Tying a Size 20 fly on a Size 16 Hook

[goby]

I'm fishing an incredibly technical pool on the Trinity River. It is a very slow pool, and the flies that are hatching are size 20-24. I've fished this part of the river 100's of times during the past 10 years and I love it.

I did great yesterday. Huge trout taking my size 22 dries. The problem is that I was not hooking them. So I heard about tying a small fly on a bigger hook.

So how should the fly be tied? Should most of it be tied by the bend, or most of it toward the front? Have any of you tried this?

Thanks!


Anthony

[Bill Kiene semi-retired]

Many do this by using a shorter shank dry fly hook.

That way you use a short shank dry fly hook in a larger size so the gap is larger and so is the wire size.

Years ago Andy Puyans tied his Humpys on a short shank dry fly hook for catching larger trout in Montana.

Back then the standard Mustad dry fly hook was the 94840 and the short shank was the 94838.

He tied the 14 Humpy on a shorter size 12 hook ending up with a larger gap hook with one wire size larger too.

[goby]

Many do this by using a shorter shank dry fly hook.

That way you use a short shank dry fly hook in a larger size so the gap is larger and so is the wire size.

Years ago Andy Puyans tied his Humpys on a short shank dry fly hook for catching larger trout in Montana.

Back then the standard Mustad dry fly hook was the 94840 and the short shank was the 94838.

He tied the 14 Humpy on a shorter size 12 hook ending up with a larger gap hook with one wire size larger too.

Thanks Bill! That would work great if I was less than an hour from the Fly Shop in Redding. hehehehe

But I've heard of actually tying a size 20 fly on a size 16 hook. Does that mean anything to you, or are they really just saying what you are saying... you need to tie it on a hook with a short shank? I figure if anyone should know, you would.

These fish are huge and the fishing is so exciting (and equally frustrating!). I've also been using a WD40, which I don't think gets a lot of love in the North State. It has become a favorite fly over the past week.

[Hairstacker]

I have a friend who ties his smaller flies on larger hooks for the hookup improvement and he seems to do quite well. He ties the flies up against the hook eye, just as you would for a regular fly.

[Mike R]

Not that this solves your problem, but I started tying a LOT of flies on 2488 and 2457's. For dries, you can tie really small (22-24s) on a sz 18 or so 2488. Not only do you get a short shank hook but there is much more gape in the 2488 than on a similar shank length TMC100. You end up with a small fly that can get some lip.

Mike

PS> You show me this pool and I'll personally deliver the hooks to you.

[JJ]

Anthony,

I do exactly what you are talking about all of the time. I tie size 20's on 16 hooks. I am not an expert tier so I just tie them up by the eye like a regular fly and leave the extra part of the shank exposed. Trout seem to like the smaller fly and my hooking success increases. Good luck.

[goby]

Thanks everyone!

I'm going to:

1. Tie some flies on a regular size 16 hook;
2. Ties some flies on my Tiemco 2587, 2588, and other "non dry fly" hooks that I have in my hook box;
3. Do a little research to find out which is the best small "dry fly" hook and start tying those for next season.

Someone sent me a PM and also suggested I wait a second or two before setting the hook. In thinking about the fishing trip last week, I think that is good advice that I'm going to follow.

Thanks to everyone who responded! Hopefully I'll be posting about my success in a few days.