Hooks

[fflutterffly]

What is the most popular hook for tying flymphs? I lost two very nice large fish on the Owens rivier this week due to using light wire hooks. Dumb! Or maybe they were just cheep. help!

[Old Hat]

In sticking with recent posts...the ones that provide you with the most confidence. I don't know that there is a most popular. Everyone seems to have his or her favorite type, bend, style, eye configuration etc.

Hidy, used heavy and light wire hooks depending what he was trying to mimic, and he really preferred up eye hooks. I prefer heavy hooks for flymphs and light wire for spiders. I am partial to a limerick bend. But, like I said, it's really up to you and what you find works best for you. You'll get all kinds of answers to this question.

Carl

[Soft-hackle]

fflutter,
As Carl has put it, confidence helps, however, bad hooks can ruin an experience for sure. There are many, many good hooks available. I've use Mustad hooks for years with very little problems when fishing with them. I've also started using Daiichi hooks which are also very good They come in all shapes and sizes. A new brand I like very much are Grip hooks.

Light wire, dry fly hooks should hold whether you are fishing wet or dry, so I don't think that is the problem. If the hooks are breaking, that could be cause the fish are large and you are straining the wire. Mustad manufactures many hooks in "standard" wire, a bit heavier than light wire, but lighter than heavy.

Some suggestions: Mustad 3399A standard wire, 3906 heavy wire, R48 are short and heavy for spiders if you like heavier hooks for them. Daiichi 1550 is good standard wire, 1530 is a heavy wire and they make a straight eye hook which is often preferred for spiders #1640. Curved hooks come in handy for ermerger representation like the Daiichi 1130-standard wire 1120 for heavy wire. I also tie a few flymphs on Daiichi 1260.

Also remember your hook is the bones of your fly, very much like the armature in sculpture. The shape gives the fly a certain look and attitude and also may alter its behavior in the water. As Carl said, Hidy liked up eye hooks for flymphs. He claimed the ascended in the water better.

Please look at the various patterns in the tying section of the forum. The hook selection is staggering, to say the least.

Mark

[William Anderson]

I like to try different hooks as much as anyone, but I typically tie on Diachii 1550's or 1530's depending on the profile of the species to be imitated, or if spiders vs flymphs, etc. Mark's listed a good batch to try.

I mentioned this in my IBF 13 swap post, but I just tied a batch of wets with a beautiful Grip hook, and had a bunch that were soft as wire. The flies I sent in were tied on tested hooks, so no reason to worry about those, but it will stick with me when I see a fly on a Grip hook. It shakes my confidence for sure.

On the other hand, I think you could pull large limbs out of the Delaware with the Diachii 1530's. It's by far my favorite.

w

[Soft-hackle]

Hi William,
Ever look at the Tiemco 206BL. It is very similar to the Grip hook you used on those flies for the swap. Perhaps they might be better. Also the Daiichi 1150, I think, is also quite similar in shape, but heavier wire.

Mark

http://www.jsflyfishing.com/cgi-bin/ite ... -Hook.html

http://www.bigyflyco.com/items/fly-tyin ... detail.htm

[Johnno]

Don't like Tiemco (lighter wire) hooks; I think they are too soft and bend out too easy. A three pounder - which is around average for some waters I fish - can deal to them in no time. Ditto for Grip and some of the other European hooks.

Kamasan and Black Magic are my staples. Plus older Mustads if I can find them.

[William Anderson]

Hey Mark, I like the looks of both the Tiemco and Daichii that you showed. I like the scud hooks with an up eye. I would definitely go that route over the Grips in the future. Too bad. I know a lot of tiers that love em. And Narcodog said he never had any issues. So...I should post some pics soon. I have to get my stuff out. It's hard to talk about patterns and not have any pics.

w

[skunkaroo]

Don't like Tiemco (lighter wire) hooks; I think they are too soft and bend out too easy. A three pounder - which is around average for some waters I fish - can deal to them in no time. Ditto for Grip and some of the other European hooks.

Kamasan and Black Magic are my staples. Plus older Mustads if I can find them.

I tend to agree with your comments with respect to the Tiemco light wire hooks and I've also had issues with some of the Daiichis--though not with the 1530s or 1550s in particular. Dai-riki (a brand popular in the US) fall into the do-not-use category for me because I find them very brittle.

The hook I keep coming back to for most of my soft hackles and dry flies is the Mustad R50 (down-eye perfect bend). I still like the R30s, but the 2x fine wire doesn't seem to hold the fish like it used to--I suspect my angling style has changed (or maybe I'm just catching bigger fish ). Another fine wire hook I like is the Knapek dry fly hook. Barbless with a strong squared bend and a slightly upturned point...



Aaron

[Klaas]

I like the kamasan B440 hooks with upstanding hookeye.


Klaas

[Ruard]

I like hooks with a straight eye. The 390 of Hayabusha, the Drennan super specialist or the carbon super specialist( the last one has normal wire) and also the Daiichi 1640. Sometimes I use the Sprite Perfect international, but then I bend the eye straight after heating the eye, else you break them.

Greeting