Trolling Plugs
Luhr Jensen J-Plug - a popular scopped-out face style trolling plug |
Trolling Plugs
Trolling plugs are like many other types of plugs, but these have been optimized for trolling to give a consistent and powerful wobbling action. As such, the broad foreheads and scooped out faces these plugs typically exhibit make them difficult to cast. They are typically composed of hollow plastic and run about a few feet to as deep as 15 feet. By adding downriggers, diving planers, sinkers or other means, these trolling plugs can run quite a bit deeper.
Trollers select lures based on the speed their designed for, some run optimally at 2 mph, while others run optimally at 5 mph. The action of the lure has been designed into the shape of the lure and a different speed than what it was designed and tested for may create an action less enticing to the gamefish.
Many anglers troll plugs across large spans of water where open-water species such as salmon and striped bass are present. Trolling plugs can also be effective for pike, muskies and even walleyes by trolling them along side weed flats. To help maximize cover, many trollers will use multiple lines and side planers or trolling boards to direct the lures to the sides of the boat broadening the span of area covered.
Fishing with Trolling Plugs
Trolling plugs is the act of pulling a lure or several lures behind a moving boat. Trolling is highly popular among sport fishermen and professional fishermen for one main reason; no other method catches more fish. You can cover a wide span of water and large distances very quickly. Not surprisingly, trollers make heavy use of their electronic fish finders to locate and follow fish within the open water.
Medium to heavy power baitcasting rod combined with a high capacity reel spooled with 10 pound or better test superline is most suitable for trolling plugs. Lead-line trolling situations are best suited with heavy power trolling rod combined with a high capacity trolling reel with 18 pound or better test metered lead-core. Downrigger trolling situations usually require a soft tipped trolling rod using 12 pound or better test mono.
Remember to first tune your trolling plugs. This can be done by bending the metal loop from where your line attaches at the lure's nose. Use needle nose or surgical pliers for this purpose. A quality minnow plug usually comes out of the box already tuned, but it only takes one good bump with a rock pile to knock it out of alignment. An out-of-tune plug on a long line won’t track straight and may even cross other trolling lines causing tangles in your lures. It’s good to check a plug's action at boatside at the start of every troll. A properly tuned plug should dive straight down in the water and move forward in line with the boat. If it instead tracks to the left, bend the nose-loop slightly to the right. If it tracks right, bend left. Even small plugs are capable of running straight and diving down to the limit of their depth range when balanced properly.
