DZ
05-04-2017, 09:56 AM
"Along came the Needlefish and another chapter of instruction was written in a lot of log books."
Another gem by the late Tim Coleman. First published in February 1984.
THE PENCIL WITH HOOKS
BY Tim Coleman
Every once in awhile you see something on the beach that really makes an impression. It was one of those things that stuck in my mind long after other stories were dulled by time.
A guy two down from George’s right just put his third bass of the evening on the rocky shore. The white belly shone as the moon broke over the top of the small hill. His necklight went on as he inspected the fish, nose to tail; then he gave a small shout, followed by dragging the fish over to his buggy. There he and his son weighed it. At that point in time and place a lot of fish around that mark were coming in, so we just nodded and kept casting. So far our lures hadn’t had a mention.
Twenty minutes have gone by now. The moon was about three fingers or thereabouts over the top of the hill, exposing a gently rolling surf turning white on top of the bar. We weren’t quite sure what the red flash was, but by the time the green sparkler went off down the beach to our right, we knew we were being treated to a fireworks display. Seems that last fish was a 50 – the first the man had caught in 20 years fishing, and to celebrate he’d turn back the clock from late November to July 4th. First fifties provoke unusual reactions.
Thinking back on that evening, the fireworks were appropriate for they introduced us (a grand eye-opening if you will) to a lure: the Needlefish. After the sparklers ceased, the man invited us over to view fish and plug. After the oohs and aahs, believe this or no, the man clipped the lure off his line and handed it to George (Thackery) to use. To say the least, it was an unusual night all the way around.
The object in George’s hand looked for all the world like a pencil with three hooks. It was long and slender, gently tapered around its snout and tail. The “pencil” came through the surf without any action whatsoever, but it was the exact duplicate of the seven inch sand eels the bass were gobbling prior to leaving.
From that time on there were other incidences of the Needlefish plug marking its place in surf bags. We can’t tell you all, except one evening under a howling sou’wester when Patrick (Abate) took a 48 pounder in a wild surf. If you can picture a sand eel that’s body surfing through the waves you’ll picture the way the lure was working. It was good enough for our third bass of the daylight.
As you might expect, we started hunting and calling to locate a source and more info on these plugs. Come to find out, four, possibly more lure manufacturers were turning out Needlefish. The companies are: Classic Lure Company in Seaside Park, N.J.; Boone Bait in Winter Park, Fl., Super Strike Lure Co. in South Farmingdale, N.Y. and last, but not least, Stan Gibbs Lures in Buzzards Bay, Ma. If there are others we didn’t mention, please accept my apologies in advance. Right now you probably won’t find these lures readily available, but this coming season I’ll bet you see them more and more. Guys are asking for them thanks to scores racked up last fall.
Generally they are made in two sizes. The small one is five to six inches long and weighs one-half to one ounce. The larger one is seven to eight inches and goes around 1 ½ ounces. Most of the people we saw catching fish with them just threw them and began a moderate retrieve without any rod action whatsoever. The way the thing comes through the water may not inspire much confidence at first, but please take my word—they do catch fish.
In some cases you might consider some modifications to the plugs. Some lures with screw eyes might be better off if you take all the eyes out, coat them with epoxy, then screw back in. This will lessen the chances of a fish over 35 pounds pulling the eyes out. One important point to keep in mind is that while these plugs are small, some very large fish will eat them. Last November I saw any amount of stuff over 40 pounds taken with different brands of Needlefish.
Another thing you might consider is putting larger hooks on the lures. Remember those big fish. And, with the shape of the plug, you won’t kill the “action” with the larger trebles. Depending on your taste, you might try a 2/0 to 3/0 treble in place of the smaller, freshwater hooks some of the lures come packaged with. The stouter hooks and a moderate drag setting will ensure more fish landed.
The Needlefish because it has no lip, will cast much better than, say, the plastic minnow swimmers. That’s a big plus if you are fishing into a wind or need a bit of distance along a shallower rocky beach. Since the lure is a slow sinker you don’t have to reel it like a popping plug to keep it from fouling on the bottom.
Another plus is their ability to fool fish in flat, clear water. If you ask around, I’ll bet you run into a friend or fishing buddy who watched somebody in a picket line of anglers take several bass while others went fishless some calm night. The surf looked devoid of life if it wasn’t for the guy with the funny looking plug hauling five fish up to his buggy. Some nights we’d do fairly well by going down to say 14 or 15 pound line, light leader and small RedFin or Rebels. That size was about the same size as the sand eels; hence its effectiveness under those conditions. Along came the Needlefish and another chapter of instruction was written in a lot of log books. They outcaught the minnow swimmers more nights than not in a gentle surf.
Everybody was rigging up a leader a bit differently with these lures and most ways were working. Some just clipped the lures on the end of their normal leader and started casting. A couple people I saw had wire leaders and two others, myself included, did away with the snap of our leaders and tied directly to the eye of the “pencil”.
The Needlefish might be one of those lures that’s red hot one day and forgotten this time next season. With the abundance of sand eels around, though, it’s not too likely that the lure is going to go away overnight. The Needlefish is a very simple yet effective plug. That’s usually a lure that stands the test of time.
Another gem by the late Tim Coleman. First published in February 1984.
THE PENCIL WITH HOOKS
BY Tim Coleman
Every once in awhile you see something on the beach that really makes an impression. It was one of those things that stuck in my mind long after other stories were dulled by time.
A guy two down from George’s right just put his third bass of the evening on the rocky shore. The white belly shone as the moon broke over the top of the small hill. His necklight went on as he inspected the fish, nose to tail; then he gave a small shout, followed by dragging the fish over to his buggy. There he and his son weighed it. At that point in time and place a lot of fish around that mark were coming in, so we just nodded and kept casting. So far our lures hadn’t had a mention.
Twenty minutes have gone by now. The moon was about three fingers or thereabouts over the top of the hill, exposing a gently rolling surf turning white on top of the bar. We weren’t quite sure what the red flash was, but by the time the green sparkler went off down the beach to our right, we knew we were being treated to a fireworks display. Seems that last fish was a 50 – the first the man had caught in 20 years fishing, and to celebrate he’d turn back the clock from late November to July 4th. First fifties provoke unusual reactions.
Thinking back on that evening, the fireworks were appropriate for they introduced us (a grand eye-opening if you will) to a lure: the Needlefish. After the sparklers ceased, the man invited us over to view fish and plug. After the oohs and aahs, believe this or no, the man clipped the lure off his line and handed it to George (Thackery) to use. To say the least, it was an unusual night all the way around.
The object in George’s hand looked for all the world like a pencil with three hooks. It was long and slender, gently tapered around its snout and tail. The “pencil” came through the surf without any action whatsoever, but it was the exact duplicate of the seven inch sand eels the bass were gobbling prior to leaving.
From that time on there were other incidences of the Needlefish plug marking its place in surf bags. We can’t tell you all, except one evening under a howling sou’wester when Patrick (Abate) took a 48 pounder in a wild surf. If you can picture a sand eel that’s body surfing through the waves you’ll picture the way the lure was working. It was good enough for our third bass of the daylight.
As you might expect, we started hunting and calling to locate a source and more info on these plugs. Come to find out, four, possibly more lure manufacturers were turning out Needlefish. The companies are: Classic Lure Company in Seaside Park, N.J.; Boone Bait in Winter Park, Fl., Super Strike Lure Co. in South Farmingdale, N.Y. and last, but not least, Stan Gibbs Lures in Buzzards Bay, Ma. If there are others we didn’t mention, please accept my apologies in advance. Right now you probably won’t find these lures readily available, but this coming season I’ll bet you see them more and more. Guys are asking for them thanks to scores racked up last fall.
Generally they are made in two sizes. The small one is five to six inches long and weighs one-half to one ounce. The larger one is seven to eight inches and goes around 1 ½ ounces. Most of the people we saw catching fish with them just threw them and began a moderate retrieve without any rod action whatsoever. The way the thing comes through the water may not inspire much confidence at first, but please take my word—they do catch fish.
In some cases you might consider some modifications to the plugs. Some lures with screw eyes might be better off if you take all the eyes out, coat them with epoxy, then screw back in. This will lessen the chances of a fish over 35 pounds pulling the eyes out. One important point to keep in mind is that while these plugs are small, some very large fish will eat them. Last November I saw any amount of stuff over 40 pounds taken with different brands of Needlefish.
Another thing you might consider is putting larger hooks on the lures. Remember those big fish. And, with the shape of the plug, you won’t kill the “action” with the larger trebles. Depending on your taste, you might try a 2/0 to 3/0 treble in place of the smaller, freshwater hooks some of the lures come packaged with. The stouter hooks and a moderate drag setting will ensure more fish landed.
The Needlefish because it has no lip, will cast much better than, say, the plastic minnow swimmers. That’s a big plus if you are fishing into a wind or need a bit of distance along a shallower rocky beach. Since the lure is a slow sinker you don’t have to reel it like a popping plug to keep it from fouling on the bottom.
Another plus is their ability to fool fish in flat, clear water. If you ask around, I’ll bet you run into a friend or fishing buddy who watched somebody in a picket line of anglers take several bass while others went fishless some calm night. The surf looked devoid of life if it wasn’t for the guy with the funny looking plug hauling five fish up to his buggy. Some nights we’d do fairly well by going down to say 14 or 15 pound line, light leader and small RedFin or Rebels. That size was about the same size as the sand eels; hence its effectiveness under those conditions. Along came the Needlefish and another chapter of instruction was written in a lot of log books. They outcaught the minnow swimmers more nights than not in a gentle surf.
Everybody was rigging up a leader a bit differently with these lures and most ways were working. Some just clipped the lures on the end of their normal leader and started casting. A couple people I saw had wire leaders and two others, myself included, did away with the snap of our leaders and tied directly to the eye of the “pencil”.
The Needlefish might be one of those lures that’s red hot one day and forgotten this time next season. With the abundance of sand eels around, though, it’s not too likely that the lure is going to go away overnight. The Needlefish is a very simple yet effective plug. That’s usually a lure that stands the test of time.