Plugs

Plugs & Pirks

Over the last few years plugs have become popular, especially with
specialist bass anglers. However, they can also be used when
pollack, coalfish and mackerel are the chosen prey. They come in two
different forms; floating and sinking. Made from plastic (by machine) or wood (hand-crafted).

There are two basic designs, single or jointed body. Decoration
varies widely and plugs of virtually any colour can easily be obtained. Many have either painted-on eyes or stick on bubble eyes, which have moving eyeballs.

The jointed-body variety are designed to mimic smaller fish and when retrieved their design causes them to wobble violently giving the illusion of a small fish in distress.

The hunting fish has a very short time to assess whether your bait is
an edible fish and whether to strike or not.The strike when it comes can be violent.

As mentioned earlier there are two types of plug. The floating plug is favoured by the bass angler. When cast it floats on the surface but during a fast retrieve it will dive under the surface on its way back to the rod. A plastic vane or lip is usually found at the front of the plug. Depending on how this vane is set water pressure will either force the plug down or up.

Another advantage of a floating plug is that if you are fishing over rocky or weedy ground then you are less likely to lose it on snags or rocks.

In appearance there is not much to distinguish a floating plug from a
sinking plug. The difference is that the latter has extra weight in the body and at the head of the plug.

Both types are ideal for bass, mackerel and pollock when used on light
tackle.

A popular plug much favoured by bass fishermen is the Rapala Silver.
The jointed version resembles a large sandeel with a blue back and a
silvery underside.

When using either type of plug you should vary the speed of retrieval
and move the rod from side to side which will improve your chances of
luring a fish onto your hook.

When to Use

A floating plug is particularly useful when fishing for large bass. The mouth of an estuary would be a very good location to use one.Bass will wait here for the tide to turn knowing that when this happens smaller fish will leave the river providing them with a good meal.

Tip

Most plugs purchased from a tackle dealer will come with small treble
hooks attached. These are generally inferior and should be replaced with something more robust.