By Eric Martin
An unseasonably cold arctic blast had pushed into the region, sending air temperatures plummeting, leaving what little water there was in the river grasping for its free-flowing life. For nearly a week straight, what little precipitation had fallen lay in a pristine white blanket over Oregon's Willamette Valley.
"Damn this snow!" my friend Tyler exclaimed, pushing my boat from the ramp. "The river should be twice this flow!"
"Yeah, but we're the only ones here!" I replied.
"That's because all the smart people stayed home, where it's warm," he piped back.
Touché.
We didn't even bother rigging the side drifting and drift fishing rods. Fighting with frozen spools, icy guides, and numb fingers sounded miserable. Besides, the river was gin clear and with water temps as low as they were, you would have to hit a fish on the nose to draw a bite. Fortunately, we had another trick up our sleeves.
Entering into the first run, the plug rods were deployed. Their distance below the boat signaled by hot pink bobber stops glued to the mainline, contrasted sharply against the sterile, white horizon. No sooner than the U20 FlatFish had begun dancing their deadly, rhythmical truffle-shuffle, when the right rod bounced from a solid smack.
"Come back!" I yelled, holding the boat in place, taunting a round two from the unseen attacker.
"Probably a cutthroa..." Tyler started to exclaim, when suddenly the rod started bucking wildly, straining against the rod holder as a 12-pound "cutthroat" back-flipped out of the water 50 feet below the boat.
"Man, I love a plug bite!" Tyler shouted.
I couldn't agree more.
The effectiveness of a well-presented plug on drawing savage grabs from steelhead under a variety of conditions is undeniable, but the exact reason why steelhead strike plugs is unknown. Likely involving factors such as territorial aggression, the irritating combinations of rattle, flash and vibration, and a pinch of plain old curiosity, it all boils down to an all-out hatred for the small wiggling pieces of plastic.
Once the most popular method to put a few fish in the box, plug fishing or "plugging", has slowly gone by the wayside, relinquishing its crown to more hands on techniques such as side drifting and jig fishing. However, in recent years, as popular runs have become congested and heavily pressured with anglers utilizing these other methods, many have gone back to running plugs in water overlooked by the masses, and are being handsomely rewarded. This resurgence of interest in plugging couldn't have come at a better time, as many manufacturers are currently churning out some of the best plug rods ever produced.
It always amazes me when I read on an online message board, or hear someone say, "It doesn't matter what rod you use for plugging. Why spend a lot of money on a rod that just sits in a rod holder?" What? Have these people ever plugged before? Allow me to rephrase that. Have these people ever successfully plugged before? Chances are, those who utter such sentiments have at one time or another plopped some old clunkity hunk of a rod into the holder, ran a plug through a run or two with nothing to show for it, and wrote off the entire experience as the ineffectiveness and fault of the plug. I liken it to arguing a bowling ball could be used in a basketball game, but then placing the blame of a low score on the players' shoes.
Reality is, the plug rod is actually the foundation block that the entire technique should center around. No other aspect - plug selection, color, hook configuration, line, reels — will have as profound a correlation to success as the utilization of high quality rods designed and constructed for the sole purpose of running plugs.
Plug fishing can been described as ‘fishing blind'. You are not relying on the sense of touch to determine subtle bite from the bump of the bottom. No thump of a wobbling spoon or spinner. No visual indicators such as a float suddenly disappearing beneath the surface, signaling a bite. Instead, the only cue the boat operator has is what's being transmitted up the line and expressed through the action of the rod tip. Are the plugs working too fast or too slow? Are the hooks fouled? Are they working close to the bottom? Are they snagged on the bottom? An experienced plugger with quality rods can determine all this information by ‘reading' the Morse code of rattles and taps being given off by even the smallest of plugs, and received on the rod tips.
Need a few more reasons to add a few plug rods to your starting line-up? Consider this. The same qualities found in a premium plug rod, are perfectly suited for use as a smaller water drift fishing rod. Taking multi-functionality a step further, steelhead plug rods can also make excellent light back-bouncers for coho and springers on small rivers.
There are several key factors that help comprise a quality plug rod. Here is a brief overview of what to look for.
Action
Basically a measurement of how much, and location along the rod blank, the deflection (bend) a rod expresses when placed under a load. For plugging purposes, most will agree that in the world of graphite composites, fast or extra fast actions are the way to go. These actions will only exhibit flex within the first one-eighth to quarter of the rod's length under normal load. Advantages in a plugging scenario, is the resulting focus of all movement, wiggle and vibration of the plug to a very limited area of the rod, making it both easier to see what is happening with the plug, while limiting the amount of vibration which would be absorbed throughout a rods length by a softer action.
Some feel a fast action can also help to solidly hook fish by providing just enough give to allow the fish to turn after striking, and then remaining rigid enough to drive those hooks home. Fast actions also aid the full range of motion and action of a plug by providing enough resistance to make the plug dive and work. Too soft a rod can counter act the action of the plug and seriously hamper its irritating dance.
Sensitivity
There is no rating for sensitivity when picking out a rod, aside from maybe a mention of the modulus of the material used in construction. I'll only touch briefly on modulus, as it can be a lengthy topic in and of itself. Basically, the higher the modulus, the stiffer a particular blank may be, while requiring less overall material in its construction. Generally, stiffer, lighter rods are going to produce better sensitivity than those heavier, with more flex.
Sensitivity, coupled with the action, is crucial to differentiating the erratic wobble of a fouled plug from the rhythmical rattle of one that is running straight and true. Do not confuse sensitivity with action, as there are plenty of rods carrying an extra fast rating, but are clunky and dull in sensitivity. There are a few details a person can look for when selecting a rod, which play a role in the overall sensitivity. The number and spacing of guides, single foot guides with lightweight ring inserts, small, compact thread wraps, thin coats of epoxy, and even finish, or lack thereof, on the blank itself can enhance sensitivity as well as action.
Taper
The taper of a rod is an offshoot of the designer's plan for a particular action, and is the overall change in diameter from butt to tip. On plug rods, to achieve fast and extra fast actions, typically a rod will exhibit a very aggressive taper, sometimes referred to as a magnum taper. Think in terms of swinging a baseball bat, and swinging a golf club. The baseball bat will have little to no noticeable flex, whereas the golf club has a moderate amount of flex. Taper plays a role in both the action and power of a rod.
Power
Power ratings are something you will have to custom select for your particular fisheries. Sometimes rated by a number scale, line test, or designations such as light, medium, medium-heavy, etc., the power of a good plug rod should fall into the medium- to medium-heavy category. On smaller rivers, or those dominated by hatchery produced runs of smaller, 8 to 10-pound fish, a medium power rod in the 8 to 12-pound line class will provide ample fish controllability, while making for a fun fight. If fishing bigger, more technical water, or on river systems later into the wild run return timings, look to beefed up power ratings of medium-heavy or even heavy. This extra oomph will keep you in control of larger, stronger fish, and limit the duration of the fight, important to reduce the amount of stress being placed upon a fish destined for release.
Length
A final feature of a quality plug rod is its overall length, and number of sections. Generally, most steelhead plug rods will fall in the 7-foot, 9-inch to 8-foot, 6-inch range. These shorter rods help to express even the slightest vibrations from the smallest plugs, without excess length absorbing the subtle action of the plug. Rods of this length aid in maneuverability, as often steelhead plugging requires the rower to place the boat as close to the shoreline as possible, often in the path of graphite grabbing tree limbs and brush. Short rods are easier to manage in the boat, both in limb avoidance, as well as fighting and landing of fish, especially in the confines of a drift boat.
Another commonality shared by many steelhead plug rods is that they are predominately one-piece rods. While making for convenient transport and no lost tip sections, the one piece design allows for increased strength, while the single, continuous composite construction helps to enhance both sensitivity and action of the rod by eliminating ‘flat' spots found in the area of a ferrule when under a load.
Tips for Tips
One downside to a day spent intently focusing on the tiny, dull colored tips of wiggling rods on a dreary winter day, is eyestrain, headaches and a squint reminiscent of Mr. Magoo. A simple step to increase visibility on rod tips is to apply a small, thin band of glow or white paint. Some people even go so far as to remove the stock thread wraps from the tip-top, and first guide, and re-wrap them with white or light colored contrasting thread. In a pinch, you can place a small band of waterproof white athletic tape. Your eyes will thank you! -Eric Martin
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