Dare to Compare: Eels v. Plugs

[Finaddict]

IN almost all of these questions/scenarios - there is never one right answer, although percentages are higher on each one ...

1) effectiveness - bait is always more effective than plastic and or wood -- but Pete has a very strong point in that there are times when a plug will outdoo bait depending upon the conditions.

2) Skill - bait fishing sounds easy, but if you really want to score consistently on bigger fish, even bait fishing takes skill - don't overestimate the skill needed to score big and frequently ... that aside, yes there is more skill involved with using an artificial product and enticing a fish to eat ... especially a big fish - fish up to 20 pounds are much easier to catch than larger fish on plugs, and anyone who scores consistently with that method has a lot of skill, I tip my hat to them ...

3) Fun - They both have thier advantages, but what's more memorable than a big fish exploding on a plug in the pre-dawn hours ... and fishing plugs period is fun in and of itself ...so I'd have to give thumbs up to the plugs.

4) Don't remember what this is about, but let's say plugs ... just for the fun of it ...

5) Cost - again, no straight answer - say you buy a dozen snakes for $2 each, you tote them around, fish one or two in the evening but never get a hit -- that's $24 wasted ... but a lot of these custom plugs are $20+ each, so if you have a bag of 20 on you, that's $400 bucks ... can you fish them for years, yes ... but there have been days over the years when I've lost two or three $20 plugs during a fishing trip for one reason or another ... fish takes me down around a rock and cuts the line on barnacles, god forbid a knot gives out (yes it happens), or you snag on a rock in the dark and cannot work it out ... So that's a lot of dough as well.

Ultimately, I will try to use the best bait/lure at any given time for the particular situation that I am fishing ... happy to use both, just have much more in the way of plugs right now ... but grew up fishing live bunker/pogies and mackerel as the primary means for scoring a lot of fish and some good sized ones at that.