It doesn’t matter if you’re trolling for ocean salmon, river run salmon, reservoir trout, landlocked kings or kokanee, rolling baits are some of the best offerings you can employ.
For many years, I’ve been rigging plug cut herring, slipping whole anchovies on homemade wire baiters and pinning small threadfin shad on painstakingly tied leaders that feature a special sliding snell all with the goal of presenting a baitfish with just the right roll or rotation.
Why trout and salmon a drawn to a baitfish or a portion of a baitfish rotating through the water in a most unnatural way is a mystery to me, but ours is not the reason why, ours is to catch fish. And if the fish are enthusiastic about a rolling rotating bait, that’s what we need to present them with.
As most avid trollers will attest, rolling natural baits are highly effective yet many guys don’t employ them because such baits are hard to rig, hard to care for on the water and messy. Plus, using natural baitfish is a big no no at some of our high mountain fisheries.
Luckily for saltwater and freshwater anglers alike the folks at Brad’s Killer Fishing Gear can up with a simple solution for the conundrum of rolling natural baits with their invention of the original Super Bait Cut Plug a few years ago.
The first time I saw a Super Bait Cut Plug rotating in a tank at a big fishing trade show in Las Vegas, I knew the brain trust at Brad’s was on to something big. There before my eyes was a bait that rolled perfectly every time all the time and it was made out of plastic. It didn’t have to be stored on ice and the lure was available in a number of different UV color patterns. If you wanted green or blue or hot pink baits the days of dyeing herring were long gone, along with the mess and burned time such projects create.
Better still Brad’s Cut Plugs feature a hollow cavity that anglers can fill with any number of prepared bait options including cut herring, sardines or ground tuna. If using real bait isn’t your bag, the Cut Plugs come with a sponge residing in thier cavity. You can add your favorite scent to that sponge and wham you’re fishing!
These days you can purchase Brad’s Super Bait Cut Plugs in three different sizes. There is the original 4 inch model that works great for ocean salmon, river salmon, big trout and monster mackinaw.
The Cut Plug Mini is about 3 inches long. This lure certainly has saltwater applications, but overall it’s aimed at anglers that target reservoir fish such as big open water trout and landlocked kings.
This past year, Brad’s introduced a small 2 inch version of the Cut Plug intended for kokanee anglers. The bait does a great job of fooling landlocked sockeyes, but it’s also a real sleeper for trout.
The 2 inch size is perfect for trout of all sizes. Run the kokanee size cut plug through the thermocline at reservoirs like New Melones or Shasta and you won’t be able to keep the shad munching rainbows off your gear!
For more information about Super Bait Cut Plugs and the rest of Brad’s fine products visit them online at: www.bsfishtales.com