Plugs are a type of hard lure that is most commonly associated with fishing for bass, although they can be used to catch many other predatory species such as pollock, coalfish and mackerel. There is a seemingly infinite choice when it comes to selecting plugs, although they can be grouped into broad categories such as floating, diving and jointed plugs. The rest of this article looks at the different types of plugs available to anglers, for the article on using plugs to catch fish, click here.
Colours, Design and Pricing
Plugs are shaped like a small fish and today plugs are usually made out of plastic, although traditional plugs can still be found which are made out of wood. Plugs are often designed in natural colours to imitate a preyfish such as a herring, sprat, sandeel or small mackerel.
However, plugs are also manufactured in colours that are not usually found in nature such as pink, orange, yellow and bright green. There is much debate (and no definitive answers) over which is the best colour and shape combination when it comes to plugs, with most anglers using a trial-and-error method to find which plug works best for them from certain marks and in certain conditions.
Plug Sections
Traditionally plugs were made from a single section, but soon two-section plugs became available, with the belief being that a jointed plug would have a natural action as it was drawn through the water, mimicking the natural movement of a small fish. Today, with improvements in manufacturing technology plugs can be made up of multiple sections, although single-section and two-section jointed plugs remain popular.
Hooks
Typically plugs are fitted with two or three treble hooks, meaning that a fish will become hooked no matter which angle it attacks the plug from. Hooks can be as small as size 8 for mini plugs, while standard plugs for fishing around the British Isles are likely to have size 4 or 6 hooks fitted, although the very largest plugs can have size 2 treble hooks or even larger. Today, with anglers taking a more conservation-minded approach to fishing (and the fact that bass have to be returned to the sea by law for part of the year) the treble hooks are often removed from plugs and standard J-hooks fitted instead. Alternatively, the barbs of treble hooks can be crushed with pliers to make them easier to remove when unhooking a fish.
Floating Plugs
Floating plugs work on the surface of the water. As they are reeled in predatory fish see them silhouetted against the surface and attack from beneath. There are, however, some variations in the types of floating plugs. Some will stay on the surface for the entirety of the time they are being retrieved, whereas others will dive slightly and create splashes and disturbances on the surface of the water. These types of plugs are sometimes referred to as sub-surface plugs and can often rattle, wobble or vibrate as they are reeled in as an additional way of attracting fish.
Diving Plugs
Diving plugs will initially float when they are cast out and hit the water, but as they are fitted with a diving vane they will dive under the water as they are reeled in. If the diving vane is large and set at a steep angle the plug will dive quickly to a greater depth, while a smaller diving vane at a shallower angle will make the plug dive more slowly and to shallower depths. Most manufacturers will provide information with the plug explaining the maximum depths to which the plug will dive. Most anglers will build up a collection of plugs so that they can present plugs at different depths, ranging from shallow diving plugs to those with an extra-large diving vane that can reach the greatest depths.
Sinking Plugs
Sinking plugs act in a similar way to spinners as they sink under the surface as soon as they hit the water. Sinking plugs are used when fishing for species that are active at greater depths which floating and diving plugs cannot reach. Like most other types of plug, sinking plugs almost always contain an internal rattle to attract predatory fish to the plug.