Okay, all you budding steelhead anglers out there, here’s a little quiz for ya: Say you’re pulling plugs for steelies with a guide on a drift boat. The guide hands you and your buddy these two plugs with the same paint scheme to snap onto your lines. Which would would you pick?
If you chose the lower Tad Polly, you’re right! The upper lure would seem to be the more logical choice until you consider that the reason the bottom one is missing so much paint is that it’s been eaten by a lot of steelhead. The fresh out of the package model has yet to be proven under fire.
Regardless of the plug make or model, you’re going to have a few that fish really well and several others that, for reasons sometimes undetectable by the human eye, just don’t get bit. That’s not to say that the shiny one won’t be a winner — but do you really want to be the test pilot?
This all brings up an interesting point about plugging in general. Most of my top-producing salmon and steelhead plugs are missing most of their original paint but continue to get bit…proving that the right action trumps color.
{ 9 comments… read them below or add one }
JD i have been running the gammie 510 hooks for salmon on all of my kwickfish for the last few seasons and was wondring you opion about them for steelheading afterall most rivers are becoming single point barbless
Yo Salmon King,
Those Gami’s you’re talking about — the 510 Assist Hooks — were originally designed to be assist hooks on jigging spoons. They’re single, straight shanked models with a round bend and out-facing barb. However, many folks like you have discovered that they work well on plugs like Kwikfish and FlatFish. I have not tried them on steelie plugs but they’d probably be good on larger plugs like Tad Pollys, etc.
JD. Where do you buy Tadpollys? Can You please give me some info where I can buy some?
Thanks/ Todd
You can get Tad Pollies at http://www.auburnsportsmarineinc.com
JD,
The day after you posted this, when handed the exact same two plugs, I let my wife pick. Naturally, she chose the shiny new one. I had to settle for the chewed up version (snicker). Take a wild guess which one caught the two biggest fish over two days. One on the reelup no less! All I’ll admit to is that the new plug is now proven…
Ray
Guess it was worth mentioning in the post that all bets are off when a woman’s on board…they are lucky beyond belief!
thanks JD. I’ll look for you at the San Mateo convention today or tomorrow.
What is your opinion on hooks for plugs-treble or siwash?
Rob, I go back and forth on that one a little bit. Most of my plugs are single Siwash and I generaly feel they work better when you’re fishing fast water in which the hooks have a chance to swing back behind the plug. In slow water situations (when the hooks hang down more), go with trebles.