Now here’s a tip that will save you some money and allow you to stock your box with more Spin-N-Glos. You will be glad to have an ample supply of winged bobbers when the bite’s hot and heavy and your tackle is breaking off. “I’ve had a number of guys walk up to me at the sport shows and they say, ‘the smaller the Spin-N-Glo I use, the more fish I catch’”, notes Ramsey. Small meaning a size 12 or 14.
USE LONG LEADERS
Make sure that your drift-fishing leaders are at least 30 inches long. “Because Spin-N-Glos spin, they can tangle up your leaders,” tips Ramsey. “So you would think that a short leader would be less prone to tangling, but that is not true."
Remember that it is important to use a bead between your hook and your Spin-N-Glo to act as a bearing. The smaller the Spin-N-Glo is, the smaller your bead will be.
A size 1/0 hook should be plenty big enough to keep the hook point in the strike zone on a size 4 Spin-N-Glo when you are plunking.
But downsize your hook to a size 6 octopus-style hook if you are drift-fishing a size 12 or 14 winged bobber.
So if you’re a drift-fisherman, there is no excuse why you can’t keep your tackle box well supplied with an ample supply of winged bobbers.
BEST COLORS AND SIZES FOR PLUNKING
“For steelhead, a size 4 is really the size for plunking,” notes Ramsey.
So if you had your druthers, you could conceivably get by plunking only a size 4. But a size 6 also works well as the water drops and clears. In fact, I’ve taken out all my size 2 Spin-N-Glos out of my steelhead plunking box to make room for more size 4 and 6 Spin-N-Glos.
Just think about how many more SNG colors and wing combinations you can fit into your flip box if you downsize to two sizes. The smaller size SNGs also costs a lot less than the larger sizes.
Because of the way a steelhead is built, its eyes also naturally look upward. So you will want your winged bobber to remain in that 12-inch strike zone where they are always naturally looking.
REMEMBER THAT HOOKS HAVE WEIGHT
Furthermore, a lot of people like to use treble hooks with their Spin-N-Glos as well. I’m not saying that the use of treble hooks are not effective, but again, you’re still defeating the purpose of having a buoyant spinner. The weight factor of having two additional hook points is playing against you.
So use a single octopus-style hook on your Spin-N-Glos.
Also make sure that you use the correct hook size for the Spin-N-Glo size. Use a Gamakatsu or Owner octopus style 1/0 hook for size 4 Spin-N-Glos, a size 1 octopus hook for the smaller size 6 Spin-N-Glos and a size 6 octopus hook for the very small size 12 and 14 SNGs.
Beads are also weighty as well, so use the smallest bead that is necessary to keep your Spin-N-Glo rotating. If you want to use smaller hooks and move the hook point further back from the SNG, then use two beads.
WHERE TO CAST - VERY IMPORTANT STUFF!
If you are drift-fishing, rig up using a piece of lead or a slinky for your sinker, the same as you would do if you were drift-fishing a ‘Lil Corky or a gob of roe-and-yarn.
If you’re drift fishing and the water is high, make sure to work all of the tail-outs, tips Nick Amato, editor of Salmon Trout Steelheader.
Depending on the river you are fishing, there might be multiple tail-outs in one section of the river. Don’t leave any tail-out unturned!
Current seams are the next most important places to cast, especially if the river parallels the current seam. They’re easy to spot. A current seam will have rough, ripply water on the river side of the river’s surface connecting to slack, calm water on the bank side of the river’s surface. The part where the two types of river adjoin is the current seam. Current seams can travel anywhere from 10 to 100 yards.
The next best place to cast is along the upriver side and river sides of boulder water. Sometimes you will have to make long casts with heavier sinkers to bounce the bottom if you are fishing from the bank.
Whether you are drift-fishing boulder water, a current seam or a tail-out, make a fake hook set after your initial cast to take the bow and slack out of your line.
You want the current to pull your Spin-N-Glo alongside the boulder without any slack in the line. Much of the time, a fish will be hiding under the stealth and cover of the slack water just upriver from the boulder.
If you are plunking, you’re going to be fishing mainly along current seams, at the heads of riffles and on inside turns.
Make sure that you are using a rod holder that is sturdy enough to withstand the strength of the current and the ferocious strikes that will occur.
BEST SPIN-N-GLO SIZES AND HOOK SIZES
All plunking Spin-N-Glos must be size 4 using a 1/0 octopus hook.
All drift-fishing Spin-N-Glos must be size 12 or 14 using a size 6 octopus hook.
- written by Larry Ellis
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