The effect of feather and bucktail on flags and siwash hooks

[dannyplug1]

I have questions in regard to siwash hooks with feathers or bucktail and flags of buck or feathers. I am finishing a run of jointed eelies form the NEF article by Dave Anderson. What is the effect of using a flag on the tail of the plug made out of buck as compaired to a feather? Which is going to enable a faster wiggle at a slower retrieve speed? Furthermore, will a long thin feather make too much drag and slow down the wobble of the plug? Is there a general agreement on the effect of feather vs buck on the wobble of the plug? I also wonder how the wobble is effected by using a a flag of buck or feather as opposed to a regular siwash with feather or buck? Thanks for your help sorry about the confused nature of this post and my poor spelling

[a4scoot]

I generaly decide what to put on the tail of the plug first by the number of hooks on the body of the plug. If there is one trebel on the body i put a swash on the tail. If two trebels are on the body thats enough sharp stuff and I use a flag. I have not noticed a reduction of action by using feathers as opposed to bucktail but i wasn't thinking hard on the action I was looking for additional lingth of bait.

[piemma]

I do not think there is a perceptible difference in the action of the plug whether feathers or bucktail.
As for the spelling. The system will underline a misspelled word. If you right click on the word a drop-down will suggest the correct spelling and all you need do is click on the correct spelling and the system will sub it in.

[chefchris401]

For me it really matters on the plug and the action it has.

On a danny plug with two trebles, i like just a bucktail flag on the back, no hook, no feathers, gives a nice action and doesnt slow down the plug.

On a jr with one belly treble i like a dressed siwash on the back with maybe 2 feathers and the rest bucktail, and maybe 4 strands of flash, the tighter wiggle on this plug makes the feathers on the tail swing nicely and doesnt seem to effect the action negatively.

On a needlefish, especially a bigger one like a 3oz bm, i love a heavy thick dressed siwash, 6 or 8 feathers with some bucktail and some flash. seeing the plug doesnt have a side to side action, im not worried about the weight of the tail killing the action. The added drag on the tail actually helps me keep in touch with the needle and helps slow it down which is always a good thing on needles.

I like using the feathers to add size to a plug as well as action, you can easily make a 7.5" super strike needle into an 11" slow moving target by adding big feathers to the siwash.

In the end its a matter of personal prefernce, theres plenty of guys who fish plain siwash or treble hooks on all there plugs and catch just fine, for me its more about having confidence in the presentation.

The only negative thing about a heavy dressed tail hook is it doesnt limit casting distance, on a metal lip the casting distnace is usually poor already so i go light on the tail, and it is nice to have some needles with just a treble or plain siwash on the back for those nights were the wind is blowing hard staright at you and you need to punch threw it.

[WoodyCT]

Another thought on needles.

The more water resistance the tail hook has, the more it will ride up toward a horizontal position in line with the body on slow retrieves. Without dressing a bare hook hangs roughly 90 degrees to the body on slow retrieves. Think a buck tail siwash hanging straight down looks natural? Dennis Zambrota, the world's number one expert on needlefish plugs, fishes them with bare treble tail hooks. ;-)
Posted from my iPhone/Mobile device

[spence]

Originally Posted by piemma

If you right click on the word a drop-down will suggest the correct spelling and all you need do is click on the correct spelling and the system will sub it in.

Some of this is browser dependent.

To the OP, I think it all depends. There are many variables and you really might not know until you just test it. I have tied some siwash hooks with really long saddle hackles for the short SS needles thinking the drag might give some funky action.

-spence

[numbskull]

My experience is that jointed plugs usually have too much action and often you want to slow them down if you're trying for large bass. A smaller lip, more body length and more weight also helps.

Also, I often use both feathers and bucktail. A bucktail collar over a few skinny longer hackles.

[Swimmer]

My reply has more to do with how the tailhooks are display rather than how the dressing make the plug swim.

If you have just plain bucktail on the hook there is a less pronunced back and forth action, I call it less sexy.

But if you have a tailhook, preferably a siwash using feathers, and just the right amount, then the action can be really provocative (more sexy), and in my opinon really adds another dimension to the plug. Use bucktail as a platform or a very slight collar when using feathers.

I have an AH yellow danny that came from Don with a tag and bucktail. It didn't do much for me. I changed it to yellow feather with very little bucktail and the difference to me was stunning. Standing a few feet about the water watching the plug during retrieve should convince anyone. Besides the feather actually looks like a fish tail.