Ok, I'll admit it. I am a plug virgin. Haven't ever banged a steelie on a plug. All my experience is drift fishing along weith Chuck N Duck. Heading out to the "promised land" on 4-15, and have a question for you, and any one else that wants to crank on me. Do you run a special leader from your main line to a plug? It would make sense that you may put a leader with a swivel to cut down on twist. I've been watching posts for a while, and understand that I want to run them about 40-50 feet below the boat, and back them down slowly, wait for the tip to bury before I pick it up. The leader thing confuses me. The water is clear, and about 4-6 feet deep. Will run tadpolly's and hot shots. I have been told that gold is a good color in clear water, but have many to choose from. Can you help me out with leader length, or anything else I may be missing. Will e-mail you a picture of my first "plug fish". Thanks guys. If you need any help hosing brats on 4 pound line and size 10 hooks, and transparent floats, feel free. I won't tease you.

Hawk,
I am a begginer with plugs also. I have fished plugs for salmon, but steelies is a completely different adventure for me. I run tadpolly's more than anything else, they are the top plug! I run my plugs at equal lengths usually 40-45 pulls. I will tell the people in my boat to start letting there plugs out now, and they look at me and say hell were only in 6 inches of water. My point of this is that I want my plugs working before I am in the hole or slot that I want to plug. I have had luck hitting fish at the head of the hole or run on low and clear days. You may not hit a fish in the head but you lengthen your fishing area. This is just one of my tips. It may work it may not, but just thought you could give it a shot.

Thanks,
Andy Matthews

Leaders are a personal choice when pulling plugs. I dont use leaders with hot shots and other similar plugs. You dont worry about line twist if your plugs are tuned properly. The only swivel you need is #7 barrel swivel between the plug and a single siwash hook.
As for the right distance to let out your plugs, Thats all trial and error. 40' is a good starting point, Sometimes its longer other times its shorter.

Mike Laverty wrote a book 'Plug Fishing for Steelhead' (Frank Amato books or via Amazon and similar) that answers all your questions and then some. Mike suggests running a fairly lengthy leader (a foot or two shorter than your rod, typically 5-7') tied to a #7 barrel swivel (big enough not to come through your tip top or crack it if you reel up on it). He also exhautively covers colors and raises issues you may not have thought of (e.g. fine tuning the plugs by switching hooks and adding bead chain swivels to some of them to increase the hookp-up ratio, and using a round-eye swivel to attach the plug). It's a short book that's worth reading.

Having started on plugs and now moved on to drift fishing (and some float fishing) the only reason I'd fish plugs for steelhead was the thrill of doing something different. The real skill is working the oars and backing the boat down in such a way that the fish can't easily squirt around the plugs without leaving the hole. Now I'll have to admit it's fun to be in the front of the boat watching the rods when a skilled guide pushes the fish down to almost the tailout and it's 'now or never time' -- either a fish eats a plug or the school shoots up under and around the boat. But it's certainly not as skillful a way from the angler's perspective as is drift fishing or slinging spinners or spoons.

There is one exception that's a lot of fun, and we use it on kings when wade fishing. That's having a partner up high spotting fish and then wading into the run above the hole and backing a plug down on the fish by wading. You get the directions from your friend 'OK, he's moved two feet to your right and the plug's about 6 feet above him'. The play-by-play commentary really heightens the excitement, especially when your buddy cries out 'He's going for it!' about the time your rod lurches in your hands and you rear back. Now that's a rush, but unless you're eight feet tall you can't do that everywhere on most river either.

I pull plugs quite a bit out of my boat and always run a leader. 6 feet of maxima ultra green tied to a barrel swivel tied to high vis green trilene. The swivel does double duty, preventing any line twist and catching any debris that may slide down the line and would get on the plug otherwise. I leave the tag ends of the knots on the swivel a bit long to help catch the debris.

Hawk
No need for a leader to the plug. Since a tuned plug does not spin. Use a mainline that is 12-15 test. The lighter the line the less the push from the current on the line resulting in deeper diving plugs.

VERY IMPORTANT ....tune the plug so it dives straight down under pressure.

You will improve your hook up ratio if you replace the cheap hooks with a larger hook. You should also extend the hook farther back on the plug by adding a swivel or a long split ring. This will get the plug away from the hook for a better point exposure. Make sure they are razor sharp.

In clear water Black is king of the colors. Take your gold colored plugs and dip the bill in black paint.

Distance below the boat for line length is based on the depth of the water your fishing or distance to brush piles.

Plugs are normally run in tandem. You may spook one fish into biting the other plug. Run your plugs equal distances below the boat. You can add markers on your line or use the same type of reels and count line passes on the reel.

You can also experience short strikes on the plugs. Patience will get that fish if you keep plugging the hole the fish usually hits again. Wait for the rod to dive.

Truly the hardest part of plugging is the art of rowing them properly through a hole.

Would love to hear some of your ultra clear techniques for brats. They would work great in some of my extreme low water fishing.

Tight lines



------------------
Marty
www.steelheader.net
marty@steelheader.net

No leader needed for plugs, Not that it could hurt but really does not buy you anything. The true trick is mentioned above. The art of working a run comes with time. The one piece of advice I can offer is that the fish in a good plug run are closer to the bank than you might think. Over the years I have noticed that its the bank side pole that gets hit 7 out of 10 times. The fish would rather head shallow to get out of the way than move out into the middle of the river. Good luck.

Just read your post and the good replys Hawk. I will add some things that I like to do. I prefer to use 30# Spiderwire superbraid mainline because it is about the diameter of 6# mono, so cuts more easily thru the current to get your plug deeper per given distance out. I use about a 50" Maxima mono leader joined by a small black barrelswivel. I use 6 to 15# leader for steelies & 15 to 25# for Kings, depending on water color and current strength. Be sure to use a small wiresnap on the end of the leader, instead of a snapswivel, for slightly better action. Take all the stock snaps off your plugs for quick change over. The braids don't stretch/give so you should have a flexable rodtip, in addition to the mono leader and lightly set drag, to absorb shock. When a fish hits & pulls the tip down set it with a brisk tip raise, not a hard set with the stretchless braid. Another thing I prefer that many don't is to hold & work the plugrod instead of stick it in a rodholder (which would be OK if you have the perfect distance out in uniform depth holding water- of course the fish will come up aways off bottom to strike a plug however). As Andy mentioned, the oarsman/kicker motor is doing most of the fishing here and should start the backtrolling well above in shallow water. The distance you let out depends on depth, line thickness, plug divability (ALWAYS tune them to dive straight), and current speed in relation to the boat. Backtroll slowly, especially for Kings, and work the water with a mild zigzag pattern where appropriate. 30 to 40 ft. is good to start with, and up to 60+ ft. for deeper slots. I used to have my clients hold the rods high up (& outward to spread the plugs apart & cover more water) in the shallower upper end & again approaching the tailout so the plugs would stay just above the bottom instead of dredging. In between in the deepest parts I would have them hold the rods low to the water to get the plugs deeper. A good rule of thumb for line distance is that you are out too far if the plug action keeps stopping by hitting bottom; and when your backtroll & rodtip are steady, occasionally pull the plug upstream about 3 to 4 ft. to see if it hits bottom- if not either very slowly let out a little more line or hold the tip lower to the water. - I like the above suggestions for hook setups. I encourage barbless siwash for nates. All hooks sticky sharp as with driftfishing. - There are so many good stock colors now. For some, like the light gold or copper for clear water, I will add a small arrow shaped piece of lure tape on the underneath side near the tail; in either flame red or chartuse. In fact I do this on most of my plugs because I think it will either further excite or anger a territorial Steelhead or King. For gin clear water I recommend the dark green metalic Hot Shots. In size 5/50 for small rivers (I call this the "Green Machine" because it's so deadly when fished correctly from a stealthy approach) and size 30 for medium rivers, as well as the steelie sized Tadpolys; standard Wiggle Warts for large rivers. I have a couple of custom plug colors I paint up that do out perform the stock colors. One is the Green Butt Skunk- paint the nose of a chrome plug with gloss black enamel, then put med. green colored arrow shaped lure tape near the tail. Another is a "pattern", done in optional colors, that I believe to be the most effective there is- having one half the plug chrome (or white) lengthwise, on the right or left half. Paint the other half, after masking the stock color half, with Metalic Saphire Blue (Testors spray enamel #1639), Green Metal Flake (#1630), or Red Metal Flake (#1629) on the chrome (and gloss black on the white plugs). Don't be concerned with painting imperfections because that probably looks more natural to the fish anyway. Add the tail arrow as above and ONE tape fisheye under the bill on the colored half. Use trans. red colored hooks. These patterns look like injured baitfish struggling on their side to the steelies/salmon. It's a deadly combo with a good baitfish oil scent applied. These custom baitfish color patterns are also outstanding for Kwikfish (wrap with eggjuice cured reddish sardine filets). Good luck Hawk. Let me know they work for you. - Steve Hanson

[This message has been edited by Reel Truth (edited 04-10-2000).]

[This message has been edited by Reel Truth (edited 04-10-2000).]