Up or down-eyed.

[Donald Nicolson]

I recently acquired a variety of up-eyed hooks from Sweden, some standard length shanks some long. I already had quite a few of the older style up-eyed British dry fly hooks. these British dry fly hooks were intended for specimens of Halford's Dry Fly Patterns, my eye problems have delayed that project, maybe indefinately. That is by-the-by, what I really wanted to say, was, I have noticed a lot of the members of the forum tend to follow Hidy's lead, well! he did introduce the name 'Flymph', and use, as he did, up-eyed hooks.
I have not used used or fished with up-eyed flymph style flies my-self, so I have not really got strong opinion either way. I have also noted in the literature, that both Leisenring and Skues have stated a preference for down-eyed hooks.Skues said that up-eyed hooks on wet-flies 'skirted'. Now, I don't believe in the 'holy writ' tendency of many fly anglers, so what are the opinions of the many experienced anglers on this forum.
Do you dress with up-eyed hooks because they look good, or do you think there are fishing advantages/disadvantages.
I am a great believer in flies looking good when they come off the vise, but two of the most important authors/anglers seem to have had opinions on this. Hidy, hardly an unknown, obviously had a differing opinion.
p.s I am leaving aside for the moment, straight eyed hooks.

[DUBBN]

I have a couple boxes of Mustad 94842 hooks in size 14, and a few hooks that JohnP from this forum gave me. I use them from time to time, and see no difference in my hookup rates. Neither can I see one style having an advantage in the rate of fish that get off before netting (Long Distance Releases). This is not a scientific study that I conducted. Just me noticing while I am on the stream.

The brunt of my patterns are tyed on the Mustad model 3906B (down eye). It's just what I have used for many years. Having being self brainwashed by using this hook so much, I have to admit, I like it best. To my eye, most patterns look their best when dressed on this hook.
I do enjoy tying on the upeyes from time to time, but if I had to choose, I would pick down eye.

[tie2fish]

I use up-eyed hooks basically for the way they look, adding a little "flair" to certain patterns. As for practical value, I seem to recall reading someplace that the up-eye design provides a more realistic attitude of an underwater fly in the water column -- that the fly rides in a more level (horizontal) position, whereas the upward pull of the line on a down-eye hook tends to "tip" the fly into a heads-up position. I have no idea whether this is true or not.

[hankaye]

Howdy All;

To little experience to tell...

sittin' back soakin' up your collective thoughts.

hank

[Mataura mayfly]

Probably 80% down eye Kamasan B170-175 for soft hackles, wets and flymph ties. Why? Availability! We just do not get the variety here unless you order from overseas and I do not like doing that unless the brand of hook or supplier is reputable as you can end up with some dubious quality hooks that you cannot afford to be using on big fish over here.

Having said that I have been told that up eye can impart a different action on the fly in the water when compared to down eye. I have tried versions of the same fly on up-down and straight and noticed no difference in hook up rate and any freedom of action could be negated or replicated with the knot used to attach the fly to the leader.

[ashley]

Roughly 50% of my wet flies I use down eyed hooks, otherwise its straights eyed. I don't use up eyed for anything apart for salmon flies.

The reason I don't use up-eyed is simply because I have no faith in their hooking ability and partly because I used them years ago, I don't think they look very nice on a small trout fly.

[Roadkill]

The majority of my flytying is on down eye hooks, but in hook sizes 18 and smaller I prefer to tie on an up or straight eyed hook so that the small gape has more hooking clearance.

[William Anderson]

I put a lot more stock in gape width, shank length, wire gauge and even finish over eye posture. I think my flies are about 50/50, but the buggier compositions seem more lively to me on the swimmier up eyed hooks. I couldn't make any argument for one over the other beyond attitude, which probably falls pretty far down the list that begins with presentation.

I would feel better about the wider gape on smaller flies, like RK. Another case of good logic that doesn't necessarily show in my boxes. I'm young, right, and can still correct some things.

If for any season I noticed a higher hookup ratio of one over the other I'd take up the cause, but it hasn't played out that way, so for now my hook options are pretty broad.

[wayneb]

TUE hooks just look cool!

Wayneb

[Ruard]

p.s I am leaving aside for the moment, straight eyed hooks.

That's a pitty, i like the straight eye hooks, make the kamazsan 175 straight if i like to use them. I think they behave better in the water and they look more like the eyeless hooks of the past.

greeting

P.S. back from my holiday