rod choice for pulling plugs

My personal favorite is the loomis 1082. It's lite action but it lets the plugs work nicely.

Loomis HSR 9000C, is there anything else?

Mike at Ted's recommended the Fenwick HMX T83ML-2 (a med 8'3" rod, so I bought 2 of them.

It's inexpensive ($99 or so) and Fenwick has a great policy on breakage. Send it back and get another for about $10. I had to use this when a friend of mine lost my rod tip in the Sky.

The rod's seem to work fine and we've caught a few steelhead and salmon on them. Plus it's real nice to have a matched set of plug rods and reels (complete with colored line, marked at 50') in the boat..

O.K. I know very little about plugs and how they work so I got a few questions. What makes a good plug rod? I like fishing with light gear so will I need to beef it up a little to pull a wigle wart? I have wanted to learn plugs but I don't understand what to look for in a rod that will help the plug work at it's best.

thankx,

Most pluggers I know use an 8-6 medium rod, and Lamiglas appears to be the favorite. Because of the constant pull of a plug, you don't want to go with too light of gear, but that ultimately depends on what kind/size plug you use and the current you're backtrolling in. The aforementioned setup seems to work in just about every condition.

I agree with RiverDog, the GLoomis HSR 9000 is the best plug rod I've ever used. I've got one of the old brown ones and like it so much I'm considering another new one. It also makes for a good rod to throw spinners for silvers. All of my plug rods are one piece rods including the next GLoomis HSR rod up in size, the 7'9" and it is also a very sweet stick.

The 9000 is nice for hatchery fish and smaller wild strains ... here on the coast, I prefer the 981 as it has enough backbone to put the screws to big fish in heavy water without having to play the fish all day. I just set up a fella with some of the Loomis MBR's (magnum bass rod) on a recommendation ... and he really loves them! These have a longer foregrip than the HSR series and you actually grab the cork coming out of a holder rather thena the blank. And like all good plug rods ... you have a very fast action (softer tip with lots of beef below for those who aren't famiiar with rod 'actions')

A HS9000 excellant rod I mainly use it in the summer time or slower flows also great for walleye. I have even seen people backbounce with them. For faster water or bigger fish I prefer the HS900 it is the same length but rated for 8#-17# it is only available in a blank.You can plan on building it when the rivers are blown. An other rod is HS1021 8'6'' 10#-20# it is a two piece as the HS900&HS9000 are one piece these are all GLoomis

i recommened the gloomis hs1021 for plugs. it is 8-1/2 feet and has a fast action which ables you to even see the movement of the very small hotshots. it has plenty of backbone to handle 15 kwickfish, and still light enough to run wigglewarts. i have used the hs9000 and it is a good smaller fish type rod, but it seems the hs1021 can fish both small and big. most guides i know use the hs9000 for smaller plugs and go to a bigger rod for k15 type plugs. myself i can only afford one set of two rods and i am very happy with my selection.

Just a minor detail that might be confusing to the new comer,GLoomis Hot Shot(HSR) series have extra fast actions as opposed to fast actions of the Steelhead (STR) series. This is something to consider when comparing different rod manufacturers. All the actions,power ect. are explained at any of the rod makers web sites.

I like the loomis hsr9000, They are a little light for big fish in fast water. I picked up 2 Lamiglass GSH 90 1MTs they are rated for 8 to 17 lb lne and the are 7'6" in length. They have plenty off backboe for moving fish. The tips are light enough to let a #30 hotshot work well.
My room mate has a Loomis MBR941C. Its 7'10" rated for 10 to 17lb line. This rod pulls plugs awesome. It has a long for grip wich makes it easier to get out of the holder. I feel that rod is an excellent plug rod.

Hi Bob,
I have a set of the HSR981C and I love them. Which MBR# are you talking about? Glad to hear you are alright.

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Tight Lines!!

I can only afford some of the low end GLoomis rods, I mostly use Lamiglas rods. I finally invested in my first true "plug rod" about a year or so ago. I used to use my older fenwick 88C and 89C's as plug rods. I bought a 1 pc 8ft G1330-T Hot Shot Magnum which cost me just a little over $100. It's actually a very nice plug rod for the money if you don't have alot to spend. It has a very soft tip, but alot of pull in the backbone. I can also use it for a small sturgeon rod too. If you're short on money it's a good way to go. I bought rod/reel for just around $160. That's a lami and an ambasseduer. I'd love to step up to a GLoomis plugrod, but sometimes even that "little" extra cost is sometimes too much for some people. It's an option in case you need it.

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oops ... sorry Dick, they're 941's ... the same that Willierower mentions ... I looked 'em over when they came in, look very nice ... and "cheap" ... about $135 retail.

Thank you Bob.

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Tight Lines!!

I purchased a couple MBR 941's from TH a while back and love them. I saw them in his boat on the river and fell in love. I have even landed fall chinook with them. I think they are the best pulg rods on the market.

GO DUCKS !!!!

St Criox has a plug rod that is a good center rod. It runs a great bait diver. WC80m. However they have a rod in the light salt series that will keep up with the Loomis 9000. I had two made by Greg Rosenbach, out of Lake Stevens. We have hooked steelhead and a nice 29 lbs king on the Skagit. These rods are lite and good in slow water. $250 Cusotm made for both!