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Salt-water plugs can also be made from cedar, and this is the best wood to use for the smaller type plugs. This light wood has the buoyancy to support metal parts such as lips, screw eyes, screws, and hooks without sinking. The use of cedar is especially important when making surface plugs. But cedar may be too light for the larger-sized salt-water plugs, unless loaded with lead. Hence, many surf anglers who use big plugs make them from heavier woods such as birch, fir, maple, and walnut. Even such hard woods as ash, oak, and hickory have been used when a heavy salt-water plug is required. However, these woods are tough to cut, drill, or shape with hand tools, and they do not support too many hardware parts without sinking. In fact, when making any salt-water surface plugs it is necessary to check carefully to make certain that the wood body will support the metal plates, screw eyes, hooks, and other hardware without sinking. All surface plugs should float for best results. I find it's a good idea to assemble all the metal parts which will go on a certain plug and strap them on the wood body with a rubber band. Then place the wooden plug body in a pail or bathtub filled with water. If it doesn't sink or submerge too much, you are safe in using all that metal on the plug. Otherwise, you have to make a larger wooden body or use lighter screws, screw-eyes, metal plates, or hooks.
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