Do tadpolies catch steelies

[Capin' Dan]

I am in a discussion with a friend about steel head plugs. I use the tadpolies as my favorite. So what do the experts think. What is the #1 steelhead plug. I know its hard because you have a lot to take into consideration:
Water conditions
Natives or Hatchery fish
River system excetra.

So what is the #1` Plug.

Dan!

[Fishin Magician]

Tadpollies dont work............... :rolleyes:

[Capin' Dan]

Do Too, Do too, Do too, Do too,

They are still one of favorites even though I've been going through a dry spell for a while.

:grin: :grin: :grin: :grin: :grin: :shocked: :shocked:

[Fin]

The green pirate tadpolly is one of my favorite plugs for steelies. It even caught a 20lb. springer last spring.

[bait boy]

Finny, have you and Jack been out catching any of those early winters? I have yet to see a tadpolly catch a fish, Can ya show me?

Get that gas line fixed?

[Fin]

Bait Boy,
We were on the river Friday for a couple hrs. The water was risng but in good shape. Only caught one ugly fish. Didn't hear of any ironheads but the gal at the store said a few have been caught. We will see about Thurs.

[Pete]

Back to the question, if I had only one plug for steelhead, it'd probably be a metalic red wiggle wort. I've had great luck backtrolling them.

[FishinMission]

I use various plugs for different situations, but I'd have to put my money on the #30 Hot Shot for winter steelies.

[RichH]

I've always had great luck with wiggle warts in just about any water conditions. My personal favorite is chrome w/black back. Can't seem to put that one out without something grabbing on. :grin:
I've also started fishing tadpollies lately and have had some great success with them. A metallic red with a rattle caught a 20+ for a friend of mine and as I was trying to take a picture he dropped the fish and busted off the plug :shocked: :shocked: :mad:

I feel that any plug you have confidence in will catch fish though ya gotta fish em to have the confidence to keep fishin' em.

[HOGTIDE]

I've always prefered Wiggle Warts. They just seem to have a more positive 'bite' into the water and they seem to be easy to tune. A nice wide bill give's 'em lots of action ,too. I have had quite a bit of success with the 'pirate'.

[FM2]

I just luuuvv steelie season :grin: :grin:

I use hot shots and wiggle warts. My money plugs are the warts, blue pirate/red bill/copper bottom in cloudy conditions and blue pirate/red bill/silver bottom in sunny conditions. These have out performed any of the 1.5 million plugs I own :grin: :grin: :grin:

BRING ON THE WINTERS......YAAA HOOO !!!!!

:smile: :cool: :grin:

[TH]

Tadpollies work down on the SC.
Met. pink, copper, met. blue.. and my favorite green/pink back custom painted w/ rattle. :grin:
Just a couple weeks yet.. its hard to give up on the great runs of chinook that are still left in the SC rivers.

[David Johnson]

For me it's all site and condition spacific. Depth, current speed and water color in that order. #30 & #40 Hot Shots, Wiggle Warts, Tadpolly, Flatfish, Kwikfish, Bagleys.....They all get used in my boat.

[Gone Fishin]

Take the standard hooks off any of those plugs and add a size 2 Mustad Triple Grip Ultra point and you will greatly improve your odds of getting fish to the boat once the rod goes down!

I'm with David, conditions dictate which size, color or type of plug that should be used.

However, there are those plugs (you know the ones) that always seem to catch fish. I tend to use those first! :wink:

[Tanner]

I'm with David and Marty. Marty showed me a couple tricks last year and now I absolutely hammer fish on plugs. My absolute favorites though for steelhead are not your standard steelhead plugs. I'd tell ya what they are but then I'd have to kill of ya. :grin:

[SAUKit2em]

Tadpollies are my favorite steelhead plugs too. I use them almost exclusively, but it all has to do with depth, current speed, and water color. Tad's are my #1 choice for slow to medium flows up to about 8 feet deep. Faster and deeper water I use the #35 Hotshots with good success. I am also a plug collector and I have several million plugs, okay, maybe several hundred is more like it :wink: I'd tell y'all my favorite colors, but then I'd have to kill you and my friends would kill me :wink: Okay, I'll give ya one. I use a couple different variations of metallic pink or Dr. Death as they are affectionately called around my neck of the woods.

There are a whole bunch of new colors of Tad's that I have to get some teeth marks in so I have to be going now. River is dropping and the winter runs are here :grin:

[PRINCEMASTER]

Well Capn Dan I have brought some of those midwest tadpolys and yes they even catch walleye. The best for steelhead is the silver with blue highlights and a rattle. Keep them lines wet

[FEAR NO FISH!]

Lighted vortexes! Red with black back, at night. 1100+ steelhead can't be wrong! :grin:

[Nuttinbutnet]

Blue Pirate Wiggle Wart/ Cop Car #30 Hot Shot. Time to put the sled away and get to rowin'. :smile:

[Swami]

I use Tadpollies about 80% of the time. All plugs are good if fished in the right conditions. I have found when you find any plug that catches fish take care of it because most of the time that plug will catch more fish no matter what color. I will go thru about 10 plugs per one good one. This is my experence with plugs. :cool: