pichney pocket rocket hook placement

[Ryan560]

I was attempting a pichney pocket rocket but I made it a little larger, It's 4 1/2". I know the original is about 3 5/8" and only used a tail hook. My question is do you guys think a 4 1/2" needle should have a belly hook? Also with all the weight in the tail how would you fish this? It's pretty much a needle weighted like a pencil popper...I understand why pichney made these but I dont get how one caught a 67 pounder

[NeedFish]

I was attempting a pichney pocket rocket but I made it a little larger, It's 4 1/2". I know the original is about 3 5/8" and only used a tail hook. My question is do you guys think a 4 1/2" needle should have a belly hook? Also with all the weight in the tail how would you fish this? It's pretty much a needle weighted like a pencil popper...I understand why pichney made these but I dont get how one caught a 67 pounder

 

Elephants eat peanuts. While the plug is small, it has the appealing profile of a sand eel, which, last time I check, was a bait eaten by bass of any size, including 67 lbers. Also, they can imitate any other bait with that slender profile. For example, I gave a pocket rocked I made to a friend in a squid color, which he did very well with, fishing around juvenile squid.

 

The plug is weighted like a pencil, but its much smaller, and thus sinks. So it can be fished any variety of ways, which will probably boil down to your personal preference, be it swimming the plug just under the surface, or a slow, bouncing along the bottom type retrieve. Most of this usually depends on conditions too.

 

As for adding a belly hook to a 4 1/2" plug, I personally wouldn't do it. I would opt against it, because fish have a tendency to inhale smaller plugs easier, and get hooked deeper. No fun trying to remove a little ball of hooks from a flopping bass. Also, its really not that good for the fish. So, for ease of use, and for the sake of the fish, I would say it shouldn't have a belly hook. Unless however, you wanted to have a flaptail, or some other sort of non hook apparatus, instead of a tail hook. Even then though, I would be hesitant to put a treble on such a small plug.

[Ryan560]

needfish thanks for the response, great info there. I won't be using a belly hook then.

[The Lure Washer]

This fish was caught on a pocket rocket I made and gave to Oldman! It wasnt a monster but it worked! No belly hook just a 4/0 Siwash in back.

[Ryan560]

nice work