I just learned something

[Fishnkilts]

Well, I think I have.

Hooks. I have come to the possible realization that you can tie a better more uniformed looking fly with the proper hook. And it may take a slight difference in the shank length. Which in my mind makes a hook a very important part of the tying materials used.

This idea finally sank in just last night and today because I tied a fly I call The Saint last night on a medium weight standard length shank and it turned out ok. So today I was tying more and I just didn't like the body length of the fly. I then looked for a similar hook in my hook box and found a 1XL and used that to how I like it.

Personally I like it better, but that's just my humble opinion because I'm still learning the in's and out's of tying flies.

I have seen people tying their own variations of the same fly on different hooks, so I don't think there's a rule where it says you must use hook XXX for this fly and hook YYY for this other fly. Is there a rule?

But this is what I see in these two similar hooks. The first photo has the standard length hook.




This is the hook that has the 1XL shank.



It looks to me the abdomen in the first photo is too stubby and thick. The fly in the second photo has a better tapered, slightly longer abdomen which allowed me to have an easier time with the thorax and hackle.

Am I on to something here, or do I need to change something to use the standard length hook?

Looking forward to all of your thoughts on this.

[DUBBN]

Both patterns look good to me.

I have always made it a priority to search for the dumb fish. The ones that won't look at the abdomen and judge my tying skills.

Perhaps by questioning which hook is "proper", you will develop a confidence in the one you choose.

As we all know, confidence carries alot of weight.

Good looking patterns.

[Ron Eagle Elk]

I agree with Dubbn, both look good to me. If offered a choice between them, I would probably tie the top one on my tippet first. Why? Because it looks just a bit better to my eye. Since I fish a lot of flies on short shanked hooks, I would have more confidence in that one. As Dubbn so correctly stated, confidence carries a lot of weight.

[Roadkill]

After 60+ years of tying and flyfishing, I still keep learning how to do it!

First ask if you are tying a particular insect, If so let the bugs you see be your guide as to proportions, tapers and how much material to use. That being said, you can consider what stage in the bugs life you are trying to imitate to guide your hook size. For example some stoneflies have a 3 year lifespan, so you might imitate 1,2 & 3 year old nymphs before you switch over to emergers and dries of the same insect. And very likely they are all in the river. Some mayflies have multiple hatches during the year and decline in size for the later hatches.

You might also want to vary the same size hook in different weights (fine wire dry, standard or heavy nymph) to change where in the water column you find the feeding fish. Using a fine wire dry hook may keep your flymph swinging just under the surface when fish are keying on emergers in the surface film.

But be aware that even insect size or color can vary with the same species, in the same spot, during the same hatch.

How you tie the fly can affect your presentation. More than the fly, dwell on your presentation. It is easier to catch fish with the wrong fly fished the right way, than to catch fish with the right fly fished the wrong way!

[narcodog]

I use Mustads 99% of the time and vary between 3906 and 3906B's with the B's being used much more often because I like the way they look.

[Theroe]

Bob
Both of your patterns look fine to me, but I know exactly what you mean with regard to using a certain hook to tie a certain pattern. For whatever reason if I don’t use the hook the pattern was taught on, they just don’t look 100% right!


Most flymphs: Mustad 94842, Mustad 94863(1xl,1xf), Mustad 3980(kirbed),Sealy 1034. Also have some old Partridge size 10 & 12 up eye, which I really like but have no model number.
All of my small wet flies get tied on Mustad model 1921 or 1928.
Standard dry flies: Mustad 94840, 94831.
Catskill dry flies: Allcocks 04991/W173
Large wets: Allcocks W174, or Ray Bergman Blue Label
Large dry flies: Ray Bergman Gold Label or Mustad 94833

FWIW, Dave Brandt and I had this long standing quest regarding his March Brown: the older Allcocks 04991 size 12, OR the Mustad 94831 were just a tad longer (.003 according to the my Starrett micrometer)than newer lots, which gave him the exact amount of room required to tie the fly with correct proportions AND leave the turle knot gap. He was quite the guy, I do miss him.

Both flies in the photos are tied on the up-eye Partridge, size 10. These are strong sharp hooks - I wish I could find more of them!

Dana