River Bank Plunking Setup #1   

With River Bank Plunking Setup #1 thefish will many times successfully hook itself without your assistance, but to insure your success be sure that it is a solid hookup and reel in the line quickly until it is taut and give it a sharp tug.  Do not overdo this because too much muscle may rip the hook right out of the fish's mouth. 

The lead pyramid weight for River Bank Plunking Setup #1 is usually 3-10 ounces, depending upon the current and what the smallest setup size is that will hold its position in the river.   You will want to have the lightest weight possible for many reasons.  First, it is easier to pull off of the bottom and set the hook.  Second, it is easier to spot the nibble with the fish pulling against less weight.  Thirdly, when the hook is set there is less chance of the fish carrying the weight somewhere that will hang up because with a smaller weight it won't be dragged along the bottom as much. 

There are different shapes of weights but the pyramidal shape seems to be most successful shape that holds its position fishing from the river bank without drifting downriver. 

Fishermen can also plunk from the back of a boat using the same basic gear for their setup.   If the boat is anchored above the area that is to be fished, use a dropper line of 12-18" with enough sinker weight to keep it in contact with the bottom.  A round or teardrop weight may work just fine here since you can control the down river drift of the gear behind your boat.  It is easier than trying to hold position from the shore. The leader can be 3-4' since the river will generally be swifter in the middle and the floating lure will therefore be forced closer to the bottom by the current.  All the angler has to do here is to put the pole into the holder, sit down and relax while waiting for a bite.  

Bell wire can be used to extend the weight to the triple swivel instead of fishing line.  This thin wire is available at most hardware stores.  By wrapping the wire around both the triple swivel and the weight just two times in each place, it is allowed to unravel to leave the weight on the bottom of the river should it get too badly hung up.  This will save the remaining gear or perhaps even a fish that you have on if the weight should get entangled either during the original cast or from where the fish has carried it.  Over time this will save you a lot of gear and fish.

When you are pulling hard trying to get all your gear back fromwhere it is hung up in the river everything will break off at the weakest point.  That could be where there is a frayed line, a weak knot, or the line with the smallest test strength.  Why not make that determination before everything is lost in the river by allowing bell wire to unravel first?  Also with bell wire you do not have to tie any knots.

The bead between the Spin-n-Glo and the hooks helps to prevent the knot on the swivel from wear.

The double hooks (gang hooks) behind the Spin-n-Glo are tied about 2 inches apart to present a sand shrimp properly or to provide a better chance of hook up if salmon eggs are being used.  For a great animated instruction site that shows how to tie different fishing knots click here.

The main line is generally are a minimum of 17-25 pound test fishing line and the leader a minimum of 10-12 pound test. This may be varied with the size of the fish that you are targeting, but heavier line strength is needed because of the initial force with which the fish hits.  Heavier lines are also important in plunking in order to make sure that the Spin-n-Glos don't get tangled up from all the spinning and twisting that they do.

After you cast and the gear has settled, reel in the slack line until the fishing pole has as much bend in it as possible without dislodging the weight.  Removing this slack in the line is very important in spotting nibbles and making it easier for the fish to set the hook itself.  With slack line there is much less pressure from the weight tugging back at the fish in the hookup.

An added plus can come with this plunking configuration.  By putting another stopper 2-3' up the line form the triple swivel it is possible, after the gear has settled into place, to run another setup down the line.  It is best to have this one a little shorter, possibly 16-24" long so as not to interfere with the original lure.  Just unsnap the second leader's swivel and put it over the line just past the last eyelet on the pole, resnap it, and lift the pole up into the air.  The lure will slide down the line, under the water and into place.  Now you are plunking with two sets of gear which will double the odds of your success.  One possible combination (and a very effective one) is to have sand shrimp or eggs on the terminal lure and a plug on the gear that you have just run down the line.  The length of the leader and sliding leader can also be reversed.  By making the leader 12-16" and the sliding leader 3-4' they should not interfere with each other.  

  River Bank Plunking Setup #2 

As you have noticed in this diagram that by using a sinker slide the weight is allowed to freely move up and down the fishing line.  The sinker slide stops at the barrel swivel which has the leader attached to the other side of the swivel. The knot on the sinker slide side can be protected by the use of a bead.

After casting out the gear and having the weight settle on the bottom, reel in the excess line until the fishing pole gets a bow in it.  Do this without dislodging the weight.  This will put the leader at the proper heighth from the bottom following the weight.  Without tightening up this excess fishing line the lure will be improperly positioned because it will be fishing too far off the bottom.  The Spin-n-Glo floats, and it will bring all the gear towards the surface and away from the fish since the fish are all generally bottom huggers.

One of the advantages of Setup #2 is in the sensitivity of spotting the bite.  Here the fish is pulling directly against the pole since the line is flowing through the sinker slide.  Another advantage, which can be even more important, is if the weight were to get hung up on the bottom, a fish can be allowed to run a bit with the bait and then the hook can be set successfully because it is your pole versus the fish, not the pole versus the hung up weight which is directly tied to the leader.   You can worry about getting the weight off the bottom later.  Many times the fish will actually help you with that.

You can catch trout, steelhead, salmon, or sturgeon on these setups.  Baits like worms, eggs, sand shrimp, herring and anchovies (the real ones) will catch them all with exception of herring and anchovies being effective on trout.