If Small Fly Funk has one central agenda, it's to promote small fly tying and fishing as a focused pursuit- and to provide a reliable resource to those who share an interest. The blog list to the right extends this agenda beyond my own tying and fishing reports, so please do check out the growing number of sites where small fly tying at it's very best can be viewed.One sub-category to this agenda is a deep interest in, and passion for, small hooks. Discovering Chapter 2 in Ed Engle's
Tying Small Flies a few years back really got me started and I haven't stopped since - just ask
Phil Holding.
A good place to start is the #20 - this is pretty much the entry-level of small fly tying and it is also a hook size that, whilst pre-dating some of the smallest hooks now available, has some heritage. The earliest account of #20's I've found is in A. Courtney William's
A Dictionary Of Trout Flies (1949)
where he discusses
caenis. Ed Shenk's
Fly Rod Trouting (1989) commits a complete chapter to
Fishing The Itsy Bitsies and between these two reference points, Vince Marinaro shared his take on
pretty fishing. So, we're not playing with anything new here, albeit the range of styles of small hooks is now more extensive than ever.
The following are my tried-and-tested pattern preferences, with a few notes on why and how I use them.
TMC 101:
If I have one go-to small fly hook it's the 101. I tie a lot of dun imitations and this hook pattern just works for me.
I prefer a straight eye hook, it creates the illusion of space during the tie and makes for a neat finish. I'm aware of the case for improved hooking capacity with a down-eye hook, but it's not something that's ever concerned me, at least not over aesthetic appeal
. Available down to #26 with a sensibly sized eye, this is a strong, reliable hook for tying dries, emergers, nymphs and midges. It covers most small fly bases.
TMC 501:
This is essentially a 1X short shank version of the 101. Not really suited to parachute hackled patterns, it is a great hook for tying clipped hackle, no-hackle or spent spinner patterns. Although a little larger than Ed Engle's recipe, it ties a nice
Secret Weapon - a simple, effective and robust BWO dun imitation. This is a strong hook, fish with confidence if you expect to hit big trout.
Available in #20 - #24 only.
Mustad R30:
This was my first small hook pattern
. I know a guy on the North Coast who sells them to me for £5 per 100, I always drop him a few flies tied on them when I'm passing, it's an arrangement that works for both of us.
I like Mustad hooks, there's a consistency about them and the dark, bronze finish oozes traditional appeal. This is a finer wire version of the
R50, and it works fine with the 6" - 14" trout I tend to encounter. This pattern has a wide gape, whilst maintaining overall proportions of a standard dry fly hook. I don't tie or fish many collared-hackle flies, but this is the hook I'll use when I do - it just seems to work really well with Bi-Visibles.
This hook was available down to a #28, the main UK distributor only offers down to a #16. Mustad seems to have lost it's appetite for small hooks, with a greater focus now on stainless steel saltwater and pike fly hooks.
Daiichi 1190:
Another down-eye hook, but this is a barbless pattern - straight-up, I just wish manufacturers made all fly hooks barbless. I haven't fished a barb since 1978. This is a good hook for parachute hackled patterns with it's long shank length. Those in the UK can pick these up in packs of 50 for sensible money, it's re-branded by Fulling Mill as a 71190 ALL PURPOSE LIGHT
barbless. Available down to a #20.
Partridge SLD:
This is a good example of modern, barbless hook design, the Surehold Lightning Dry. The wide gape and upturned point make for a uniquely pretty hook. It's near impossible to comment on the improvement in hooking efficiency this innovation delivers, I've missed enough lightning fast strikes when fishing the SLD but when aesthetics count, this is a special hook. It features a shorter shank than the 101 and 1190 but ties a sweet #22 paradun. Available down to #20.
Partridge SUD:
This follows more classic dry fly hook proportions (almost identical shank length to the R30) and compares with many #22 size hooks in scale
. Another barbless design, designed for upwing patterns, hence the Surehold Upwing Dry name. This is a good alternative to the 501 with a finer wire and features a nickel black finish. Available down to #20, this is another pretty hook from Partridge.
You'll notice the range of eye-style, gape, shank length and finish among these patterns - variables that are even more wide-ranging among curved shank hook patterns. I'll cover this in Hook Study II later this month. One pattern I omitted due to it's odd size (#21) is the
TMC 102Y. Another black finish hook, this is a strong hook designed by Tiemco for the "quick-take" strikes of Japanese native trout. The point is moved back slightly as per the original Partridge YL3A Captain Hamilton hook (now superceded by the TDH, available down to #20). It's an attractive hook for tying parachute hackled patterns.
Current hook charts can be viewed from the following manufacturers:
Darrell Martin's
Micropatterns also provides detailed information on small hooks, albeit a little esoteric with pages of stress analysis and supporting graphs to pour over. I will dip in to this content from time to time, but some of the joy of small hooks is lost in the analysis - it's just too anatomical.
There's many, MANY other straight shank #20 hook patterns out there. Would love to hear about others preferences...
The shank length of the K1A makes for a sublimely proportioned fly and has an attractive deep bronze finish, the curvature of the 2488 is ideal for fishing the trico drowned and the 2300's wide gape and ultra-fine wire improves hooking ability. You can compare eye size by clicking on the image - the K1A features a large eye, the 2300's is the smallest of the three (so take care when finishing - you can just about see a little thread-creep on the image) but readily takes 7X tippet. Extended Whisper-tails add stability and provide a subtle trigger.
