A buddy of mine has generously offered to build a plug rod for me. So I figured that this would be the ultimate site to get info before I start shopping.
I'm looking for
length,
line rating,
action,
glass vs. graphite.
any other thoughts you might have?
Thanks,
Ken

Steelhead or salmon? Good luck,

SZ

I'm a fan of 1 piece plug rods. If you go that route, 7'9" - 8'2" will be the lengths usually offered. There are very good 2 piece plug rods too. I'm not well-versed on those so others can chime in w/ better recommendations.

Line rating…..The one I use for steelhead and silvers is rated 8-15lb but there are times when I wish it was a 10-20 for silvers.

Actions on plug rods tend to be pretty stout in the lower 1/2 to 2/3 with a very soft tip. Obviously, a heavier line rating will have more backbone while retaining that soft tip action.

Glass-vs-graphite? This one's always a great debate and one that will generate a dozen different responses. The old-school crowd will tell you to look for an original Lamiglas S-Glass or Fenwick fiberglass, long since out of production……too bad. They were great rods. Some guys who fished those old school fiberglass rods will say they hate graphite because it's too rigid and snappy when a fish strikes. Instead of the rod being allowed to bend and load as with fiberglass, graphite is much more "reactive" and wants to snap back thus resulting in more missed fish. That said, you'll find a majority of people using graphite today. It is lighter. more responsive and some will argue that you will get a better dance out of the plug. It truly comes down to personal preference.

My

Pretty much what Eric said, my favorite plug rod is the old school Fenwick fiberglass FS83C, of which I have 3, but I also run a Lami Classic glass and it catches the same amount of fish and lets the bugs dance, with a touch more backbone. I have heard that Seeker has replicated the Fenwick Glass blanks in the old actions, you might want to check that out if you are going custom.
That said, I have buds that run Loomis, Lami, etc in graphite for there plug rods, and they catch fish just as well, so it really is personal preference. There is just something nostalgic about catching them on old glass, especially for those of us that grew up catching our first fish on them.

Glass is better for the presentation.

Graphite better for the fight…. I hate a spongy rod that runs out of butt.

Me, I'd rather get bit more often… for a lot of folks, plugging is ALL about the bite, and that's where glass delivers. The fight is rather anti-climactic… I just want it over with as soon as possible. Glass just prolongs the agony.

That's why the Lamiglas flame tip hot shot is such an awesome plug rod. It has a glass tip with a graphite butt section. Too bad they don't make them anymore.

I use two Lamiglas Kenai Kwiks in an 8' 10-20. They are a composite rod with a glass tip and a graphite butt. They have plenty of action in the tip to allow the plug to dance, but enough power in he butt to get fish to the boat in a reasonable time frame.

Are you fishing from a drift boat or sled?

I'll be fishing from a driftboat 90% of the time. There are times that I pull plugs looking for summer-runs also, and I prefer braided line. Is there that mythical 'one plug rod does all', or should I think about 2? Thanks for everyones input, it will help much.
Ken

I'd get two. One for steelhead=smaller plugs 6-12 or 8-12 and the other for salmon=larger plugs 10-20.Good luck,
SZ

You will get all kinds of answers from people whom have much more experience than I, but my favorite plug rod for smaller plugs like hot shots and maglip 3.5s especially from a drift boat is the G. Loomis 980c.

I have a tough time justifying all that coin on a rod that only sits in the holder. Right now I'm using a pair of 7.5ft okuma mag tapers that were given to me and seem to do the job just fine. Obviously there graphite. My buddy has some composite flame tip hot shots, they also do the deed. If I bought new I'd most likely look towards some glass rods because of the price.

You just have to shop around. I have 3 fs83s and paid less than 125 for all three.

Have a couple hand me down fiberglass rods my father built that have great action. I use them for plugs and downrigger fishing for cutts etc. I believe one of them is a fenwick blank & both have carboloy guides.

8'
Medium action
Fiberglass
8-17lb

Basically the FS83

I am going to be building a couple of Rainshadow HS 932 for salmon fishing and if I was going to build a steelhead plugging rod I would do a Rainshadow HS 9000, go to www.GitBitOutdoors.com as they have great pricing on blanks and all the rod building supplies you need.

If you are going to use braided line, I would definitely go with a glass rod. A graphite rods and braid load immediately and will cause you more lost fish, and fewer bites, IMO.

I was wondering about the braided vs. mono line question, and how differently glass and graphite re-act. I run 40 lb. - 10lb. diameter braided line just so I don't have to switch out, and it will run those smaller plugs well in summertime flows.
This FS83, can you give me more info.?
What would the consensus be of a 8' 1 piece rod, glass, 10 to 20 lb.?
what material for the guides?
Course, if my wife is along, we will need two......right???
Ken

If you like the fs83c look at the Seeker glass blanks, they have one that is almost identical, and it sure wiggles, I wrapped two last year and have another in the works, you can get the blanks at Mud hole or Anglers in Woodland. They are my preference

Matt,
I've got a new anglers workshop catalog, can you give me the blank number?
Thanks,
Ken

The blank number is SSH832