There was a time many years ago when surface plugging for striped bass was unheard of. Bob Pond, whom I knew well, introduced the Atom plug back in the 1960s. It soon became a favorite way of fishing for Maryland anglers that continues today. I was one of those early anglers that cast an Atom. These days I mainly cast shad bodies and bucktails because surface plugging requires more energy than I am willing to expend, but I know well the reason for its popularity and still keep a few plugs handy for ideal situations.
I ran into that perfect situation recently while fishing a grass bed in the lower Choptank River. It was a calm overcast evening. Paddletails were catching but often became fouled in the grass, ruining the cast. I attached a popular plug designed for a walk-the-dog retrieve. The first cast sailed far out over the field of grass. During the retrieve I thought I detected a swirl and then BAM, a solid hookup. I was thrilled—it’s not the fight that makes plugging so exceptional, it’s the strike. It is a noisy explosive hit that throws water and often reveals the whole fish. It’s nature, showing its most violent side. After landing that fish, the next cast drew an instant strike. This time, however, the fish missed the plug and came back again and again, blasting the lure high into the air and then missing again. This continued all the way to the boat as everyone aboard watched in awe. Finally, right at the boat with the fish splashing water right in my face, I hooked up. The line screamed through the rod guides, but the striper soon succumbed to the net. Those few seconds will be long remembered as one of my best moments in plugging history.
There are two types of surface plugs: chuggers, which are fished with a hard sweeping action that throws water and makes a loud pop to attract fish from great distances. A plug used for walking the dog (which can be called walkers, spook plugs, or floating stickbaits) is more often effective in calmer waters. It seems to attract rockfish even though its action is far less boisterous. This style of plug works best with a back-and-forth cadence applied by holding the rod tip high using a short pull and stop rod action that pulls the plug sideways and then back in the other direction so it zigzags along the surface.
Editor's note: There are also some topwater plugs, like the Game On Lures X-Walk, which split the difference between chugger and walker with a small concave surface at the front of the plug. As you can see from the above picture, these can work magic when big fish are chasing bait. Also note that Game On Lures is an annual Fish For a Cure contributor and a home-grown tackle outfit located just up the road in Connecticut, so it's a great company to buy from.
Most surface plugs come from the manufacturer with treble hooks mounted fore and aft. Avid pluggers are replacing them with inline-eye single hooks, which probably hook a few less fish, but injury to the fish and the angler are reduced. Like I have said, the strike is the important part of surface plugging. I admit landing fish is also important, but most anglers are willing to sacrifice a few fish in the interest of saving some. Besides, almost all my personal injuries involving hooks have been with treble hooks on plugs. I once was impaled by a treble while trying to extract it while the fish was in the net. The fish made a flip and suddenly, the hook was in the net, in my finger, and hooked to my pants… I could not even stand up. (This was what I call a cluster you-know-what). Somehow, I freed myself from the net, cut the hook out of my pants with my free hand, and removed the fish which was shaking its head violently, driving the treble through my finger. I reached my slip with the plug still hanging from my hand—another plugging experience I will never forget.
There are days when you know stripers are present but will not hit a plug, and there are other days when they seem to enjoy chasing but never fully committing themselves. There are so many other wonderful ways to catch rockfish, so be prepared to change tactics when the fishing demands it. Shallow water anglers tend to fish shallow even when the bite is mostly in deep water. A complete angler will jig, throw bucktails or paddletails, and surface plugs as well. You may be committed to one type of fishing but it’s smart to know when to change and know how to skillfully apply new tactics and the tackle required.
- By Chuck Prahl
Beginner anglers: check out How to Fish Topwater Lures for Beginners. Experienced anglers: check out Kinetic Potential: Hone Your Topwater Fishing Skills.