Tomic Plugs with Flat Bar, NOT Pin

[Cornfed]

So I bought some plugs from EBAY, not realizing that 3 of the 4 plugs had a flat bar running through them and not a pin. So my questions is this:
Can this flat bar be removed so that line can somehow be run through the plug for the "pulled pin" method?
If I can't pull the flat bar out of the plug then I guess I just have to tie to the ring that is attached to the bar?
Ultimately, I think that this means that I will have to troll this plugs faster to get the same action as the "pulled pin" method or "Bead chain method". This will screw with all my rigs if this is the case.
Does anyone know. Is this design an 'old school' TOMIC design or what? I know that it isn't a knock-off because all the lures say TOMIC on them.
Another goofy thing: 2 of the plugs don't have a number on them and one number is completely different then what the current color scheme suggests. Catherine said that sometimes the colors morph over time and that seems reasonable. Just wondering if anyone else has experienced this too.
I will posts some pictures of the plugs I bought when I get a chance.

 

[Slabby20]

I found a real ugly hand painted yellow/green 7" flat bar Tomic plug floating in a bunch of kelp at 7-mile 2 years ago. I figured if someone had broke it off (it had lots of teeth marks) it must work. We hammered springs with it the rest of the trip. I just tied straight to the ring that was attached to the flat bar and fished it right along side my other Tomics. Didn't seem to hurt the catch results of that plug at all. We also caught springs on the more current Tomics as well. I say just tie them on and use them at the same speed as you normally pull your other plugs.

 

[blackmouth]

If you want to remove the towbar so you can modify your plug into a "sliding type" simply cut the tow ring and removeit,then pull the bar out from the bottom of the plug.

 

[Slabby20]

Blackmouth,

This is a different style than the rounded pin on the newer Tomics. I don't think you can pull the "flat" bar like you can on the newer ones. I'll have to look at mine tonight.

 

[Cornfed]

Ok...I think this picture will suffice. What do you guys think? It doesn't look like there would be a line hole if I pulled the flat bar, but I really don't know. Slabby20 - It gives me confidence that you have nailed with this type of plug. Thats what matters anyway right? Its all about how the fisherman feels!

The "flat bar plug" is on top and the "pin plug" is on the bottom. Also, any guess on what number they are sicne there is no number on them?

 

[Cornfed]

I talked to Catherine at TOMIC and she said that she has heard of fisherman pulling the bar and running line through the plug but has not done it herself. Anybody do this? I would hate to try this and then ruin the plug![xx(]

 

[El Pescador]

If you tap the top of the flat bar with a hammer you will see that it slides downwards. So, if you grab the bottom of the flat bar with a set of pliers and pull, it should come out easily.

 

[Brokenrod]

After you pull the flat bar out, get a piece of the small tubing like the tubing that Radiant uses to protect their trailing hook on pretied leaders. Drill a hole for the tubing at the correct angle, inset the tubing into the hole leaving just a bit of tubing extending out beyond the plug (to protect the leader) and epoxy the tubing in place and WALA!

 

[Cornfed]

El Pescador - Is there a line (pee) hole or a big slot once you take that bar out? That bar looks like it is maybe 1 cm wide or so. How does the line get fed through?

 

[El Pescador]

There is an 8 mm slot, and 40 lbs test line slides easily through it. I just modified one of my plugs just for the hell of trying.

 

[Cornfed]

Hey guys...do you have to cut the flat bar before you pull it out? i am having a hell of time getting the bar out and I think I have gotten it to move only about 3mm.

 

[Cornfed]

OK...got it. Brute Force works the best. There is a 23 mm gap in the bottom of the plug and an 8mm gap in the top of the plug. It does come out in one piece. I am thinking that when I put the line through these slots it will assume the most aggressive position (furthest back on top slot). i will test this next week and report on how the action is!

This is what the top and bottom look like now...

 

[blackmouth]

I did understand the style that you were talking about, and what I do is split the ring, remove it, grab the flat bar with pliers and remove the bar from the bottom. I then put a piece of heavy mono through the slit, tie a barrel swivel on the top and a barrel swivel with a hook of your preference on the bottom. I have many plugs rigged this way, and they work great.

 

[tubber]

I did understand the style that you were talking about, and what I do is split the ring, remove it, grab the flat bar with pliers and remove the bar from the bottom. I then put a piece of heavy mono through the slit, tie a barrel swivel on the top and a barrel swivel with a hook of your preference on the bottom. I have many plugs rigged this way, and they work great.

old thread I know.

I tried this with a 50 cent 7" plug. Sprayed it with 2 rattle cans at the same time so the colours (black and white) bled along the lateral line. Put it down to 110 feet and caught a 25, 18 and 15 before trying some of my $15.00 plugs, which also worked. The secret was to be within a mile or two of Rat's Nose when the fish are eating herring and there are no pinks and few cohos to mess with as per last Saturday/Sunday.

Green and blue hootchie with a glow insert, white turd, small green and blue tomic spoon, #7 chrome Superior, half and half # 6 Canadian spoon, watermelon coyote, #500 6" tubby, and a couple other hootchies and spoons also took fish. We released lots of 6-12 lb fish and several 12-18.

 

[fish stalker]

You mix it up! I like it!

Do you think the eye color makes a difference? I noticed on some coho killers eye colors were totally different.

released 18 pound fish!?