For some of the local zipperlip rivers, Saturday was the last day of the season. A few of us from the board, got together on one of these rivers for a last-day float.

Saukit2em, DanS, and I commandered the not-yet-named black Thor. Superfly and his SO's kid, Tyler were in the Renegade White Man, and Osprey and The Redneck braved the waters in the General Lee.

Armed with Vison Hooks, Silent Approach Jigs, and a good batch of worm and flesh, the Motly Crew set out to put the "hurt" to the fish!

The day started out with Osprey tagging a brooder right behind DanS and I! I don't know how we missed that fish! After a good little fight, Osprey decided to let the little brooder go. 10 minutes in to the trip and fish #1. Excellent!

3 hours later......

The Redneck claimed he lost a steelhead (Osprey swore it was probably a 12 lb sucker!) at a nice drift, so we all piled out of the boats and started to pound the water.

Saukit2em ripped in to a chrome, sea-liced, frisky as can be, hen around 19. Ok, 19 inches, not pounds. The little nate jack was released unharmed back to the waters.

Not to be outdone, I hit two fish on consecutive casts! A nice little sucker and a white fish! Wee.

Feeling left out, Osprey showed us his talents as he expertly set the hook on a nice sucker.

A few more hours later....

During this time, Superfly managed to lose two fish. Tyler, being all of 8, had "issues" with this whole fishing thing, which made for a difficult day for Superfly.

Nearing the end of the day, with only 4 fish, it was time to introduce the Wall of Pain. The not-yet-named black Thor and the Renegade Whiteman teamed up and presented a wall of 5 killer plugs at the fish. It didn't take long until my new virgin GL2 MBR 941c(?) bass rod bent over from a take down! I let Tyler fight in this fish. It turned out to be another 20" chrome nate jack. Oh well.

That brought us to the Last Chance slot of the day. I nice long deep slot that just looked fishy. Again, we decided on the Wall of Pain.

Working the wall under a tree, Saukit2em exclaimed to the group that we were "in the zone". No more then 3 seconds had gone by when my Bass Rod had a nice hard take down, then nothing! Explatives were heard about the Gammy EWG's, but we re-grouped and kept the Wall of Pain going. No more then 5 minutes later, DanS proclaimed that we were again "in the zone". Seconds later, wham, my Bass Rod got hit hard again! This time the rod bent over and stayed over! Fish on! At the same time I grabbed the rod to set the hook, a nice 13+ lb. chrome fish jumped clear out of the water and threw the plug! Again, we blamed those damn EWG's - actually, it was a combination of some bad luck/timing on the fishes part and probably was time to replace the EWG on that plug. Oh well.

In the end, combined totals, we went 3 for 8. Not a great day for fish, but a great day to be on the river with a bunch of great guys!

[ 04-02-2001: Message edited by: parker ]

After seeing how you guys set up the "wall of pain" and moved it down through a hole, I'd hate to be the unlucky steelhead that had to negotiate that gauntlet of plugs. No wonder you guys do so well with them.

Had a great time with you, KidSauk, Joe, Redneck and Os. We'll have to line up a time to do it again.

Fish on............

That was a fun trip

Dan S., you were a blast to fish with an are always welcome in my "nameless" blak Thor. I am having the graphics done soon so look for the new Vision boat with Kid Sauk on the side of it.

That wall of pain is an awesome technique. I once pulled one in the Afternoon Hole on the Sky with five, that's right, five boats!!! Kind of like a moving hogline...fun and productive!!! That trip was great but we need RT next time so we can run the wall with three boats ...he's a pluggin' fiend!! Peace

Justin

[ 04-02-2001: Message edited by: SAUKit2em ]

Wow! With that crew coming down the river, I would think you'd see a lot of white flags and fish jumping outta the river!
A good name for the Black-No-Name-Thor might be "Tub of Pain". Although it sounds like Parker was using rubber hooks!

Kev

To my defense, it was Justin's plug, not mine.

"Neve trust another man's plug!"

I’m not buying that Parker. I was at Ted’s when your wife got you all those new plugs.

SO you guys were on the Big S right I was bank fish up above the Shi#house hole. Brown waders and green and black Rain coat. We had an exceptional day earlyier in the week but I didnt get any fish on saturday and I about killed the guide in the Catch'n a Dream he ran right over the top of my hole I was fishin.
And the thing that really chaps my ass is that I walked out of the river to let the guide run in the shallower water.
Good to hear that you guys had fun

[ 04-02-2001: Message edited by: danceswithfish ]

I just hate to make a habit of catching and landing fish behind the "Heavy Hitters" ...Oh well someones gotta do it.....Os

I believe in Miracles....Where ya from...You Sexy thang?

I didn't have time to post over here to this thread yesterday, but hell yeah it was fun, regardless if I was product-testing the water retention value of my shirt.

I'm suffering for it today...still. Sick as a dog.

I wish I would have landed that 12 pound sucker, and no I would not have gotten a replica mount either But if it turned out to be a big honkin' steelie, it would have been nice to have had 2 steelie for the General Lee that day.

Also, that one stretch housed some fish in it if you think about it. The one I lost, Justin's lil steelie, O's sucker that ended up getting peed on, your sucker, and also your glorious whitefish. Still though, a 12 pound sucker would have been a feat....muh ha ha ha Probably would have set a line-class record for sure.

Hope to do it again soon! I believe in miracles, where ya from you sexy thang?

I think a good suggestion for your boat would be TYRONE or KOONTA-KENTAY :p

Yeah it was a fun day except for the chasin a dream guy ran over my water as well as I was float fishing a small pocket. Tyler and I could have done with out the rain and wind but it was fun runnin the pain through those last holes with everyone and talkin shiaattt!!!
Anyways it is springer time now and we will continue to brinr the pain down south.
Peace Superfly

Joe,

I'm givin' Tyler about three more years and that kid will be outfishing all of us. I think he was happier finding that Garter snake at the takeout than he was with the steelhead, but he looks like an up-and-coming steelheader to me.

Fish on.........

Parker- How do you rate the MBR941 for pluggin, sounds like the fish like it alot? Thats a GL2 with 14" butt, right?

I am curious because I have been eyeing that rod for a while. The rod that I really want is the GL3 HSR930 but I could get two of those MBR's for the same price!

Thomas

[ 04-03-2001: Message edited by: MasterBaiter ]

I'm also running the MBR 941C for plug rods in my boat and love'em! Extra fast tip with a good back bone to bury the hooks on a take down. We even used them out in the salt fishing for silvers last fall. 2-3oz with cut plug herring, it was a kick! There's something about a one-piece rod, sensitive tip but can handle big fish! Plus at $139,
it's a good deal on a Loomis.

Kev


[ 04-03-2001: Message edited by: Kev ]

Well....here goes nothing.

The verdict is not out yet. Like you, if I had all the money, I'd get a 9000, 930, etc and just use the appropriate rod for whatever fish I happened to be fishing for.

Since I'm too poor, I wanted a rod I could use for summer/winter steelies and possibley spring chinook.

The 941c is probably too heavy for summer steelies. It seems to work just fine for winter/spring steelies. It appears to have enough backbone to handle springers, as well. The tip is not as sensitive as the 930's. You can easily see a plug wiggle on a 930, but with the 941c, it sometimes appears as if the plug is hung up - the tip just kinda stops while the middle of the rod wiggles. It didn't happen all the time, but enough to make you stop and watch the rod and say "What's up with that rod?"

No difference when the fish hit. You know when a fish smacks a plug on that rod, and it feels *great* to handle and fight a fish with. The extra long handle is very nice, indeed.

We're really not too sure why I only hooked 1 out of the 3 take downs. One take down I missed (was gone by the time I had even put a hand on the rod) was that the fish was probably a small jack. The take down wasn't that large or aggressive. The other take down flat-out burried the rod. At the exact same time I grabbed the rod and set the hook, the fish jumped clear out of the water and out flew the plug. I think that was caused due to a dulling UWG hook and just bad timing. Had the fish stayed in the water, I would have pierced that fishes face. I generally don't fart around when setting the hook.

But...there's always that debate between fiberglass and graphite rods. Had I been using a Fenwick fiberglass rod, would that have helped? Did the fast-action and memory effect of that graphite rod pull the plugs out of the fishes face? Dunno.

I'm going to use the rod for springers and have all the confidence in it (for now).

If you get a chance, take a look at the Elite EH901. For what's it worth, if you were blindfolded, I'd bet you couldn't tell the difference between an Elite and a Loomis - especially in the 1-piece plugging rod family. They are a fraction of the price of a Loomis and have a great warranty - break the rod and you'll get a new one.

I might seriously start taking a look at Elite rods.

Hey Superfly - care to inform us readers about Elite rods?

Parker

Thanks for the input Kev!

Parker, excellent detailed review!

Something that I have noticed is the difference in hooksets among different blanks. I have the STR1025 in both GL2 and IMX. I have noticed the GL2 is alot whippier than the IMX (and GL3). I have also noticed a difference in the hookset power translation through the rod tip to hook. The IMX has alot more drive (less give) allowing a more authoritative drive at the hook. Maybe something, maybe nothing!

I have not heard of Elite rods, but I am in need of stocking up on some good inexpensive rods, is there info on the net for them, anyone?

Thomas

Thanks for the plug Parker, the Elite series of rods is made By allstar rods out of houston texas, they have been making bass and walleye rods and every other kind of rod for years but just recently started making salmon and steelhead rods. They are priced at about a 1/3 of the loomis rods but yet are made of a higher modulous graphite than the GL-3's and carry a lifetime warranty as well. They have them at Teds in Lynnwood, 3 rivers marine in woodinville, Bobs in Longview, Fishermans Den in yelm, and Verle's in Shelton, Thorbuilt boats in Toledo, God I hope I am not forgetting anyone. Any ways check them out or check the website as well http://www.allstarrods.com
I think you would be very happy with them.
Thanks Superfly

justin what weight and rod length do u use for plugs and are they one piece rods, thanks in advance

He uses a pair of GL3 930's with wrong-handed 5500c's. He also uses a fiberglass Fenwick rod for the center rod when I'm not there.

They are nice rods, but I just didn't want to pay the GL3 price for a plug rod. Not too sure you need the GL3 performance in a plug rod.

Aside from the Fenwick, all rods mentioned in this thread are one piece rods.

[ 04-03-2001: Message edited by: parker ]

is there a certain weight that is recomanded or is that modle only come in a certain weight

[ 04-03-2001: Message edited by: DOUG KELLY ]

Approx an 8' 1-piece rod
8-15lb. line weight
1/4-5/8 lure weight
Ex-Fast Action
Mag-Medium to Heavy Power

Something along those lines will work.

[ 04-03-2001: Message edited by: parker ]

Doug,

Another important feature to look for in a plug rod is the 14"+ rear butt cork (huh huh, he said butt cork!). Some of the rods that fit these parameters in the 7'6" and less length range tend to have 8" rear cork.

Hey Superfly, thanks for the info on those Elite rods, I may have to test drive one! Does the 901 have a 14" butt?

Thomas

[ 04-03-2001: Message edited by: MasterBaiter ]

Hey Os, you and Dan had to bat clean-up on the 'Floatilla One' also and got the job done. Let's have the secret scent dude. How has 'Yall come along on the sticks since 'Fly and I gave his his intitial rowing lesson? He seemed like a natural quick learner. ... I bought one of the new All-Star 'Elite' series rods for jig fishing. It's the ESH1263-2, a 10.5 ft. spinning rod line rated 4 to 10 lb. It's a real good rod and seems to me it shoud be rated 4 to 12 lb. It has a lot of backbone strength to it. While many guys really like the long rods for float fishing I prefer the 9.5' lengths a little better - they are lighter on the wrists (and I am tall enough to keep the line off the water ok). ....

Edit: Let's see, how about some candidate names for Justin's black d-boat (serious or otherwise ) ...
- the Black Hole
- After Hours Guide Service (w or w/o the boat - right J?)
- My VISIONS Work in the Dark Too
- WHAT THE HELL WAS THAT???
- 4 words - "Black Boat/Black Fish"

[ 04-03-2001: Message edited by: RT ]

Parker, whadda ya mean "another man's plugs?". My plugs are the best around, so don't try to put the blame on the orsman Could be the MBR941 too Last time I checked, your plug box is starting to look like a less-stocked version of mine, same colors, same plugs. Don't share the custom ones or you'll have to walk the plank!!! Just kidding.

I did notice that the MBR941 had a lot less sensitivity at the tip compared to the HSR930's. The MBR941 also has a lot more ass (backbone) and it seems to be heavier and even faster taper than the 930's. I still think that it needs more field testing before I can rule it as good or bad. I do, however, think that it will be killer for springers since it's somewhere in between the 930 and the 1021. I know that Robbo runs 941's so maybe he'll shed some insight on them. Whadda ya think, Robbo???

Doug, when you went with me, the plug rods I was running were GL3 HSR930's and a Fenwick fiberglass FS85. Doug, you need to get ready for summer runs as this year is supposed to be better than last year and last year was awesome!!! I'll keep ya posted

I would also like to add that I just started using the Fenwick fiberglass plug rod this year and I have not missed one takedown with that rod. I have had several takedowns on that rod that all resulted in fish hooked after the takedown and I don't even think that I have lost any fish with that rod either. Parker and Brian have seen it in action I have also had brats suck down baits while running bait divers on that rod. Hmmmmm.....maybe I need another one

I have also been using the Allstar Elite plug rods and I believe that they are every bit as good as my Loomies. Just as sensitive at the tip and the backbone is great. I'm not shelling out another $275 apiece for GL3 HSR's any time soon when I can get a rod that fishes the same for about half the price.

RT,
Like the names for the Thor and I will consider some of them, thanks. Thinking about "Pluggin' and Chuggin'" So...???

Hey Guys, the allstar 901 is pretty much like a loomis 9000, and the 962 is almost identical to the 981, I like the 901 for steelhead and the 962 for salmon, I even used the 962 for drift fishing some small water last year for chinoks and was real impressed with the power and sensitivity. Give them a look, I think most retailers are selling them from 99.99 to 139.99
Thanks Superfly

Hey KidSauk!
Count me in for some of that Springer action, you know I'm ready! As soon as I get back from the land of Mickey with the wife and kids, I'll be ready to go. I'll have to participate in the "Spring 2001 Plug Rod Field Testing!".


Kev

Kev, sounds good to me! Just as long as you bring me a souvenier from your trip

Do they have Mickey Mouse bobbers available at Disneyland? Not really thinking of getting one for myself, but RT has a habit of not seeing his float go down and maybe he would have an easier time watching Mickey take a dunking After all, he is just a big kid you know :p

Yes, I deserved that one SAUKit. Just call me "where's my float" RT. And I am deep within my second childhood, no doubt. And I plan on staying there! I think I might have attention deficite whatyamacallit. Thanks to Superfly's eye I was able to stick that steelie before it was too late. But ya know I do have pretty good peripheral vision and I think I would have noticed if you weren't in the line of sight. Maybe

RT

Rt sorry no secret scents this time
Just the Beady Osprey from www.silentapproach.com
this thing really rocks...especially when I get to fish it ahead of a Floatilla,
..... Os

Springers on a float rod are really Fun

Hey Justin, you like the fen for plugs? I know I used to get flack for using my fens for plug rods. I have two 85c's, one 88c and one 89c. I like the 85's for running smaller plugs for steelhead, and the 88/89 for running bigger magwarts and kwikfish. I like the action of that old classic glass, plus alot less hook spitting. It's funny, about 6 years ago I gave in and bought a new graphite plug rod. One piece 8ft magnum series made by Lami. It's funny, I can run two/three rods out, and the lami is the one not keeping a fish on it. It's a nice rod once you get a fish on, but it's getting the fish ON is the hard part. I rarely use it, thing looks brand new.

Yeah, I had fun on floatilla one. Was a good time. Just wish I got more fishing time in. Was working the oars the whole time. Plus, had to watch the river since they actually let hey yall on the oars. Kept thinking deliverance two was gonna get me.

Wish I knew you guys were heading down, I'd joined you. If it's the river I think you were on, I could easily strapped my kids to the boat and ran the river.

Well, wish me luck, I'll be hitting the coast this weekend. Be up in Bob's neck of the woods.