The Spoonpluggers Forum

Hello everyone,

I am new to this forum and a relatively new spoonplugger. I began last summer, with very little success. I picked it up again this summer and slowly I have been learning, and bringing more and bigger fish into the boat. A couple days ago I caught my largest fish ever, a 35" pike, down in 30' of water, on a sunny, hot day. I owe that to spoonplugging knowledge.

I would appreciate some advice about lure presentation. What exactly is the difference between "bumping" the bottom and "digging"? How important is it that the lure make contact with the bottom? On some lakes with a mucky bottom, the lure will pick up debris when it touches bottom and sometimes has to be reeled in to be cleared. In those situations I try to run a foot or so off to the bottom ( though I don't know how much accuracy I am actually achieving ). Am I lessenng my catch by making less contact with the bottom? If the lure is running free, should I be constantly lowering the rod tip in order to cause bottom contact?

In other situations, when I have a hard time following a contour, I will spend half the time grinding the lure into the bottom and half the time running free. Is that what Buck means by "digging"?

Any comments or observations would be appreciated.

John

jagallas,

First, let me compliment you on that 35" northern, especially making contact at the 30' depth level. Concerning the numerous questions that are running through your mind, this is natural, and something Buck even addressed in his written material. It is for this reason that he admonished all spoonpluggers to "study" it whenever the opportunity presented itself. Earlier on, I always had the Home Study Course at the campsite, and some I know even consulted Buck's material while in the boat.

As for your questions/comments, I would offer the following:

As for the 35" northern, would you be able to make the same trolling pass in the future, and do you understand the migratory pattern that put him there? Being successful is one thing, but understanding why you were successful is the real key to duplicating it time after time. We could sum it up in one word-"interpretation"
To place the lure in the proper position a high percentage of the time, whether working a bar, hump, or long breakline, you must know the general configuration of the feature. Hence the use of markers is essential for helping one to visualize what the feature actually looks like. It's like Terry O.' once said- "If you can't draw it, you don't know it well enough, and probably haven't fished it thoroughly"

As for running lures on mucky bottoms, my personal rule is not to exceed 3' above the bottom. But I first establish how much line will get my lure in contact with the bottom, then I'll fine-tune my depth control from that point... with lesser line lengths. Afterwards, recording this info on my map becomes invaluable for future reference. If you believe you're about a foot off the bottom, that's great. But be sure this is more than guesswork, at least within reasonable proximity.
Also, if you're trolling a sharp breaking feature or breakline, and your lure
suddenly seems to plow, it's indicative of running against the side wall of the breakline. Again, it's important to know exactly what amounts of line need to be let out, and what lure will secure the desired depth. Knowing how your equipment will perform takes practice.

Bumping - when the lure makes contact with the bottom, occassionally. This is identified by an occasional and fairly subtle erratic wobble in the rod tip.
Walking- This will be detected by a contant erratic wobble in the rod tip. You may also experience a bit more pressure through the rod, transmitted from the lure - dependent upon bottom composition, i.e. sand rock, gravel, etc.
Digging - Similar to "walking" but only amplified significantly- a much greater pressure (drag) will be felt through the rod, and the tip/rod will wobble to a much greater degree... wildly.

In conclusion, I would highly recommend investing adequate time studying Buck's material - The Home Study Course is essential copy for anyone considering themself to be a serious student of spoonplugging!

Keep em Coming,
Walt