Casting Plug from a Broomstick. So what do I mean when I say, "casting plug? Today, many people would use the term crankbait, but I'm thinking old-school, here. And back in great-grandpa's day, any lure that could be cast with the bait-cast reels of the time were called casting plugs. And the "plug" part of the name? It surely came from the fact that all of them were wood, and resembled nothing more than, well, a plug of wood. What I've done here is take that idea and apply it to a discussion I had with South Carolina river guide and friend of many years, Michael Frank. And, well, here we are.
I added some large screw eyes, and a paint job,
Finally, I topped it off with a stinger hook at the rear.
In use, the teaser flies hang down under the line, with the whole contraption kept at, or near, the surface by the floating plug.
So in presentation, its a noisy surface commotion of a chugging and bubbling plug, while just in front are several several dancing little teaser streamers. The whole thing should look like a larger critter attacking and eating a bunch of smaller ones.
This idea is not new. Multi-fly "washing line casts" have been around for a couple hundred years in the fly fishing game. And some of you may remember Bill Normans similar, "Front Runner," from the 1980's. This particular idea - the plug and washing line - goes goes back as far as the early 1900's, that I know of. Think back to the Depression when people whittled plugs from broomsticks, clothespins, or the first poppers - beer corks with feathers stuck in 'em.
So I decided to make one after Mike and I were talking. Its primary use would be when fish are surface feeding, like you see in spring.
Jim Hester Plug
Jim Hester also said he has seen something similar...
"I bought some old wood lures years ago that are made that way, with screw eyes instead of being through-wired. I recall seeing some old plugs when I was a kid made that way, too. Late, some got mentioned in a magazine article about a fellow who fished the Chesapeake bay area for Striped Bass near my home in MD. The only thing about those lures..., they may absorb water and swell some, if not properly sealed. Eventually, the screw eyes might pull out, or worse, the wood can split. I've never used these lures..., kept them more for nostalgia than any other reason."
Really, I just wanted to make the thing.
But who knows? Maybe it'll be a big hit, after all.
So what's coming next? Surface plugs from clothes pins, of course. So stay tuned!
Do you have questions, compliments, or suggestions?
If so, email me at...dahutist@gmail.com