Wrapping the hook shank accomplishes two things. First, it gives the plastic something to grab onto and hold. A bare hook shank will cause almost any soft-plastic lure to tear after repeated casting and strikes. It anchors the trailing hook firmly so it doesn’t slip and it gives you something to glue the bait to if it should tear after you’ve caught a few fish. This will extend the life of your lures immensely. Wrapping it gives you a solid foundation to work with.
Weighted Baits
Lunker City makes what I call “nail weights” that have small ridges along the entire length. These ridges allow the weights to stay in place once you push them inside the plastic. The weights can be inserted in the tail for more tail action and better casting distance. Or place them in the head of the bait for a diving, darting effect, or even in the middle of the body to make it sink in a horizontal position. Weighted offset hooks provide another stealthier option in the shallows. Only the fish’s reaction to the various orientations will tell you which will be most effective on any given day.
Bullet weights can be placed just above the head for added weight just as if you were fishing a freshwater plastic worm. Egg sinkers can also be used when fishing in deep water or over submerged structure such as humps, rock piles or wrecks in deep water.
Size, Color and Scent
Slug-Gos are now available in the 7 1⁄2-inch size, which is what many anglers in the Northeast have been asking for. Sometimes the bigger 9-inch version is just a tad too large and the 6-inch bait is too small. The new size is easer to cast on medium to medium-heavy tackle and mimics the size of many of the baitfish that inhabit the inshore tidal zones that stripers frequent.
After many years of guiding, fishing and trying a boatload of different colors and color combinations, I would advise you to stick with a few basic colors. White, black, yellow, chartreuse and bubblegum have all been top producers for me day in day out. White is a good daytime color, black is the best at night, yellow is good on cloudy or overcast days, chartreuse in dark or stained waters. And bubblegum is my go-to color when squid are running or the cinder worms are swarming.
I’m a big fan of scents but not so much to make a Slug-Go more appealing. I use it more to mask the smell of the plastic itself, and any human scents or chemical scents, such as sunscreen, gas or oil. Open any package that contains a few large plastic baits and you immediately get the odor of chemicals used in the processing or packaging. Unless the baits have been pre-scented at the factory it’s to your advantage to mask the smell of polychloride from the lures. You can use Smelly Jelly, which is a paste, or Jack’s Juice, which is a spray, Atlas Mike’s gels, Lunker Sauce or any masking scent you like.
Surface Presentations
For a unique twist and a different look I add a cork or foam popper to the head to make one of the most effective topwater poppers you will ever see. You can add eyes to the cork or foam, paint it and really dress it up if you like. Simply drill a small hole through the center of the popper body so you can get the leader through it and then tie to the hook.
Last year I began tying silicone skirts to the heads on the hook right behind the hook eye. This dancing skirt gives a totally different look to the bait and a tremendous amount of action as the bait sinks in the water column. The skirt also slows the bait’s sink rate more naturally.
Proper Tackle
Most anglers choose too light a rod for fishing a big Slug-Go or similar plastic. Your first concern is setting the hook, and a medium-heavy to heavy-action rod is what’s called for. If a fish hits the bait on the end of a long cast you need the power of a heavier rod to drive the hook through the lure’s body and the fish’s jaw.
I prefer baitcasting tackle for this type of fishing but spinning gear will work as long as you select the proper size rod and reel. A spinning or plug outfit in the 12- to 15-pound class is ideal.
Since obstructions are commonplace in the best striper waters, I prefer using a quality mono line like Yo-Zuri instead of braided line. Many anglers like the new braids because they don’t stretch on the hookset and don’t abraid when wrapped around structure. But getting hung up is a real possibility when fishing around shallow structure. Lighter mono is easier to break—and usually will break at the line/leader knot—so you won’t have to motor into the strike zone to retrieve your rig, thereby spooking any fish holding on the structure.
