Why an article?
I imagine there are people out there who have made their way into saltwater fly fishing from the Game angling scene who may wish to know a little about other ways of catching Bass beyond fly fishing or who may also be struggling on those big ugly days when the sea turns extra nasty.
Why go plugging for Bass?
As a keen Saltwater fly fisherman , when you land a big Bass on a plug or better a surface lure you may have to struggle with your conscience . I say don't. The two best bass I have landed so far have both fallen to plugs. Its not that I believe that big fish prefer the plug . I think its more to do with the fact that on those particular days big fish were there and had I not been plugging . I would have been fly fishing in a more sheltered location.
Many saltwater fly rodders shun the idea of plugging and even dare I say it look down on Pluggers as less competent , for not being able to present a fly in the neck of a howling wind. I will include myself amongst the snobs for the sake of political correctness. I do understand that anglers prefer them on the fly. I do myself ! Most of the marks I fish will fish as well if not better on the fly rod and I'm sure that sometimes a plug will spook the Bass rather than attract them.
But when you see Four Bass follow your lure in gin clear water only to turn away at the rod tip or see a huge bow wave followed by an explosive take on a surface lure then stuff the politics I’ve hooked a bass and my rod is bent double.
You can cover a lot of water quickly with a plugging rod, the fact is that you can cast three times as far with a plug and get many more retrieves per hour out of the session. So they are great tools for checking out new locations and locating holding areas.
Tackle
The rod that I use is a Berkley 10 foot titanium rated for lure in the 8 - 32 gram class. This rod is a joy to use as it is fast action but soft enough to let you feel like there's a fish on when hooked, actually you could liken the action and test curve to that of a 9-10 # fast action fly rod.
The reel is a fixed spool Shimano Bait runner , not that you need a bait runner for plugging. The reel is loaded with 50 lb Power Pro braid. This performs faultlessly and has a low diameter and casts light lures well. Recently I fished with a buddy , he was using 14 lb Berkley braid and an identical lure to me and I was able to cast as far if not further using the 50 lb Power Pro.
Choice of lure
Yo Zuri Crystal Minnow f(crystal minnow(note: small lipped version
My first choice will always be William The conqueror ! That’s the nickname I have given to an old beaten up' Yo Zuri F' that has outwitted countless Bass it has silver sides and a black back or at least it once upon a time. I will weep when I lose him. The lure swims at about an 18 inch depth and looking at the state of it I wonder if it looks like an injured or diseased fish when retrieved. This lure is exceptional retrieved very fast over sandy bottoms on bright sunny days. Or slowly at dawn or Dusk.
Duel Allie Magnet
Second choice would be the Duel Allie Magnet .This comes in two sizes and I prefer the smaller size with the sand eel paint job(Gold with a brown back). This is classed as a popper- slider , and guess what it does! This is a surface lure that represents an injured bait fish. It is first choice for fishing heavy tackle grave yard style marks. I have yet to hook a bass of the surface in water deeper than about 6 foot as it happens. This lure fishes best ,as with most Bass fishing, in choppy seas and dull light conditions. You cant beat the excitement of surface popping either on a plugging rod or a fly rod. Try a mixture of retrieves with this lure from a slow subtle splash , plop and pause to a fast scuppering across the surface style.
Bass Bullet
Third Choice is the Bob Cox Bass Bullit.This odd looking lure will cast sixty yards into the face of a force 8 wind .It is a sinking lure so forget fishing heavy broken ground unless you are a millionaire. I had an 11 lb Bass from an Irish Surf strand in 30 knots of wind in hellish sea conditions on one of these a couple of years ago ,any other lure would have literally flown back at me after casting into the wind that day. The lure has about the same action as a brick so I recommend a heavy knocking sink and draw style retrieve. It looks awful in the water so try pulling it all the way up until it splashes on the surface or even hops out of the water and then let it sink for a few seconds while reeling fast to remain in contact during a take. A naff looking lure that catches fish!
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