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What Makes a Plug Tumble?

post #1 of 11
2/27/12 at 7:37am
Thread Starter 
Anyone have any theories on what make a plug tumble in the air on a cast. I am thinking mostly about poppers. It seems to be something that doesn't always happen but when it does it severely cuts down on distance. Some plugs tumble or wobble all the time so I think it's the way they are weighted. With others it seems to have something to do with how they are cast but I can't figure it out.
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post #2 of 11
2/27/12 at 9:02am
Quote:
Originally Posted by MikeBlue View Post

Anyone have any theories on what make a plug tumble in the air on a cast. I am thinking mostly about poppers. It seems to be something that doesn't always happen but when it does it severely cuts down on distance. Some plugs tumble or wobble all the time so I think it's the way they are weighted. With others it seems to have something to do with how they are cast but I can't figure it out.

lots of things could make a plug do this, last year I changed out all the rear treble's with a single dressed siwash, improves on the areo dynamics,
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post #3 of 11
2/27/12 at 12:51pm
The majority of mass produced plugs dont cast well at all, but there are exceptions. if your talking about a properly weighted plug and it sometimes it flys and other times it tumbles. I d suggest you play around with your drop length. A longer drop lends itself to correcting timing issues with your cast and can compensate for quite a bit of error and timing, Big Dave
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post #4 of 11
2/27/12 at 3:50pm
Thread Starter 
I have changed all my rear hooks from trebles to singles, plain not dressed because of aerodynamics. I also use split rings to help the hook lie flat. I guess I'm talking primarily about pencils, sometimes they fly like bullets and other times they tumble. My drops are usually all within 6 inches, I will experiment with longer ones and see if that makes a difference.
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post #5 of 11
2/28/12 at 7:55pm
I have noticed that a few plugs will tumble if you put too much oooomph into your cast. A smoother less forceful cast will actually give you more distance as the plug doesn't tumble.
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post #6 of 11
2/28/12 at 8:53pm
One thing that surprisingly few people are aware of is that if the rear treble is unbalanced, IE: has a hook facing straight up instead of down, it will cause the plug to tumble on the cast. Not as noticeable on big heavy plugs, but a problem with lighter ones.
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post #7 of 11
2/29/12 at 8:06pm
Search for posts by HPD. He has done a lot of excellent research on the subject. He also has great vids on YouTube.
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post #8 of 11
3/9/12 at 7:38am
It can be the plug, but it can also be timing of the release.

As the plug changes direction from behind you to in front of you it naturally reverses direction (goes head over heels ) at it goes from being towed (pulled forward) to being released.

A mis-timing of the release will cause any inherent tumbling to be all that much worse.

You can practice with a heavy wooden dowel that is evenly weighted and maybe 6-10 inches long. The weight should be suitable for your rod/set up.

The more evenly weighted it is the harder it is to get the timing right-- this is why many poppers/ top water plugs are larger or flare out towards the rear. The additional weight to the rear of the plug helps fight tumble and produces longer casts.

A light plug that is neutrally weighted and larger in size is going to have a lot of trouble being cast into serious cross winds, so there is that factor to consider.
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post #9 of 11
3/14/12 at 10:30am
First read poat #3 again then add a 1/4oz teardrop weight to your tailhook splitring and see if that helps
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post #10 of 11
3/14/12 at 11:27pm
Thread Starter 
I am not sure that the timing of the release is that important, timing generally relates to the height of trajectory, early release it goes high: late release it goes out low. I have a number of customized plugs that are heavily weighted in the tail, there is still a lot of variability in whether they go out 'clean' or tumble. I have only one plug design that never seems to tumble, it's a simple cylinder that is heavily tail weighted. I am thinking that it is somehow connected to the airflow over the plug as goes from being 'pulled' to being 'ejected'.
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post #11 of 11
3/30/12 at 8:07pm
timing of release is very important. To early and the plug might not be fully turned. A timely release point does vary with plug to plug so tuning drop length sometimes does the trick! as post #3 says "trust me he knows a thing or 2 on casting"
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