Recovering a priceless plug: Steelheader.net- Steelhead, Salmon and trout fishing

So I hit the river again this morning with a buddy who hasn't been out all fall. Between a new job and a serious home remodel he missed the entire fall season. So as we're sitting in the predawn twilight I hand him one of two really chewed up plugs I've fished lately.

It wasn't so much wanting to give him the best plug as wanting to start out with a tuned plug. The wigglers I've used lately have fished uniformly well, but they're not particularly durable. New ones have fished better than scarred up ones and the Brad's plugs seem to lose a lot of paint after just a few fish (but they work).

So...I hand off a proven winner and we start the troll. About 30 seconds later Corey's rod goes off. He's got his hands full as the fish is red hot, turns out to be a nice native silver.

We keep fishing, a bit later his rod goes off again and it's a jack chinook. Not legal, either so it goes back. The third fish comes as we're casting along the shore. This one runs Corey around the boat 4 times- yep- another nate.

Things slow down and we run off to find some new water. At that point I still haven't had a hit- I'm alternating between chewed up and brand new wigglers in the same color. No joy for me though.

The first close call comes when the plug gets hung on a stump but we can see it and knock it loose with the boat hook. Another snag, and we also get it back. Finally decide to go back and make a last pass at the water that was so good earlier.

So we get back and the first pass Corey's rod buries but the fish is off just about time I get the boat turned to fight the fish. I turn and start the pass over and at the same spot, his rod goes off again. This time it's a nice 11 lb keeper. Replace the hooks on the plug and start the troll again- when we get to the same spot the rod goes off a third time. This time we just crackered the fish, we were so keyed up anticipating a bite.

So after things finally settle down disaster strikes. The plug that's been hit 6 times that morning gets thoroughly hung up in a sunken tree top. We try pulling from different angles but the 15lb test mono isn't going to allow much. The plug is well out of reach. Before breaking it off I have a bit of revelation- and this may be useful to someone else. I took a big 20 ounce cannonball and put the biggest duolock on it I had (needed to get it over the swivel that was 5 feet from the plug). So we slide the cannonball down and can feel it against the swivel. Jig it a bit and sure enough it goes over the swivel- a couple more flips and it knocks the plug loose! Woo Hoo!

Any guesses what plug will be on my rod in the morning?

aw

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"I know the human being and fish can coexist peacefully." — George W. Bush, September 2000, explaining his energy policies at an event in Michigan.