Hey Eric,

I got a third school of thought. HYBRID rods!

Don't know if they make em' any more but my plug rods are Lamiglas "Flame Tip", which have a softer flourescent red Glass tip on a good and stout Graphite butt. Awesome plug rods. Only 8', shorter is good, but the disadvantage being that it is a one piece rod. Handles lines from 10-20 and lures fom 3/8 - 2oz. Been using Ande or Maxima hi vis lines, but have recently switched to the PP hi-vis braided, which seems ideal having small diameter (less water drag), high test and best of all, no stretch!

It's not necessary to get a specific rod for plugging, but they are sweet. Visibility of the tip and the line is key for me though. I've seen some guys paint or tag their plug rod tips too. Even used colored yarn on the tip in a pinch.

Seems to me that working a plug in a boat is much like working a spinner, spoon or crankbait. You learn their optimum action and operating depth and fish em using the boat as an extension of your arm, working them down and through a slot where by watching the rod tip and line as it enters the water you are able to determine that the lure is working optiminally through the areas you want to fish. My eyes are always on those two places adjusting rod position and action with the oars, never breaking a sweat. This is why I try to encourage riders to leave their rods in the holders so they can be worked with the oars to their maximum advantage. This isn't to say riders are uninvolved because plugging especially for driftboats is a great team sport. Oarman concentrating on positioning and working the boat the pard' setting the plugs at the top and the pulling them at the bottom of the run. This helps to extend the plug run through the most productive, but most difficult parts of the run. Love those tailouts, but what a ***** to it is to try to manuver and reel by yourself, as your'e dropping out of a hole. If you're just beginning, fish different colors but keep the plug types to minimum till you know their specific limitations, some are definatley less finicky and some perform better on certain type of rivers. Check with guys fishing your river first. When you do find that one plug that consistently produces, put it under lock and key.

One last point, just because you can plug or you want to plug doesn't mean you should plug on many rivers. Be considerate. Don't hog a hole or run plugs through bankies without asking. Plugging utilizes a lot of prime fishing water and sometimes to be fair there just isn't enough water to go around. Better to live in harmony to plug another day when the rudest thing that happens that day is a boat-twisting plug takedown.

Plug on!