Although it's not the "hardiest" of plugs...I STILL enjoy a 9" joint - in an Olive -flavoured wrap. Not the friendliest casting lure, but I like it -
When I fish a plug, I try to "be" the plug. Most of the time, I imagine myself as the plug...and how I would react in the conditions I'm swimming in. Taking bursts of 5-6' ...then stopping as if to look around...slowing the retrieve when passing through a big wave, etc.... I think most people fish plugs like they're pieces of wood or plastic, those people don't catch much fish
... To beat the fish, you gotta be the fish.
Getting back on track, I feel more like a fish when I fish a jointed -