Charter Grade Swimming Plug: 5" 1.3oz (12' Swimming Depth)

The Hogy 5” Shallow Deep-Diving Swimming Plug is a compact, heavy-duty trolling plug built for inshore and nearshore anglers targeting striped bass, bluefish, bonito, false albacore, Spanish mackerel, kingfish, blackfin tuna, and other aggressive gamefish feeding below the surface.

Pre-tuned for perfect swimming action right out of the package, this 5” plug dives naturally to 12+ feet and tracks straight at speeds up to 7mph, making it a simple, reliable option for trolling rips, channels, inlets, ledges, bait schools, and nearshore structure.

Built with durable through-wired construction, a heavy-duty stainless split ring, VMC 4X treble hook, and a rear plug flag teaser, this lure delivers a strong baitfish profile with added flash, vibration, and strike-triggering movement. Multiple internal rattle chambers help predators locate the plug, while reflective scale finishes and imitative color patterns match common forage in both clear and stained water.

Simple by design and easy to fish, this plug is made for anglers who want a compact swimming plug that gets down, stays swimming, and gets bit.

• Pre-Tuned Diving Action To 12’+

- What it does:
Dives naturally to 12+ feet while maintaining a tight, stable swimming action.

- Why it matters:
Gets the lure down into the strike zone where fish often stage below surface feeds, along rips, in channels, and over structure.

• Stable Swimming Action Up To 7mph

- What it does:
Tracks true at trolling speeds up to 7mph.

- Why it matters:
Allows anglers to cover water efficiently while keeping the plug swimming properly behind the boat.

• Durable Through-Wired Construction

- What it does:
Built around a strong through-wired saltwater body design with heavy-duty terminal hardware.

- Why it matters:
Gives the lure the backbone needed for hard strikes, drag pressure, and trophy-class inshore and nearshore fish.

• VMC 4X Treble Hook & Heavy-Duty Split Rings

- What it does:
Rigged with a VMC 4X treble hook and heavy-duty stainless split rings.

- Why it matters:
Provides strong hook penetration and holding power when fish strike from below, behind, or alongside the plug.

• Rear Plug Flag Teaser

- What it does:
Adds a flash-and-flutter teaser element behind the plug.

- Why it matters:
Creates a secondary strike trigger that imitates a fleeing baitfish tail flash or trailing fin movement.

• Multiple Rattle Chambers

- What it does:
Internal rattle chambers produce fish-attracting sound and vibration.

- Why it matters:
Helps predators locate the lure in stained water, chop, current, or low-light conditions.

• Reflective Scale Finish & Imitative Colors

- What it does:
Most models feature a reflective scale finish with natural and attractor color patterns.

- Why it matters:
Adds realistic flash while matching common baitfish profiles such as bunker, herring, mackerel, sardines, anchovies, and sand eels.

• Inshore Structure Trolling

- Technique:
Troll at moderate speed along channels, rips, ledges, rock piles, and inlet edges.

- Why it works:
The plug dives into the strike zone and maintains a tight swimming action where fish are staged below the surface.

• Bait School Trolling

- Technique:
Run the plug around schools of bunker, herring, mackerel, sardines, or sand eels.

- Why it works:
The 5” profile matches a wide range of forage, while the plug flag teaser adds extra movement behind the lure.

• Search Bait For Covering Water

- Technique:
Troll up to 7mph while prospecting open water, rips, and nearshore zones.

- Why it works:
The plug stays tuned and tracks straight, allowing anglers to locate fish without constantly changing lures or rigging.

• Light Offshore Trolling

- Technique:
Run behind small boats while targeting bonito, albies, Spanish mackerel, blackfin tuna, and school-size pelagics.

- Why it works:
Compact baitfish profile, rattle chambers, reflective finish, and durable hardware make it ideal for nearshore pelagics feeding below the surface.

• Environmental Factors (E)

- Heavy Wind Or Swell

Trolling the 5” Diving Swimming Plug allows for a steady, controlled presentation when casting small plugs, metals, or softbaits becomes difficult in wind, chop, or rolling swell.

- Midday Sun And Low Surface Activity

When fish push below the surface during bright conditions, the 5” Diving Swimming Plug reaches the 12’+ zone to target fish holding beneath bait, rips, or surface activity.

- Heavy Current

The pre-tuned diving lip helps the plug dig and swim below the surface in moving water, making it a strong option when lighter trolling lures struggle to stay in the strike zone.

- Post-Storm Or Murky Water

Multiple rattle chambers, reflective finishes, and a tight swimming action help fish locate the plug through vibration, flash, and sound when visibility is reduced.

- Clear Water With Skittish Fish

The compact 5” profile and imitative color patterns offer a more natural presentation when fish are feeding selectively or refusing larger trolling plugs.

• Observational Factors (O)
  

- Bait Marked On Sonar With No Surface Signs

Trolling the 5” Diving Swimming Plug allows anglers to search below visible surface activity and cover water around bait marks holding 12’+ down.

- Suspended Or Scattered Fish

The plug is ideal for controlled-depth search mode, targeting stripers, blues, bonito, albies, mackerel, and other predators scattered through the mid-water column.

- Scattered Peanut Bunker, Sand Eels, Or Small Bait With Marks Below

The 5” profile matches smaller forage while diving deep enough to reach fish staging underneath or around the bait.

- Birds, Slicks, Or Surface Clues With No Active Feeding

When gulls, terns, slicks, nervous water, or scattered bait suggest fish are nearby but not showing, troll the plug beneath the surface clues to locate feeding fish.

- Fish Following But Not Committing To Surface Lures

The rear plug flag teaser adds a secondary visual trigger that can help convert followers or short-striking fish into committed bites.

• Structure + Approach (S + A)

- Channels And Drop-Offs

Troll the 5” Diving Swimming Plug along channel edges, drop-offs, and deeper seams where bait gets swept by current and predators stage below.

- Inlets And Current Lines

The 12’+ diving range makes this plug a strong option for working inlet edges, tide seams, and current breaks where fish are feeding below the chop.

- Shoal-Induced Rips

When casting is difficult or fish are holding deeper on the rip line, troll the plug along the deep side of the rip to keep the lure swimming in the strike zone.

- Ledges And Contour Lines

Use the plug to track along subtle depth changes, ledges, and bottom transitions where inshore predators ambush bait.

- Rocky Shorelines And Nearshore Structure

The compact diving profile is well-suited for trolling around rock piles, boulder fields, reefs, and nearshore structure where fish are holding slightly deeper.

- Open-Water Bait Schools

The 5” body matches smaller baitfish such as peanut bunker, herring, mackerel, sardines, anchovies, and sand eels while reaching fish staged below the school.

- Nearshore Pelagic Search Pattern

Run the plug around bait, birds, rips, and temperature breaks when searching for bonito, false albacore, Spanish mackerel, kingfish, blackfin tuna, or school-size tuna.

- Perimeter Of Bunker Or Small Bait Pods

Canvas the outside edges and down-current side of bait schools where stripers, blues, and pelagics often trail behind or underneath the bait.