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The Plug Ledger

Wooden surf plugs, type by type

Swimming plugs

A swimming plug carries a lip, and the lip is the whole idea. Water pushing against that angled surface pulls the head down and forces it to alternate left and right, so the plug rolls along under its own power at a speed a person can barely feel. Everything else, the wood, the ballast, the paint, is there to let the lip do that cleanly.

These are night plugs on most of the coast. They are quiet, they run shallow, and they are the family most worth learning to tune, because a lip bent a few degrees changes the plug more than switching colors ever will. The build side of that is covered on wood and finish.

The four types compared

Depth, speed and the limit of each one
Wooden metal lip swimmer running just under the surface of calm dark water, leaving a narrow V shaped wake behind it
A swimmer working properly leaves a wake you can see and a beat you can feel through the rod. Lose either one and it has blown out.
Four swimming types compared on depth, working speed and the point where each one stops
TypeDepth it holdsWorking speedWater it suitsWhere it stops
Metal lip swimmerSurface to a footSlowest that tracksCalm to moderate, shallowFast current
Jointed swimmerSurface to a footSlower stillFlat calm, lazy fishWeed and chop
Slim wooden minnowTop footSlow to mediumSmall bait, clear waterWind, distance
Wake baitIn the filmVery slow onlyShallow, snaggy flatsAny speed at all

Entries in this family

SW-01 to SW-04
  1. SW-01

    Metal lip swimmer

    A floating wooden body with a metal lip seated in a slot cut across the head, which turns forward motion into a slow, wide roll. It swims best at the slowest speed that still keeps it tracking, and it can be re tuned by hand at the water's edge.

    Depth
    Just under
    Weak point
    Blows out in fast water
  2. SW-02

    Jointed swimmer

    The same lipped head with the body cut in two and hinged, so the tail section swings behind on its own beat. The extra movement is visible at speeds where a one piece plug simply stops working.

    Depth
    Just under
    Weak point
    Hinge, and weed
  3. SW-03

    Slim wooden minnow

    A thin body with a short lip, giving a tight, fast wiggle rather than a roll. It is the plug for nights when the bait is small and the fish are refusing anything with a wide profile.

    Depth
    Shallow
    Weak point
    Light, wind shy
  4. SW-04

    Wake bait

    A swimmer built or tuned so that it never gets below the surface film and leaves a visible V behind it. It is how you cover a shallow, snaggy flat at night without collecting weed on every cast.

    Depth
    The film
    Weak point
    Only works slow

Blowing out, and what to do about it

A swimmer blows out when the water moving past it is faster than the lip can handle: the plug rises, skates on the surface, and the rod goes dead in your hands. It is not a fault in the plug, it is the wrong plug for that water.

  • Slow down first. Most blow outs are the angler reeling, not the sea.
  • Point the rod tip down and to the side to keep the line angle low, which buys a little more speed before it lets go.
  • If it still skates, change family: a darter or a weighted needlefish is built for exactly that current.