I recently tied up some flies for a fly swap I got talked into joining.. I used the hooks that I had available.. so here is my question..
what brand of hook, what type hook and what sizes, in general are the best to have on hand for general tying.. now by general tying I mean wb and wooly worms.. nymph like the bead head flash back pt nymph.. and maybe some foam flies like hoppers and beetles..
MacFly
Wow, that is a tuffy, cause I like Tiemco 200R for allot of flies, but for what you posted…I got with Mustad Streamer hooks. I would have #4 / #8 / #12 / #16 or #18
Great for Nymphs and woolly buggers.
what about the ooey gooey or flies along that line.. what scud hook would you use??
MacFly
My favorite hook is the Mustad standard dry fly hooks in various sizes. I use 12 and 14 for my nymphs and renegades and such. Then I like 8 or 10 for my wolly buggers. I even have some 18’s for the smaller stuff like midges and gnats.
… thanks for the replies so far.. let me explain further what Im trying to ask and why…
for general tying like I do when I get a chance… wb, renegades, nymphs, and the like.. what hook works best with them..
then you have ooey gooey.. what hook for that..
and then small gnats or firefly patterns.. what hook for that..
what Im thinking of doing is when I can order in a general range of hooks and sizes and get the best bang for my buck..
MacFly
My general hooks are mustad 6 and 8 streamer, 14 and 16 dry fly, and 12 14, 16 wet fly then I just tie off of those. If I need a specialty hook then I will get one.
The Ooey would be a Scud hook or even a 200R.
Heavy wire for sinking flies and thin for dry.
You could use a dry for a nymph, but it is a thinner wire.
Like I PM’d you.
Hooks required for any fly:
Streamer for any sinking fly. Every other size is all you need though. A little longer shank so easy to work with and you don’t have to cover the whole hook. So you can tie it smaller, but you can’t tie a short hook longer. Just a multi purpose hook
Scuds or 200R (equivalent hooks, brand doesn’t matter to me)
Dry fly hooks in 12 and smaller will cover all hatches Tiemco 100 or equivalent.
That will cover any fly out there
so something like this:
heavy nymph 1xl in 8, 12, 16?? for wb’s and other nymphs..
8,12, 16 scud hooks (again xl if they have it)…
and 8, 12, 16 thin xl dry flies.. ?? … or maybe go a little smaller on the dries.. 10, 12, 16??
couple of packs of each and Id be set for a little bit..
MacFly
OH! I forgot…some of the best Dry Fly hooks are Orvis BIG EYE I love those hooks.
cool.. but with as small as dry flies go I dont think I will be tying many of those… :-)..
MacFly
Very good topic.
OH! I forgot…some of the best Dry Fly hooks are Orvis BIG EYE I love those hooks.
BINGO! Orvis Big Eyes are all I use unless I need something more specialized, which is rare.
For streamers, mice, and “big ugly” stuff, I use light Mustad saltwater hooks.
Ive learned a lot like the difference between dry fly hooks and the rest lol.. I had no idea but it all makes so much sense..
and to break it down to three simple groups makes it simple..
MacFly 