J Plug Question

[eastcoasttransplant]

So I've come up with yet another question....but I don't think it's as complicated as some others I've had.

Last year I bought some used J-Plugs, a few little #3's, some #4's and some #5's. Most are a white color with some contrasting greens, yellows and minnow-like scale patterns. I have a few silver, but not as many as I'd like. I cleaned them up, retied all the harnesses, added brand new treble hooks and am ready to run a few.

My question is this........when and where is it ideal to run a J-Plug?

Two things I've heard associated with J-plugs:

-First, they are most commonly applied for staging kings trolling

shallow off the pierheads (That's where you usually hear J's used)

-Second, I have heard that J-Plugs can "wander" within a spread and

thus, if running a tight spread, can tangle other lines due to it's

erratic motion

Therefore, where should I use my J-Plugs, when would be a good time to break them out (I'm thinking dawn and dusk up higher in the water column) and lastly, what speed are they most receptive to?

I figure if I'm running spoons along with flasher and flies, I want to make sure if I add a J-Plug it will be running at a speed that will trigger strikes.

Never caught anything on a J-Plug, so I'm looking to this year.

Thank again guys.

[Killin' It]

Last year being my first year since I was younger fishing my own boat on the big lake. I ran a little bit of everything.

#1 J plug set up was a watermelon on a 3 color for steelies... I tried it and others all year with limited hits.

I am no expert, but I like all body baits in the top 30 feet with spoons or spinnies and flies down lower.

[Line Dancin]

Jplugs are great later in the year for salmon and throughout the water coulmn. I start using them mid summer and run them on eveyhing. One of my best setups is a 30 copper with a green with a black ladderback glow. You can bet that i willbe running at least one of these later in the year. I also use a lot of js on my riggers and my divers. fav colors green black ladderback, wonderbread, silver red lip black ladderback. atomic makes a blue one with a foil inside not sure the name but it works great.

[Nailer]

We pounded the fish last year on the plugs in August. I like then on the long lines (copper or core), but did get fish off the riggers also. My faverots are the Splatter back Ace Hi ones from Silver Horde.

When the fish are deep, the plugs help to gain depth from the long lines.

http://www.silverhorde.com/sitebuildercontent/sitebuilderpictures/SilverWebParts/.pond/acehi.jpg.w560h711.jpg

[eastcoasttransplant]

How speed sensitive are they?

[Line Dancin]

not sensitive at all. i ahve run them from slow speed laker fishing to high speed steelie fishing and hooked fish.

[joelsanders]

i mat be differant than most ,but i like to run a small j-plug on my half core rod for a change up bait no matter what time of the season.

[mattmishler]

You also have to figure in if your running them near the bottem they will go up 8ft and down 8ft with 40+ line out. But i start fishing plugs when i start in june. I may put one out and if it firing maybe to.....in aug-sept its usually half flasher flys half plugs. My favorite are green platter,blue splatter, green latter back, my best of all time is the all glow oh yea there all silver hoards to. They work on everything tho copper,core,lead drop, rigger and divers.

[anonymous]

J Plugs can be good any time, anywhere. Alot of people just don't use them that often. Pay attention to what size spoons are working and try to match that up with the J Plug size you are using. I have had instances where a certain color spoon is working and I don't have any more but used a similar color J Plug and had success. Your silver patterns can be a very good thing on lead or copper during high light periods.

[eastcoasttransplant]

Thanks guys. I appreciate the info. I'm going to give them a shot again this year.

[1mainiac]

I will have a bunch of J plugs at the swap meet I run them year round just size and color to match bait fish in the area and they will catch everything. I just really don't need 200 of them on my boat ok maybe only 170 but even I can figure that I have lures that have not been wet in a long time so time for them to find a good home. Honestly I ran plugs from day one this year and they caught fish nearly every trip and often the big fish in the box was on a plug so I always have one down somewhere.

[jimcr]

I started running J plugs mid june and did very well on them. Ran them on riggers at 70-90ft down and 5 and 7 color lead.

By far the best ones i used were the ones that have the glow in the dark stick in them. the Kings just slammed them .

Hard , and seemed to like the blue glow to them.

The plug is called a glow dandy , hard to find now, I was able to find 6 more on ebay, and a case of glow sticks for 25.00 .

There are also J plugs that have a LED in them that turns on when its in the water.

If flasher flies are not producing for me I will run 1-2 j Plugs.

[Seawolf XI]

Js tend to be a second week of july till end of sept. lure. You can run them on ne thing but for some reason i dont use them much on divers. In my normal Aug. spread i run them on leadcores and copper alot. If you have a 3-4 rigger program i tend to run them on the out downs with longer leads with the flashers on the inside downriggers deeper. 300 and 400 coppers last year were hot with plain white, all glow, or blue glow Js and hordes in deep water. In harbor like fishing situations pearl, green glow, or red chrome heads are the ticket but ive had years where just plain old silver bullets are best. With the GGs and pearls best in morning, and the red head usally shines as best in mid day sunny conditions, but you have to let the fish tell u wat they want on a given day. In august and sept. its hard to beat a pearl j most years period. Last year pearl was my best in manistee harbor.

[eastcoasttransplant]

Thanks again guys.

Like I said before, I bought a lot of used ones in good shape in glow, pearl and minnow colors. I thought running them on my outer leadcore would be a good place for them but they got buried in the box along with the flashers and flies, when the spoons were firing. Time to break them out this year.