Plunking for Salmon with The Bait Shack
Plunking for salmon can be done right in downtown Anchorage on Ship Creek. Dustin Slinker owns the Bait Shack on Ship Creek and in this video, he explains how simple plunking can be.
He tells you how to make a typical Ship Creek plunking-for salmon rig specifically designed for king salmon. To make this rig, you’ll need P-Line CXX 25-pound-test monofilament, size 5/0 Gamakatsu Octopus hooks, 6 mm and 8 mm beads, a Spin-n-Glo, a size 5 barrel swivel, a slider, and a 3-ounce pyramid sinker.
Dustin uses about 2.5’ of P-Line CXX 25-pound test monofilament for leader material, and he ties it to an Octopus hook (or two hooks) using an egg-loop knot. He shows you how to tie the egg-loop knot and then how to assemble the components onto the leader for an effective rig for plunking. After the beads and Spin-n-Glo are on the leader, a barrel swivel is tied to the end of the leader.
Next, he discuss rigging a slider onto your mainline, and attaching a three-ounce pyramid sinker to the slider. This simple rig works well anywhere anglers fish by plunking for salmon.
Ship Creek is a bait fishery, and two hooks are legal there. Dustin often ties the same rig but with two hooks. Regardless of whether you use a single hook or two hooks when plunking, most anglers will bait the rig with cured salmon roe. Dustin shows you how to rig an egg cluster in the egg loop knot. For the two-hook rig, the eggs would go in the egg-loop knot of the top hook.
Plunking for salmon can be remarkably effective. The rig shown in the video is geared towards king salmon, hence the size 5/0 hooks, heavy leader and big Spin-n-Glo. To make an effective silver salmon plunking rig, you could simply downsize the leader material, hooks, and Spin-n-Glo.