HOOKS !

[hankaye]

Howdy All;

I'm headed back to Utah at the end of Sept. and am going to need something other than walking my dog to keep me busy this winter.

I have been drooling over all the beautiful flys ya'll have been posting. I have been reading here and on other forums about HOOKS.

Which HOOK should I purchase in order to tie some hopefully, fish gettin' Flymphs with. Please bare in mind that I am a raw begginer.

Probably want to start with a larger size maybe a 12-16. Gotta have something I can see and work on.

Suggestions anyone ?????

[DNicolson]

Choice of hook, like a lot in fly fishing, is very subjective and personal,
So! Here are my own personal preferences.
For Spiders and winged wet flies, I mean wet flies in the British sense,
i.e. no lures etc,
http://donaldnicolson.webplus.net/_wp_g ... f8adb7.png


For flymphs, I like these hooks -
http://donaldnicolson.webplus.net/_wp_g ... c67bfc.png


Another hook I like -
TMC 101 Dry Fly Hook

Dry fly, straight eye, 1X Fine, Wide Gape, Forged.

Sizes 12 - 26.
http://donaldnicolson.webplus.net/_wp_g ... 71fdc8.png


If you prefer down eye, I can recommend Partridge Ideal Nymph hooks.
I like a hook for Flymphs to have a long shank.
Now get tying.

[GlassJet]

Which HOOK should I purchase in order to tie some hopefully, fish gettin' Flymphs with. Please bare in mind that I am a raw begginer.

Hi Hank,
If you really mean you are a complete beginner, I wouldn't bother too much at this stage about the hook you use - I'd be tempted to go for the cheapest, as long as it was generic 'hook shaped'! But then I'm tight...

My mate teaches beginners fly tying classes, and gets his students learning to hackle on a matchstick!

FWIW I tie most of my spiders / wets on Kamasan B405, initially mostly for reasons of economy, and subsequently, habit. I also use Kamasan B160 for the short shank spiders I tie from time to time.

I am just now at a stage with my fly tying where I am starting to have a look around at the different hooks that are available, and I've been following a few threads on here with interest. Given my success this year with the Greenwells spider, and well waxed Pearsall's yellow in general, I can see how a hook tending towards the bronze could enhance that, and make for a better fish catcher. But this is fine tuning... get the basics right on practically any hook and you'll catch fish with it!

I use mostly #14 because it seems to best match the size of a lot of the flies on my river.

I've often thought that forums such as these could benefit from a 'beginner's' section, where beginner's could post photographs of their flies as works in progress. Some of the work on these forums is stunning, and it can be quite intimidating to start to post your own in this company. Up until not that long at ago at all, I would have felt so intimidated. Now, I just publish and be damned...

It is all about practice, fly tying. The more you tie, the better you will get.

Off to ireland again on Monday, so if I go a bit quiet over the next few weeks, that's why.
Andrew.

[skunkaroo]

Big can of worms there Hank.

A lot of people swear by straight eye and a few like the traditional look of up-eye hooks, but I'm just a sucker for a well made, down-eye perfect bend, wet hook for my spiders. The Mustad R50 or R50x is my hook of choice. Standard wire, bronzed finish, forged, properly tempered (ie. not brittle), and inexpensive they definitely fit the bill. It helps that the shank length is of a more traditional wet fly length than some of the Japanese hooks sold under that category.

I'm a little more ambivalent with regards to flymph hooks. Here I want a shank that is a little longer (like a Mustad 3906b), but I want a better finish and slightly finer wire. The TMC 100sp is a good compromise, though I'm a little leery about using it with big fish as I find many of the Tiemcos a bit weak in the bend.

Aaron

[hankaye]

Thanks for the input fellas. looking for more ...
After I got to work today I thought I might have to expand the topic by asking for the 'Why" you each choose what you do.
I forgot with whom I am communicating.

Glassjet; when you said
"My mate teaches beginners fly tying classes, and gets his students learning to hackle on a matchstick!"

I recall that the matches you have in Britan are small thin almost waxy kind of affairs. The ones here in the States are chunk of wood and to be likened to a 1X2 by comparisson. No problem attaching ANYTHING to them. 'cept maybe a flame...
I do appericate the thought though. And something to practice on would be worthwhile, to me.

Please continue, I'm all e--s (toss-up have to read the answers instead of listening).
Thank you all very much;
hank

[hankaye]

Donald,
Were the first two (2), links you enclosed in your reply to my quiry for Mustad? I found the TMC to be Tiemco Hooks (nice site).
Thank you for your speedy reply.
hank

[DNicolson]

Sorry,
This is the 1st.
Daiichi 1640 Multi-Use Dry Fly / Tube Fly Hook.

2nd
Daiichi 1110 Wide-Gape Dry Fly Hook.
Model perfect bend, oversized straight-eye, 1X-fine wire, "mini-barb", bronze.
This hook is marketed by Orvis under their own name.

When using the 1110, make sure you check you sizes on
a hook comparison chart, the Model Perfect sizes are not
the same as modern standard sizes.
http://donaldnicolson.webplus.net/_wp_g ... d860f7.png

[Ruard]

Hi Hankaye,

see also this thread:

http://www.flymphforum.com/phpBB3/viewt ... t=20#p8653


Greeting

[hankaye]

Hi Hankaye,

see also this thread:

http://www.flymphforum.com/phpBB3/viewt ... t=20#p8653


Greeting

Thanks Ruard,
That is exactly the thread that brought me to this question.
I am attempting to see if there is ONE particular hook that is used by a majority (even if by one),
amongst this 'enlightened' assembly.

[Ron Eagle Elk]

For most of my spiders I use the Daiichi 1640. The 2X short shank just looks right to me. It also has a large hook gape and a slightly offset hook point that allows for easier hookups. I've never lost a fish on one of those hooks. I also like the Daiichi 1550 for other wet flies. The TMC 206BL is a favorite for flymph style flies.

I tie all my flies in several different sizes, but for some reason, size 14 seems to do most of the catching, no matter what hook I'm using or what fly. Must be something about that size range that resembles the size of food items in the rivers I fish.

REE