TOPIC:

We discuss about everything salmon fishing on the site. I don’t remember though a lot of info shared on plug trolling. I will bet most all of us use them at one time or another. I use them irregularly it seems. Caught only a few fish using them. Does anyone have any techniques or methods that works consistently? Favorite color patterns? Time of the season? Any tips would help the newer guys on the site.
I have some j-plugs and recently picked up some of the ace high style plugs. Picked them in some of my favorite spoon patterns such as mixed veggies and blue dolphin. Is one better than the other? Here is a pic of my new plugs.

Don I love using plugs, Jplugs in particular, but they've only been something I would use in the fall when the kings would come in to spawn. With last years weak return I they didnt get used much but the year before I landed me a limit of coho in 2 hours pulled behind a dipsy.
My favorite colors are anything chrome, with flashy blues and green chrome in them also. Gold hasn't been too good for me but on cloudy days glo ghost works well too.
I have sizes 3,4, and 5 in a variety of colors, 3 boxes worth. The size 5s get the least action but the biggest fish in the fall! I do believe I will give the 3s a shot this spring pulled behind a Dodger just so they get some kind of use this year.

Thanks Al, you are thinking of trying something out I am wanting to try. In the late spring and early summer I was thinking of trying a Plug about 7 or 8 feet behind a spin doctor either on a dipsey or a deep copper. The few fish I have caught have been on a chrome and red faced j-Plug. Maybe a few more folks will chime in and make this a small tutorial on plug fishing.

J plugs have been an important presentation for me over the years. They seem to work best in the spring when there are Kings around and then again in the fall when Kings and Coho are staging at the pierheads. Salmon, Steelhead and Trout all eat them and I occasionally put them out all season. I prefer #4 4 3/4" chrome J plugs with green, blue or orange metallic backs when fishing clean water and glow fire tigers when the water is murky in close to the pierheads or inside the harbor mouth. For whatever reason, the last two seasons, the shorter #3 4" J plug has worked best for us. In the spring I run them on lead core and in the fall in close, I run J plugs on downriggers close to the bottom or on boards using whatever length of lead core takes them inside the bottom 5 feet. Dipsies pull Flasher and fly combinations or meat rigs. I've noticed in the past, bright days the fish prefer the plugs and cloudy days the flasher combinations. They catch a lot of Coho in the fall also.
I really like your color selection and might suggest buying a few of the smaller #3 J plugs. They dig a little deeper than the #4's so you need to keep them a little higher on the riggers and subtract a color of lead or two to keep them from snagging on the bottom. In 50' of water you can run a #4 plug on a full core but a #3 will hit the bottom so I run them on an 8 or 9 color.
Running a J plug on a SWR has it's days also
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Great info and a helpful pic as well. Thanks Storm Junkie. I only have a couple of 4 inch plugs all the others are larger ones. I will myself get a few more to round out my tackle box.

I love J-plugs in the spring and fall, and all species eat them

I use them year round. Deep riggers or lead cores are my preferred spots for them. They do have some difference from the rest of your spread. where spoons and flashers fall when they slow down, a plug will do the exact opposite. They float at rest and dive deeper when pulled harder, so its a good idea to try to keep them away from the other stuff. I havent had much luck on the “cut plug” style you have there with the notched heads, I think they might be designed to be run at higher speeds, not sure on that though. I have had my best luck on #3 j-plugs in the traditional style and #2 and #3 jointed j plugs. I find they all work better in shallower water, like less than 60ft, than offshore for me.

I have never used the ace high style plug before either John. I think you are right about the speed range from the few vids I have seen. Seems the smaller plugs are a must have. Need to get a few more of them. Hope you can get them in the spoon colors as well.

I bought a few of the size Luhr Jensen #3. I looked on the back of the package and there were some tips on their use. Took a pic of it to add to the discussion. Seems using an attractor along with the plug is a option maybe to try.

If I were going to pick the top five lures ever dropped into the Great Lakes for salmon and trout - the J-Plug (and it's clones) would be high on the list. If I were going to pick the top color for all these, the "silver bullet" (all chrome) would be way up at the top. Sadly, L-J has discontinued the silver bullet in the #3 size. (Still available in #4). Chrome with red/lips is still available in #3 and is probably just as good. When I'm specifically targeting kings, I use #4s. Spring/summer, I catch kings, cohos and steel regularly on #3s.
I've never found a big difference between the DW Captain's Plugs, Atomics, Lucky Louies, Northport Nailer and other brands. I've caught all species with them.
Oddly, when fishing "up north," say north of Pentwater or Kewaunee, the wonderbread pattern is probably tops. Down on the south end, wonderbread sucks for me. Glow-in-dark shines in low-light or before dawn conditions.
Never used them with dodgers or flashers, nor have I heard of many doing that in the Great Lakes. Not saying it won't work. I think it's more of a west coast tactic. If it starts whacking and stacking, let us know!