Chapter 3

Fresh-Water Plugs

The lure known as a "plug" had its origins in the distant past, and no one is sure who made the first lure for fresh-water fishing. The modern wooden fishing plug had its beginnings around 1900, and in the following years several companies started to manufacture these lures for black bass. Later they made larger and stronger plugs for pike, muskellunge, and salmon.

Plugs are now widely used in fresh-water fishing, as a look at any fishing tackle store showcase or counter will reveal. Today there are many different types, sizes, shapes, and colors of plugs on the market. The angler who wants to make his own plugs can duplicate many of the more popular models. However, there are a few basic types, and the construction of these will be covered in this chapter.

To make plugs you will need wood which can be cut into small blocks and then shaped to the size and form you require. The best all-round wood for making fishing plugs is cedar. Straight-grained white cedar is excellent since it is light, strong, and easy to work. It also stands up better in the water than most woods. Red cedar can also be used instead of the white variety. Other woods which can be used for making plugs are basswood and birch.

Most of these woods can be obtained at a lumber yard in large blocks or round logs. They can then be sawed with a circular saw or hand saw into convenient small blocks about 6 in. long and about IV2 in. square.

The fastest way to shape wooden plugs is with a lathe. With a wood-turning lathe or even a metal-turning lathe, for that matter, you can shape the plugs quickly and uniformly in fairly large quantities. If you already have such a lathe, so much the better.

When turning down plugs with a lathe, mount one of the wooden blocks between the centers. Measure and mark the length of the plug you are mak­ing on the wood block with a pencil so you know where both ends will fall. Then start the lathe and, using the wood-turning tools, shape the wood to the correct diameter, taper, and shape of the model you are copying. After this is done take some sandpaper and sand the plug very smooth as it is turning. Then cut the finished plug off from the rest of the wood.

If you have no lathe you can turn out plugs at a fair speed with ordinary hand tools. You can whittle plugs from the softer woods with an ordinary sharp knife if you prefer to work that way. However, a somewhat easier and quicker method is to secure the block of wood in a bench vise and then use a rasp to take off the corners. If you cut the block of wood almost the di­ameter of the finished plug, you will have less filing to do. In other words, if the finished plug will be an inch in diameter, start with a block of wood of about the same diameter or a bit more. Then you only have to round off the corners with the rasp. After using the rasp for the rough work finish shaping the plug with a wood file. Then it can be made smooth by using different grades of sandpaper.

Several basic body shapes are used in making fresh-water plugs. An old-time favorite is the "wobbler" type shown in Fig. 1. This plug is simple to make since it is uniform in thickness with a rounded tail and a grooved head. It should be about 3 3/4 in. long and 3/4 in. in diameter. The dimensions given for all the wooden plugs here are the so-called "bait-casting" size. These are fairly large fresh-water plugs suitable for use with bait-casting, spin casting, or spinning rods. They weigh about 5/8 of an ounce when finished. If you want smaller plugs strictly for use with light spinning tackle, make them about one third smaller than the dimensions given here.

A simple way to make the wobbler type plug is to cut the head at a 45-degree angle, as shown in Fig. 2. However most of these plugs are made with a grooved head. To do this, cut the plug at the same angle, then carve out the head with a rotary file mounted in a drill press or hand motor tool. If you haven't got such power tools, use a small gouge to cut out the groove.

To complete the wobbler plug you'll need three treble hooks and four screw eyes. To start the screw eye in the wood, first take an ice pick or awl and push it into the wood where the screw eyes will go to make small holes. Then put the screw eyes into the holes and twist them in. The screw eye which goes at the head of the plug (where the fishing line is tied) is forced in "as is." Pliers can be used to screw it in. The other three screw eyes hold hooks and if the screw eyes are closed they must be opened. Then slip a treble hook over the eye and close it. If you want to give the plug a pro­fessional look, slip small disc or cup washers over the shank of the screw eye before you force then into the plug (see Fig. 3).

Two treble hooks are at­tached below the plug and the third at the rear or tail.

Wobbler plug. Figure 1. Figure 2. Simple wobbler plug with 45° angle head.

Screw eyes make inexpensive simple hook hangers and are strong enough for most fresh-water plugs. However, you can also use special hook hangers to attach the treble hooks. These are small metal saddles with a stop that prevents a hook from fouling with other hooks or the fishing line on a cast, or when the lure strikes the water. The hook hangers have two small holes on each end and are attached to the plug with small screws, as shown in Fig. 4.

Next we have the surface plugs which ride on top of the water and create some kind of commotion, such as a splash or ripple. One of the simplest of these is the "popper" type. It is easy to make a popping plug, using the same plug body as the wobbler plug described above. You simply turn the plug around and attach the hooks on the opposite side, as shown in Fig. 5. Here you do not necessarily need a grooved head. A head cut at a 45° angle will provide plenty of splash and commotion when jerked. This plug is also made with three treble hooks.

Popping plug with three treble hooks. Figure 5.

However, if you are making a smaller version of this plug for use with spinning tackle, it can have only two trebles—one at the belly and the other at the tail.

The typical popping type of surface plug is shown in Fig. 6. This plug has a wide, cupped head and then tapers to a narrow tail. It should be about 2 3/4 in. long with the head section l 1/8 in. in diameter and tapering to a tail about % in. thick. This lure has one screw eye at the head in the center of the cupped head and two treble hooks, one at the belly and the other at the tail. Because of its shape, this popping plug is most easily made when turned down on a lathe. However if you don't mind the work involved, whittle or file it down with hand tools.

Another type of surface plug which was popular many years ago and is still a good fish getter is the "collar" type shown in Fig. 7. It is easily turned down on a lathe in a short time. Make it about 3 in. long and 3/4in. in di­ameter, the collar extending about 1/4in. from the rest of the body.  Since this collar encircles the plug it makes a foolproof splasher, no matter how it lands in the water. When jerked it will throw a spray which attracts fish. This plug has one screw eye at the head or nose and two treble hooks, one at the belly and the other at the tail.

Another typical popping plug. Figure 6. Figure 7. Collar type plug. Figure 8. Propeller type surface plug.

Are You Ready To Move Onto The Next Lesson? Click Here...