Wit - That's too much line out. Fish will sometimes hit a "dredging" plug but it's not as productive because the action is not as good. And if one does hit with 110 ft. of mono line out it won't hook itself well before you have time to pick up your rod to set it. Ideally, it would be nice if you could run your plug about 8" off bottom and SLOWLY backtroll it into their noses; especially for Kings. But fish will come up off bottom, sometimes several feet, to hit a plug. I've done experiments on clear water steelhead by climbing a big tree limb out over coastal holding water (Necanicum R.) to see how far steelhead would come up for a plug. I had my buddy go well above the hole and work a size 50 Hot Shot in dark green metalic (I called this the "Green Machine" because it's so productive in gin clear water). This shallow diver looked to be about 3' under the surface as I enjoyed watching winter steelhead move up 5' or more to either investigate it or hit it! We let the hole rest awhile between fish. The fish won't move as far in water temp extremes. I have also sat on a rock over a real deep clear hole and fished size 30's at about mid water level and had Kings come up to hit them. However, it is more productive to get them closer to bottom. My point is that I would rather be 2' off bottom than have it constantly dredging. A good rule of thumb: At a slow steady backtroll you have too much line out if, with the rodtip up about 4' over the water, you pull it toward upstream and feel the plug hitting bottom. Conversely, with around 50 ft. of line out, if you hold the rodtip only 4" above the water and pull it slowly toward upstream and don't feel bottom at all then let a little more line out. As mentioned above, it is best to have all the boat's plugs out about the same distance. And it's better to keep your rod more parallel with the tip lower to the water than have the tip raised high (except in real shallow slower running clear water at times). The reason for this is because when your tip and line are high off the water the pivot point where the wiresnap connects to the eyescrew or imbedded wireloop moves to a less than ideal spot, causing the plug to angle slighly improperly, resulting in poorer action and a proneness to popping to the surface in faster water. Having the tip close to the water also enables you to get deeper on a shorter line when necessary, as mentioned. Tip: for really deep holes, especially if the length of the hole is short or a boat is not far downriver of your position, dip the rodtip 3 or 4 ft. down into the water to gain a quicker and deeper presentation. I've had other boaters give a quizical look at us when doing this until I bring the rodtip out bent down with a big King headshakin'. I think it's rarely necessary to let more than 70' of line out. And when I'm going to fish a lot of deeper water, mostly for Kings, with longer lines out I prefer to have the real thin superbraid non-stretch line, with a small swivel and 50" mono leader. When a fish hits it partially hooks itself, so only give your rod a brisk lift to make sure it's set deep. Don't set it real hard. - If you are not getting fish with plugs then other things could be awry too. Foremost is making sure to tune the plug to dive straight down and even, not going off more toward one side, by adjusting the eyescrew or imbedded wireloop slightly away from the direction it moves toward. Make sure the hooks are sticky sharp! Always keep your hands and feet in the boat at all times because ... oops, different story ... Always keep your hands and lures washed and rinsed clean, then put a quality scent on the hooks &/or a little on the top center. Don't put scent on the sides or belly of plugs because it can dampen the effective flash. Be sure to use good brands of plugs (such as Wiggle Warts, Tadpolys, and Hot Shots). Use the proper sizes and colors for any given water condition (such as smaller and metalic for clear water steelheading or bigger and flame red for murkier water Kings, etc.- ask at good local tackle shops; too many to post here and it varies for different areas). Good luck. - Steve




[This message has been edited by Reel Truth (edited 06-30-2000).]