Fishing and Tying Small Flies by Ed Engle

Author:Ed Engle
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9780811766043
Publisher: Stackpole Books

Curved-shank hooks are especially popular with small-fly tiers. Shown in size 20 (left to right): the Daiichi 1130 (standard wire), Tiemco TMC 2487 (fine wire), TMC 2488 (fine wire), and Mustad Signature C49S (standard wire).

Heavy-wire curved-shank hooks include (left to right): the Tiemco TMC 2488H (size 20), Dai-Riki 135 (size 20), TMC 2457 (size 18), and Daiichi 1150 (size 18).

The Daiichi 1130 and TMC 2487 have turned-down eyes and reversed points. A reversed point means that if you hold the hook on top with the point facing you, the point will offset to the right. The TMC 2488, Mustad C49S, and Dai-Riki 125 all have straight eyes. The actual size of the hooks is about the same, but the curvature of the Mustad C49S hook is more pronounced. The Dai-Riki 125 is similar to the TMC 2488. The TMC 2488 is available to size 26, the Daiichi 1130 to size 24, and the TMC 2487 and Mustad C49S to size 22. Other curved-hook possibilities include the Gamakatsu C12 and the Varivas 2200 series of curved hooks. All of these hooks use finer-diameter wires.

The Daiichi 1150, TMC 2457, TMC 2488H, and Dai-Riki 135 are heavy-wire versions of the finer-wire hooks. The Daiichi 1150 and TMC 2457 are available to size 18. The Dai-Riki 135 goes down to size 22, and the TMC 2488H goes to size 22. The heavy-wire versions of these short, curved hooks are sought after by fly fishers looking for small hooks that can handle large trout without straightening or fracturing. You most commonly see these heavy-wire hooks used to tie microscud and nymph patterns, but more and more tiers are using them for emerger and even dry-fly patterns.

You should expect discrepancies in labeling among the various hook companies for these hooks. One company’s “standard” diameter wire may actually be finer than the 1X fine designation that another company uses. A 1X-short hook in one brand may be shorter than the 2X-short hook of a different company. Another interesting observation is that none of these hooks pass some of the effective-shank-length formula, but they all do just fine in the field.

Tiemco TMC 200R, Daiichi 1270, Mustad C53S, and Dai-Riki 270. These are all straight-eye, 3X-long versions of curved-shank hooks. There are only minor differences among the various brand names. The TMC 200R and Daiichi 1270 are available to size 22. The Dai-Riki 270 goes to size 24 and the Mustad C53S to size 20. The long-shank curved hooks are good for tying scuds, small aquatic annelids, and, surprisingly, curved-body dry-fly patterns.

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