Pegged Or Unpegged

[Sodus Bay Scooter]

Under which circumstances should a T rigged plastic be pegged vs unpegged? The lake I fish has A LOT of Milfoil in the summer and I feel I might be passing up fish because I don't fish it, and am always choosing more ooen water.Would a pegged bait be more effective in moving through that jungle than an unpegged bait?

You're definitely passing up GOOD fish by passing on the milfoil. That being said I run no peg but either way you can't go wrong. Pitch a jig down in that milfoil and see what happens

[A-Rob]

I always peg 'em. I've never found a reason not to.

 

Tom

x2

[Crestliner2008]

If I'm fishing wood, I peg. Reason being, you do not want your bait falling on one side of a piece of wood and your sinker on the other. Everything else, un-pegged. And really, I do not like the "look" of a pegged sinker. It never is centered to the line. But I will use it if needed.

[Hooligan]

It gives the bait a different action.  The weight slides up the line, with bait slowly following.  Different deal than pegged, though it's more about YOU knowing what your bait is doing.  Plus, you can clear any weeds with a quick tip shake.  One thing, This post has been edited due to national security, top secret clearances and stuff like that.Try it and watch.

[BobP]

I peg when I'm fishing cover where the weight can separate from the bait, like wood, rocks, or weed mats.  If the bait comes over a piece of wood, the weight can slip up the line before the plastic bait comes over the wood, making it more likely to tangle or snag cover.  The same can happen when punching a weed mat so you want a peg to keep the bait and weight together as a compact package that will penetrate the weeds.  You could peg plastics all the time and many guys do.  Tooth picks were the "original pegs".  The rubber T stops that you thread through the weight and trim off came next,  Lately, silicone bobber stops have become popular.  They all work.  I find bobber stops easiest to use.  I don't peg if I'm fishing submerged millfoil beds but since I usually fish various kinds of cover, I usually go ahead and peg the weight. 

[Hooligan]

One of the primary reasons to not peg your bait is fall rate and action of the bait. Rage Tail baits, for example can suffer from being pegged, Eeliminator as a point of reference. Beaver style baits glide more on the drop with an improved weight, tubes flutter more as well.

[.ghoti.]

When I tie on a T-rig, I always slip on a rubber bobber stopper first. Then a steel weight, then a steel or brass bead, then tie on the hook. I fish the rig with the stopper set just far enough above the weight to allow about an 1/8" of movement between weight and bead. I want a little click.

To fish unpegged, I slide the stopper up the line about a foot. Sometimes more than a foot. This gets the bait down as quickly as a pegged rig, except for the last foot. The weight hits the bottom first, then the drop rate slows and the bait drifts down with a different look then when tightly pegged. Sometimes that makes a big difference.

[mnbassman23]

I take the same approach as .ghoti. I always have a rubber bobber stop on my t-rig setup. From there I can either slide it down to peg or leave it a foot in front of the weight for unpegged. 2 things determine pegged or unpegged for me. Cover and Fall Rate. 

 

If its matted or heavy vegetation I always peg.

 

If it's open, sparse, or moderate cover I will use fall rate to determine if I peg or not. Most of the time I seem to go un pegged in those situations, unless i'm looking for a reaction strike. 

[OneShotOneKill]

Isn't the main reason for pegging the weight to take the guesswork out of punching? To ensure the weight drags your bait through the cover to reach fish at a certain depth?

[BassThumb]

I tend to go unpegged when casting T-rigs, and pegged when pitch/flipping them. I think an unpegged bait has better action since it's allowed to flutter behind the weight.

 

When I peg, I use rubber bobber stops.

[J Francho]

I agree, and I also feel it's easier to keep the bait clean with a couple pops.  That also draws strikes.  If you have some clear water, watch your bait both pegged and unpegged.  There's a huge difference.

[BobP]

Here's something I thought of reading this, but have not done - yet.  If you use a bobber stop, you can fish the rig in either pegged or unpegged fashion by snugging it down on the weight or slipping it up the line a little ways.  Best of both worlds.

[BrettD]

Here's something I thought of reading this, but have not done - yet.  If you use a bobber stop, you can fish the rig in either pegged or unpegged fashion by snugging it down on the weight or slipping it up the line a little ways.  Best of both worlds.

This is how I do it I leave about 2 inches for the weight to move a little.

[J Francho]

Conversely, if you use the t-stops, you can have a pegged t-rig or a modified c-rig in one.  I know I've done that from the back of the boat during tournaments when there wasn't a flipping target available., just slide it up a couple feet, and chuck it to the deeper edge when the boater is working their target.

[quanjig]

Senko pegged with a 1/16 or 1/8 tungsten, won me some money last weekend!!

[Ratherbfishing]

If I'm fishing wood, I peg. Reason being, you do not want your bait falling on one side of a piece of wood and your sinker on the other. Everything else, un-pegged. And really, I do not like the "look" of a pegged sinker. It never is centered to the line. But I will use it if needed.

 

What he said.

[quanjig]

Not sure how your pegged bait is off center? Knot? Try feeding the hook a little more plastic to cover the knot and then peg the sinker to the bait, not the knot!!

[hatrix]

What does everyone use to peg their weights? Are toothpicks a good option?

I wouldn't use a toothpick even if I had no bobber stops. You can use strands of old skit to peg a weight. Run a piece of line twice through your sinker then put some stands of the skirt through the loop end of the line you just ran and pull it back through. Trim the ends of the skirt down and your ready to rock.

[J Francho]

Senko pegged with a 1/16 or 1/8 tungsten, won me some money last weekend!!

 

This is a sick little rig.  Give it some slack on the fall, and it loopty-loops.  Pete Gluzek used it to win on Cayuga to get into the Classic.

[Koofy Smacker]

I like having it pegged all the time. Cant stand not feeling in touch with the bait all the time. Also if you are going through any sort of cover and you leave it unpegged the weight will slide down sometimes leaving the bait up in the cover. Can feel really weird and youll spend half the time trying to find out where your weight is vs your bait