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I always use a tail hook with a skin needle, usually a SS VMC 4/0 Siwash open eye then closed right to the tail loop of the needle.
The Gibbs standard needle is an outstanding plug to put a skin on. Some are blue side out some are dark side out.
Always scrape off any meat left on. I pack mine in Kosher Pickling salt which is very coarse. I put the salt in a zip lock then dribble in water a little at a time. You want it damp, not wet. The litmus test is being able to poke your finger into the salt and leave a hole that keeps it shape and shows no excess water.
Store in refridgerator after trip, never the freezer. You get blotches and the skins break down.
I make my own needles for skins with a groove for tying about a quarter inch in back of the nose loop. Most bodies are six inches long. But if you don't make your own plugs, I believe a wooden plug with a skin is way better than plastic. I like my skins to fit snug over the plug body as well.
Hope that helps ya!
I keep the tails about three inches longer than the plug body as a rule of thumb. Cusght some beautiful fish in the last three weeks on them.
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