Forty-five years ago, when I was a teenager, I used a large wooden plug about an inch in diameter and 3-inches long with eyebolts screwed into each end.   I would attach a jig on one side and my fishing line on the other.  The weight of the plug allowed it to be to cast a far distance on a spinning or bait casting reel.  I would retrieve the setup with a jerk which would cause the plug to make large splashes that would attract the saltwater fish I was after – bonito and pacific barracuda.

I still use a variation of this technique when things are really slow and it works on just about any kind of fish including trout.

You place a non-descript popping plug as your lead fly and a streamer or wet fly on the far end of a length of tippet tied in with a triple surgeon’s knot.  As you retrieve your fly in short jerks keep the rod tip pointed towards the rig.