Tuning & some hints on fishing Metal lipped plugs

[surfstix1963]

I guess we can start at the basics most of us probably know,bending the line tie up will make your plug swim deeper and vice versa this should be done in small increments too much bending may cause your plug to roll over.

If you have a plug that is rolling it is not the worst thing in the world try removing your tail hook and replacing it with a spinner blade the flap tails work the best IMO(Giving a little pop every once in awhile with a swimmer can be very helpful)

Fishing ML around rock piles I like them to run deeper (pikies,slopehead dannies) if you do hit a rock stop your retrieve this will give the plug a chance to float up and not snag up on the rocks and when you start your retrieve again be prepared it often appears to be a baitfish seeking safety in the rocks.I also like to have those plugs painted as a blackfish,porgy or bergall.

I like to try and tune mine to have a slight roll and still have a decent tail wiggle.When you test them it is better to be in a higher place so you can observe exactly what the plug is doing the one thing you do not want is the plug to roll over completely and cause you to lose contact with the plug.

In the case of the plug rolling too much bending your line tie up slightly should correct this and naturally if you want more roll bend it down some.

When a ML is properly tuned it should have a side to side wigggle with some roll and a wagging tail so as to have the paddle tail or spinner blade move side to side.

Another little trick is if the ML is swimming to far right bend the line tie to the left some and vice versa sometimes when your wiring the plug the line tie gets off center.

Tail hooks are fine but most of the time the bass will hit the front of the plug anyways.This all seems complicated but once you get the hang of it you will have greater success with ML plugs.

one fish could also knock the tuning out again also just pay attention to what the plug is doing after awhile you will get a feel for what the right swimming action feels like.These can be deadly on big bass they often like to follow it and take it at the last moment so don't lift the plug out of the water.

[basshunter]

one fish could also knock the tuning out again also just pay attention to what the plug is doing after awhile you will get a feel for what the right swimming action feels like.These can be deadly on big bass they often like to follow it and take it at the last moment so don't lift the plug out of the water.

Good advice never thought of that thanks for sharing

[nitestrikes]

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When a ML is properly tuned it should have a side to side wigggle with some roll and a wagging tail so as to have the paddle tail or spinner blade move side to side.

Yep. Also you have to know who you are buying from. Most builders do not pre swim their plugs before putting them up for sale. There are lots of variations in wood. Swim all your wood in the daylight first. You would be surprised how many of them wont swim true right off the bat. A badly tuned plug will not catch you any real numbers of fish.

[surfstix1963]

Yes a lot of builders change things on their plugs to try and do something different you should ask them what to expect out of the plug.I have 2 identical a-40's on my bench right now one needed more weight to be the same as the other no 2 pieces of wood are the same even if cut from the same stock.

[cowherder]

Thank you for posting, nice tips.

[surferman]

great read thanks!

[surfstix1963]

Welcome hope it helps

[dogfish]

What if the guy who drilled the through wire was a little off on his drilling. Any advice to counter a plug that just swims crooked other than tossing it in the trash?

[surfstix1963]

If tuning it will not make it swim it is destined for the garbage if someone built it bring it back.some plugs are drilled offset for the through wire depending on the lip you choose to use you can try different lips as a last effort to save it toying around is part of plug building and you will screw up once in awhile

[surfstix1963]

What exactly is the plug doing rolling over on it's side it could also be a belly weight that was put to far to one side of it, if the wood has a heavy grain to one side it will tend to roll over if a belly weight can't correct it or it could be too fast of a retrieve if it is a surface plug

What if the guy who drilled the through wire was a little off on his drilling. Any advice to counter a plug that just swims crooked other than tossing it in the trash?

[dogfish]

It's rolling over on its side. I tried everything I could think of to compensate- adjusting the eye make it swim different and other thngs. The lip on it seems to be straight and centered, I checked the way the through wire goes in the back and front. The only thing I could think of is the hole for the through wire is a little off and maybe the builder messed up when drilling the angle of that hole. It is a Black Label plug. Never used those before. Got in a plug lot that I won on ebay. A little aggravating because it doesn't swim straight. May end up using it for a bluefish plug.

[albiealert]

Thanks for the tips and advice. Am starting to use more metal lip plugs and never knew they had to be tuned.