Rigging Advice Requested for Tomic plugs

I would check out the Tomic site for sure on rigging instructions. Only thing is I would avoid using the treble hooks they have for the pulled pin method. We just run 7/0 hook with a bead above it to act as a bumper. Nice thing with this method is if you are ever unlucky to break off a fish, you often get your plug back. On flip side, not all pins connect up inside the Tomic plugs so on occasion (especially lately) when you pull the pin the hole does not go all the way through the plug rendering it completely useless. I have 3 from this season that had this defect.
 
if you ever have the problem with the hole not going all the way through its becasue they filpped the wire around in the mold. There should still be a hole all the way though its just gonna be the hole toward the front of the bill. Of course for a better action on the plug you want to use the back hole. What I do to clear out the hole is just get a drill bit that is the same size as the harness wire and drill the hole out. All you are doing is taking out a small 1/8th inch bit of plastic. It has worked well for me haven't had one leak from it yet.
 
Thanks for the detailed responses, Gents--especially about the "weld" on the ring and how to orient it. I did remove the rings on some of my plugs that have the rounded eyelet and they caught fish. Maybe I'll leave the rest with the rings on and see how the action compares. Thanks again.
 
I always cut the rings off. Push the knot up as high as you can on the tow bar to drive the plugs head downward. This increases the action and reduces the amount of speed you need to get that action. A very small elastic band can also be used to hold the line even further back on the top of the plugs head to increase this action. Play out lots of line before you plug them into the riggers. Obviously you don't want them so far back your going to get chopped off in the crowd, but the farthest you can is better. It allows them to swim side to side and again increases the action and their effectiveness.
 
LOL, well we'll see what the speaking experts talk about. We were lucky down on the south Island what with all the tackle manufacturers who lived and worked down here. Most of my plug knowledge came from Tom Moss himself when he still owned Tomic and lived in Sooke.
 
Just curious if anyone had much success tying directly to the welded ring on the plug? From Dogbreath's description near the top of this post is he tying the knot to the part of the welded ring exactly opposite to the thicker welded lump? It just seems there must be a reason the ring is there. On Tomic's rigging instructions there is nothing saying to tie directly to the ring that I can see. I really want to give plugs a chance this year. (fish out of Nanaimo alot).

Also one other silly question...But even tho you don't run a flasher with the plug, I still ran a leader...Is that correct or do you just tie off to the main line. I like to change gear so the leader tends to help me change out alot quicker obviously.

PS I asked Rob a few of these questions at PNT the other day...The drive that ensued apparently erased my memory of our plug conversation .
 
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I run a leader/swivel to help avoid tangles and allows me to keep my mainline system in tact so I can use quick change clip to rotate gear quickly.
 
Generally, I have a ball bearing swivel attached to my mainline. I then have all my gear pre tied with the appropriate leader material to the lure and then the other free end is terminated to a snap. I don't pull pins, I rig to the tow bar with a knot or the speed ring at the nose of the plug with a crimp.

DHA.
 
The ring on the plug was originally meant for commercials........I don't think they even bother with a knot.
They just clip 'em on and drop 'em. Time is money out there.
They haven't go time to bugger around with specialty knots and fancy rigs.
With the ring on you have to go faster to make it boogie......but they often go faster than sporties anyway.

So a plug straight out of the box with a ring on must obviously work.......just go faster if you tie to the ring.

Just not too far back, Tomic started selling the plugs WITHOUT the ring for sporties.
(Public demand?).

I look at a plug and if the edges around the face aren't almost razor sharp, I will sand it so it is and then repaint the face.
The sharper the edge on the face, the better it works, because the sharp edge cuts the water better.

Does the sharp plastic edge cut the leader at times?.......no...it's never happened to me yet.
 
The ring on the plug was originally meant for commercials........I don't think they even bother with a knot.

Actually we DO tie them on. As per Dogbreath's previous notation:

Always leave the ring on and be sure to tie the line so that the weld-which is always a bit uneven-rides on the ring.

Because it's uneven it may cause a bit of a different action from time to time causing a strike-this is straight from Tomic.

That DOES make the plug's action more erratic rather than a constant movement. And that erratic movement is exactly what causes strikes.

With the ring on you have to go faster to make it boogie......but they often go faster than sporties anyway.

We troll faster than pretty much all the sport rigs out there alright. But rigged as noted above, the plug will perform down to 3 knots. Even in my sport rig, I troll at a faster clip than most. Perhaps reflective of my commercial background, but I WELL Know it works! :D
Plugs I usually run right around 3.5 knots, even up to 4 knots at times...

Cheers,
Nog
 
100% agree with you Nog, speed is critical...sometimes when you are not paying attention (sleepin) and let the kicker drop down a bit and wondering why the bite seems to have dropped off....well, your sleepin and haven't got the speed right. And, speed isn't your GPS sog, its about the action created by speed through the water column whatever its doing. It's kind of like if you think your going fast, your probably not going fast enough.
 
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