Pencil Poppers and Current

[scrapper]

5 hours ago, crazybellringer said:

 

Is it mike from M&D's making these plugs or some one else?

It’s me. 

[crazybellringer]

52 mins ago, Sandbar1 said:

The left hook Raptor? I don't think Mike had any connection to those plugs though aside from selling 5them at M&Ds. I did purchase a bunch there shop when he was the owner.

 

On the other hand Mike's pencils are also top notch, I still have a few I was gifted a couple years back. They work current beautifully.

 

mike from m&ds makes  my favorite pencil the the old school  big floating pencil. 

[R.R. Bridge Fisher]

43 mins ago, scrapper said:

It’s me. 

Where are your plugs available to purchase?  Im not on fbook

I would like to try one

26 mins ago, crazybellringer said:

 

mike from m&ds makes  my favorite pencil the the old school  big floating pencil. 

Yes these produce...

[Sandbar1]

Here's a nice one on the Left Hook.

[JoeyDaGreat]

I and alot of people catch bass of them lefthook "rocks"

[Heavy Hooksetter]

3 hours ago, Sandbar1 said:

I have some great fishing memories drifting around the Elizabethan Islands with my uncle, casting creek chub and gibbs little neck poppers into the currents. Deadly on stripers and gator blues.

I'm not much of a pencil man but,love the standard ones.

they seem to wake up fish that are snoring.

HH

[ChewyBrigantine]

Can't go wrong with a BM 3oz pencil, or Guppy flat bottom. Only pencils I use

[CaryGreene]

17 hours ago, willcodfish said:

got me sold..thanks for the info..not even my question and i appreciate that reply...beauty of this site...thanks...only question i have is there a color preference or do u go by whats in the area for baits..im the usual whites,lite pinks, macks (green or blue), yellow with the once in awhile black throwing kinda guy..think of any others i should add

Hi Will, the beauty of this site is that we can all be friends here. With certain bait present you more than likely will want a few different patterns. Of course white is very good most of the time. I carry Herring, Bunker, Green Mackerel & White usually. Sounds like you need to deal with heavy current. 

The planed flat- bottom & overall balance of the Ditch Witch is best-in-class for current applications.

 

I'm big on adding Flag Tails to plugs. Learn to tie your own Flag Tails. Get a rotary fly tying vise. Pick up a few Bucktails & some flash...& contact Mike & get some Flag Tail Posts.

Then you can Doctor up your Plugs. Flags won't hinder your action in the least & the extra kick is a real boost for almost any plug...

 

Chartreuse can be nice for fall blitzes also. Coincidentally, certain fisheries present unique challenges. If you fish out front a lot on sandy beaches or over boulder fields, a flat bottomed Pencil is actually a less attractive option because current is minimal.

 

The Cape Cod Canal, where flat bottomed Pencils Excell, has periods of slack tide. If you hit slack tide during low light conditions, or for those rare times when you have a peak moon rise (big drop), you'll want a floating Pencil that you can work & stop. Then you make the plug struggle while standing still. Pretend you are a wounded minnow. Behave the plug as such. Make it struggle. An all white floating red head paint job with a flag tail will kill it as an AP (all purpose option).

 

Mike makes a round bottom standard Pencil & a smaller clone as well.

They are sweet. I'm hoping one day he'll do a 5" Slow Sinking flat bottom also but we have other custom builders like Lighthouse for those solutions.

 

If you absolutely NEED casting distance then you stash a Left-Hook pattern in your bag as well.  They are not made for current unfortunately. But they cast great. Try swimming one in current though & you'll be swearing the entire time & literally sweating from exertion. LOL Still, let's tip our cap to the Left Hook Pencil even though they are prone to chipping - unlike Mike's & After-Hours.

Now, if you are on a budget or just a tightwad, you can stop by Cabela's & pick up some &8 Buckshot. (screw BB's by the way fellers. They ain't Lead & they're too big). BUCKSHOT. yeah, yeah. BB's work. Ohhhkay.sure they do. Just don't stand next to me when I'm hucking & ducking during a Herring Blitz. 'Ya wand DISTANCE? Load a Cotton Cordell Pencil with #8. Watch what happens next. Cape Cod Charlie used to load CCP's with BB's. Drill a little hole in the side of the plug and dump the lead in and use a postal scale  to make your own missile. Plug the hole with inta-cure, hit it with kicker & you're in business biggity-boom!

 

Ain't pretty but it works. Round bottom though. Grrrrt Not great in current.

 

Another fun Pencil is the After-hours Rascal Jr. & the bigger Sr. 

 

I have had 100+ fish days on the Jr. (from the boat or Jet Ski). It's a Double Wide, perfectly made bad boy that creates twice as much commotion as a standard Pencil AND covers two distinct sizes. The Jr. is for "ballers" only. Sharpies! All white is essential but you can even go with dead-nuts imitations -or- dial 1-800-itaintnouseifitaintchartreuse!!

I'll slap an In-Line hook on the ass of the Plug if I have Blues around.

Otherwise, we rock a Flag Tail & a Belly Trebble. I tried In-Line Hooks on the swiveling Belly Mounts & quickly scrapped the idea as my bump to hook up ratio clearly went in up.

 

After-hours also does a beautiful standard Pencil in a couple different sizes. His smaller 5" Pencil with the rounded bottom is excellent. I install Flag Tails on them & really like them.

 

Let's conclude with the most fishable plug on Earth & one that excells in current. You know it!! The SINKING SUPER-STRIKE Sinking Little-Neck.

 

In the Pencil family are Little-Neck Poppers. If fished propppperlyyyyy, 

this plug will slay fish. Run a Flag Tail & a belly Trebble. Whaddaya mean they aren't Pencils???! I'm tellin 'ya they are in the Pencil Family.

They cast a mile & they sink slowly & can easily be held on top. From a commotion causing perspective, you can imitate busting baitfish amazingly well. But you can also gently.swim (which you should try to do a lot more of). 

 

Hold the plug in the zone & let the current make it wobble. With the flag tail added, the SLN becomes a secret weapon. Perfect solution.

 

 

Edited April 18, 2020 by CaryGreene

[R.R. Bridge Fisher]

The Afterhours Jr. Blip comes in at 2.7 oz. And is something to take a look at. 

Its a flat bottomed pencil that casts very well. 

[Sandbar1]

18 hours ago, willcodfish said:

got me sold..thanks for the info..not even my question and i appreciate that reply...beauty of this site...thanks...only question i have is there a color preference or do u go by whats in the area for baits..im the usual whites,lite pinks, macks (green or blue), yellow with the once in awhile black throwing kinda guy..think of any others i should add

To jump on the question about color, what guys seem to forget is that a pencil is a topwater plug. The bass will only ever see the underside of the bait and it just so happens that the belly of most baitfish has a white or light appearance. Furthermore a pencil attracts fish more through its action than its shape, profile or color. I'm a firm believer that the bass isn't keyed in on the bait at all but is targeting the commotion it creates.

I think an all white pencil or any pencil with a white belly will work 99% of the time (with chartreuse or yellow for some specific occasions).  Sure I own pencils in all kinds of colors and patterns but that's a me problem. And again they almost all have the same white belly.

Edited April 18, 2020 by Sandbar1

[lureman]

i am liking ,and using more, and more, what i call, "Bowling Pins" pencils, for there shape, up to 4oz., Outcast, and Lights Out, i use them alot at the canal....

[Wire For Fire]

1 hour ago, lureman said:

i am liking ,and using more, and more, what i call, "Bowling Pins" pencils, for there shape, up to 4oz., Outcast, and Lights Out, i use them alot at the canal....

I been interested in these for alil and might buckle down and try my luck at turning one . They pencil as good as standard pencil ? 

[ASrod]

5 hours ago, R.R. Bridge Fisher said:

The Afterhours Jr. Blip comes in at 2.7 oz. And is something to take a look at. 

Its a flat bottomed pencil that casts very well. 

I spoke to Don and he recommended one of his pencils. Hopefully I’ll be able to get a trophy on it come May 1st...

Edited April 18, 2020 by ASrod

[willcodfish]

2 hours ago, lureman said:

i am liking ,and using more, and more, what i call, "Bowling Pins" pencils, for there shape, up to 4oz., Outcast, and Lights Out, i use them alot at the canal....

same here..i like the bowling pin in white and pinkish from lights out ...things definitely gives u distance and great action

[willcodfish]

6 hours ago, CaryGreene said:

Hi Will, the beauty of this site is that we can all be friends here. With certain bait present you more than likely will want a few different patterns. Of course white is very good most of the time. I carry Herring, Bunker, Green Mackerel & White usually. Sounds like you need to deal with heavy current. 

The planed flat- bottom & overall balance of the Ditch Witch is best-in-class for current applications.

 

I'm big on adding Flag Tails to plugs. Learn to tie your own Flag Tails. Get a rotary fly tying vise. Pick up a few Bucktails & some flash...& contact Mike & get some Flag Tail Posts.

Then you can Doctor up your Plugs. Flags won't hinder your action in the least & the extra kick is a real boost for almost any plug...

 

Chartreuse can be nice for fall blitzes also. Coincidentally, certain fisheries present unique challenges. If you fish out front a lot on sandy beaches or over boulder fields, a flat bottomed Pencil is actually a less attractive option because current is minimal.

 

The Cape Cod Canal, where flat bottomed Pencils Excell, has periods of slack tide. If you hit slack tide during low light conditions, or for those rare times when you have a peak moon rise (big drop), you'll want a floating Pencil that you can work & stop. Then you make the plug struggle while standing still. Pretend you are a wounded minnow. Behave the plug as such. Make it struggle. An all white floating red head paint job with a flag tail will kill it as an AP (all purpose option).

 

Mike makes a round bottom standard Pencil & a smaller clone as well.

They are sweet. I'm hoping one day he'll do a 5" Slow Sinking flat bottom also but we have other custom builders like Lighthouse for those solutions.

 

If you absolutely NEED casting distance then you stash a Left-Hook pattern in your bag as well.  They are not made for current unfortunately. But they cast great. Try swimming one in current though & you'll be swearing the entire time & literally sweating from exertion. LOL Still, let's tip our cap to the Left Hook Pencil even though they are prone to chipping - unlike Mike's & After-Hours.

Now, if you are on a budget or just a tightwad, you can stop by Cabela's & pick up some &8 Buckshot. (screw BB's by the way fellers. They ain't Lead & they're too big). BUCKSHOT. yeah, yeah. BB's work. Ohhhkay.sure they do. Just don't stand next to me when I'm hucking & ducking during a Herring Blitz. 'Ya wand DISTANCE? Load a Cotton Cordell Pencil with #8. Watch what happens next. Cape Cod Charlie used to load CCP's with BB's. Drill a little hole in the side of the plug and dump the lead in and use a postal scale  to make your own missile. Plug the hole with inta-cure, hit it with kicker & you're in business biggity-boom!

 

Ain't pretty but it works. Round bottom though. Grrrrt Not great in current.

 

Another fun Pencil is the After-hours Rascal Jr. & the bigger Sr. 

 

I have had 100+ fish days on the Jr. (from the boat or Jet Ski). It's a Double Wide, perfectly made bad boy that creates twice as much commotion as a standard Pencil AND covers two distinct sizes. The Jr. is for "ballers" only. Sharpies! All white is essential but you can even go with dead-nuts imitations -or- dial 1-800-itaintnouseifitaintchartreuse!!

I'll slap an In-Line hook on the ass of the Plug if I have Blues around.

Otherwise, we rock a Flag Tail & a Belly Trebble. I tried In-Line Hooks on the swiveling Belly Mounts & quickly scrapped the idea as my bump to hook up ratio clearly went in up.

 

After-hours also does a beautiful standard Pencil in a couple different sizes. His smaller 5" Pencil with the rounded bottom is excellent. I install Flag Tails on them & really like them.

 

Let's conclude with the most fishable plug on Earth & one that excells in current. You know it!! The SINKING SUPER-STRIKE Sinking Little-Neck.

 

In the Pencil family are Little-Neck Poppers. If fished propppperlyyyyy, 

this plug will slay fish. Run a Flag Tail & a belly Trebble. Whaddaya mean they aren't Pencils???! I'm tellin 'ya they are in the Pencil Family.

They cast a mile & they sink slowly & can easily be held on top. From a commotion causing perspective, you can imitate busting baitfish amazingly well. But you can also gently.swim (which you should try to do a lot more of). 

 

Hold the plug in the zone & let the current make it wobble. With the flag tail added, the SLN becomes a secret weapon. Perfect solution.

 

 

very good intel thank you again for the reply. greatly appreciated.gonna grab a couple of the ole witches for the bag for sure..theres so many quality lures out there nice to get some feed back on some different stuff