As swinging flies on a light trout spey becomes more and more popular, fly tiers are borrowing from the wiggly bug creations we've been launching out into the seams and slicks on the big two-handed rods for steelhead and salmon. Yes, you could certainly stick to matching the hatch, but we know lots of nice trout and char can be suckers for things that simply move and breath in the water as they come across the current, even if they don't look like a specific food item. Rio's Pocket Rocket certainly could pass for a baitfish or a crawdad depending on the color you choose, but just like the big Intruder patterns that inspired it, every part jiggles and pulses as it swims and it just plain looks alive. Does it matter what the fish think it's supposed to be? Not particularly.
While the standard colors like white, olive, black or brown have been our top choices, you can tie these and fish them in a variety of wild color combos and they all seem to get the job done at one time or another. I've found great success with using a bright orange or pink dubbing ball in the rear of the fly during the fall and early winter months when you have a lot of salmon spawning going on. I imagine that little splash of color is suggestive of an egg. The Pocket Rocket has all the classic characteristics of a steelhead Intruder, with dubbing balls and stiff body hackles propping up softer materials for maximum motion in the water. The key to the Pocket Rocket is keeping the ostrich sparse, which adds a lot of translucency to the fly and unhindered movement. From experience, I also recommend using a dubbing loop to create the rear bump or hot spot as it seems to hold up better over time. You could also use a fine chenille to the same effect. While the opalescent Lateral Scale works as a wing topping on virtually every color, Krinkle Mirror flash is excellent as well, especially in the rootbeer, olive or peacock black shades. Trim the flash longer than the ostrich as this adds additional movement and really seems to fish better too.
As sparse as it is, the Pocket Rocket casts exceptionally well on a 3 or 4 weight trout spey rod and sinks very easily, allowing you to work the fly successfully on a light tip or even a floating line in shallower flows. I have caught rainbow, cutthroat and bull trout on this pattern along with a few steelhead, coho and even chum salmon, though I'd prefer not to tangle with the latter group on such a light rod. You can fish the Pocket Rocket on the swing, strip it or use a combination of tactics. These are both fun to tie and sure to work like a charm on a trout river near you.
Rio's Pocket Rocket Recipe:
Hook: #8 Gamakatsu S11-4L2H
Thread: 140 Denier White Ultra Thread
Eyes: 5/32" Black Nickel Intruder Eyes
Butt: Fl. Shell Pink STS Trilobal Dubbing
Tail: White Ostrich (3 fibers per side)
Rib: 4X Monofilament
Body: Holographic Silver Tinsel
Hackle: White Saddle Hackle
Collar: Natural Guinea
Legs: Black Barred UV Clear Grizzly Flutter Legs
Wing: White Ostrich
Flash: Lateral Scale