A great deal of fun can be had fishing swift or slow water with diving plugs.  Modify a diving plug by removing the hooks and attaching a trailing wet fly and you will have a rig capable of fishing a wide range of waters.  The investigative angler can develop creative combinations for almost any species of fish,  anywhere.

Nearly all fishermen are familiar with diving plugs, especially those used by river anglers from bank and boat.  In the Pacific NorthWest HotShots, WeeWarts and FlatFish in a rainbow of different colors are confidently attached to the ends of lines and fed downstream into potential fish holding spots.  Diving plugs are available  in all sizes and colors.  The increments in depth to which they are designed to dive is incredibly accurate and they may be adjusted.  Many come with  internal Bb’s in order to rattle.  Moreover, some are capable of wobbling vigorously in even the slowest currents.

Years ago I employed a method of river fishing whereby I removed all the hooks from an old diving plug and attached to the rear a monofilament leader either several inches or several meters in length, depending on the character of the water and species of fish I pursued.  To the end of this leader I fastened a hook baited with nightcrawler or crawdad tail. This modified plug rig ‘fished’ my bait as I worked it through promising eddies.  Clicking rocks and shoveling sand the bill of the plug worked from side to side as I deployed it downstream.  I soon became  convinced that fish were attracted to this commotion whether to defend or to devour and seldom hesitated to strike the trailing bait.

Taking this technique afield I soon discovered applications in nearly all fishing venues.  In Florida I took Huge Black Drums on my Stern line PlugRig while anchored in the mouth of the St. John’s River.  Far less current than one might expect will keep a well balanced plug tugging away in the briny deep, as I discovered near a South Florida Power Plant where boatless I contrived to trail a line from a convenient spit into the bountiful coral littered channel and took one pompano after another.   Until I was spooled by something BIG.

Diving Plug physics requires that the weaker the current the smaller the bait your plug will suspend.  Slack water, at the tops and bottoms of tides will often slow to the point where your plug rig will sag to the bottom. Experimenting further afield in barely sluggish water I found myself using lighter line, smaller plugs and merely bits of odorous bait.   Eventually I arrived,  from the bottom up,  to the expediency of flies.
 
I am not a fly fisherman of the four count persuasion,  preferring instead a long handled bait rod with level wind reel, especially in the ultralight configuration.  I have used dressed hooks in many situations with this outfit and have probably taken more steelhead in swift water with a wet fly behind the venerable ‘Adjust A Bubble’, designed specifically for this use, than any other technique.  Little has changed in my fly angling tactics until recently.

Several months ago I was introduced to the ‘Worried Shrimp’ a kind of MetaFly capable of taking a wide range of fish in fresh, brackish and saltwaters all over the world.

At first glance the colorful shrimp appears OverDressed yet one is impressed with the attention to detail, its stout construction and quality materials.  Imagine my surprise when I discovered it also glows in the dark.

On the Umpqua River this combination has proven terrific for Small Mouth Bass and when the Shad are running Watch OUT!

Lately I’ve wearied of catching and releasing trout so, I’ve taken my 'Worried Shrimp Rig' south to the Californias where the slow waters of the Sacarmento, its tributaries and Lakes such as the San Louis Resevoirs near Los Banos have been producing some dandy Bass.  Stripers LOVE worried shrimp!  I have taken Stripe Bass of all sizes at all hours of the day and after sunfall I merely use a camera flash attachment to strobe TWS for maximum glo in the dark presentation.

The tactic of fishing fancy dressed hooks behind plugs presents a timely solution for we less energetic plunkers who prefer not to flog the bushes and torment the air with fly line.  Since many streams in the West are being mandated 'Fly Fishing Only' this technique ensures our place on the rivers.