Here are two of mine. They're also sort of senitmental favorites as they were some of the first ones I did. Simple to make. Easy to use. And the fish seemed to really lilke 'em.

AdamR's needles:D

Habs 2 oz in olive :humpty:

Well let's see....... Hmmmm. I would have to say that Bernzy's Surf Howdy in yellow was my "plug of the year" no question but I like it best when employed from a drifting boat along rocky shorelines such as Fisher's Island NY or the Elizabeth Islands of MA. In the Surf it was the needlefish and there were several that I used, the best producers being Bassmaster, Habs, #^&#^&#^&#^&#^&#^&#^&#^&#^&#^&#^& and Gibbs. For plastic it was the Yozuri Mag-Minnow. In the Canal it was the old reliable 3 oz. White Bucktail Jig with a pearl white 6" Sluggo as the trailer in place of the rind. As for rubber it was a six inch Pond Shiner Sluggo on a 5/0 Texposer hook. I guess it came down to time and place for this honor. You need a whole selection of stuff to get through!:D

You're right. Different things work in different situations for sure. The two plugs I posted worked great at Cranes beach before the 5tde really would get ripping along. Then I'd switch to a big spook like thing I made. AT night, there was a 4" swimmer that did the trick. Along the rocke, a bright yellow pikie style plug worked, a swell as one of slatybugger's parrot colored dannies.

Salty's Popper's
Big Fish Larry's
Hawg Hunter Blue Mackerel Popper (Until I lost it )

:D

Beachmaster black/gold danny
and gibbs yellow/white polaris...kicked butt with these two this year!!!!!

LI BASSBOY, I think those two plugs in those colors would just about kick but anywhere! I hear tell yellow is very popular down your way.:D

this year more than most yellow was the color. I always like yellow in the fall but it seems this year, at times, yellow was the only way to go..i caught more bass on that yellow polaris this year than many other plugs combined.

here are the plugs that got me and my dad some nice fish this year

Great thread....so many plugs so little time...

If I had to pic one (well two) :

from shore: big bernzy surf howdy
from boat: bassmaster pike

my wife likes this one:rolleyes:

Salty...I need a couple of these for gag gifts...please please!!!

eeeeeeeeeeeeeeee
way to many, my whole shed:smash:

Link Jr- the popper I gave you worked well eh??? I made a ton of those, and never really used them. :smash: Needlefish and pikes were the go-to for me this year, not poppers as I was almost exclusivly night fishing..

Jim I have a few more kicking around.....sold quite a few of them this year :laughs:

Originally posted by Eben
Link Jr- the popper I gave you worked well eh??? I made a ton of those, and never really used them. :smash: Needlefish and pikes were the go-to for me this year, not poppers as I was almost exclusivly night fishing..

Yeah it got me some nice fish. The weight fell out of the back of it.. what should i stuff in there?


Link Jr

:laughs: woops :hihi: the weight was a musket ball. if you can find a musket ball, pound it flat so that it sits into the hole I drilled, then fill up the cavity with epoxy. OR.... If I go to plugfest, I will do a onsite repair.

Originally posted by Eben
:laughs: woops :hihi: the weight was a musket ball. if you can find a musket ball, pound it flat so that it sits into the hole I drilled, then fill up the cavity with epoxy. OR.... If I go to plugfest, I will do a onsite repair.

sounds good... i'll see if i can get a muskey ball... or we can meet up at plug fest.


Jr Link

it'll cost you 2 plugs though:rolleyes:

Originally posted by Eben
i'll give you 2 plugs though


wow thanks!

:mad:

Originally posted by Eben
OR.... If I go to plugfest, I will do a onsite repair.
An onsite repair Eben.

-spence

eben U ever fish any of the lures ya got from me
i know there was one U loved and it worked for me very well:)

salty blue/white needle
salty blurple round nose
and believe it or not, a rapala skitter pop

a rapala supershad rap loaded with oil.
gibbs pink popper.
tattoo mack darter
gibbs sandeel needle

That super shad loaded with oil. Sounds like there's a story behind that one. Can your share it?

Originally posted by bassmaster
eben U ever fish any of the lures ya got from me
i know there was one U loved and it worked for me very well:)

I did a bit, but honestly I was scared to loose them... Was it the one with a single hook??;) I tried to use that a few times, but my 2 surf rods at the time couldnt handle the weight. Now, I have a 1201M and can whiz that plug a country mile-

Next spring I will put those plugs through some serious torture:D

heres how i loaded the shad rap http://www.bassdozer.com/articles/surf_plug_loading.shtml
anyways i was fishing with the shad rap at the canal herring run this spring letting it drift in the current and reeling very slowly all of a sudden my rod dubbles over and starts ripping off line. i set the hook and realy cross its eyes. theres something about this this fish i battle it in and is see a 35lber in the water this was my biggest fish to date i will never forget that fish. boy did that striper taste good baked with garlic butter and ritzcrackers on top.

i paint my shad raps like a herring for spring and hickory shad in the fall.

tattoo darter- it was early may with a cloudy sky and cold temps
i drive down to mass maritime i find a chit load of birds working on top near the RR bridge and there coming my way i tie on my tattoo mack darter the birds are all most at my feet. mackerel are getting chased on to the beach and there flying clear out of the water. i cast out and i jerk the rod tip to start the darters magic dance. i get a hit and set the hook hard i fight the bass to my feet its a good fish 25lbs it tasted awsome

CR, That's a great idea. I'm going to have to spend some more time on that site... Sounds like you were just letting the plug swing with the current and minimal movement. I know that technique has worked for me at certain rips at night with swimming plugs. Still working on the 35# fish:-) It will come.... Got any pictures?

I do a dead drift swing in the current with that gibbs style popper I posted at teh beginning of the thread. Leaves a nice little wake. As the plug begins to quarter across the flow, I'll begin twiching and popping occasionally, maybe a bit of slow reeling. That's where I usually will get hits.

i did not have a digital camera at the time only a film one. im getting a digital camera for Xmas. one thing i have found out about pencil poppers is that if you bow your rod at a certain angle the popper will walk like a spook by its self this will work well with gibbs pencils and a yankee pencil popper this popper floats and is very easy to work on top

Is that when you're working the pencil against the current?

Originally posted by steelhead
Is that when you're working the pencil against the current?

yep the walking the dog with a pencil works best in a honkin current

Can you hold it stationary or back reel and make it walk the dog?

here are a few of my favorites, from my first couple of batches. fish liked 'em too! love pencils!!!

i get the walk the dog action reeling against and across the current