Copper John Jig style

[jfinn 0]

anyone ever tie som copper john flies jig style? Did you or would you put the shell back on the hook side of the shank so it rides up or just put it on the normal side of the hook?

[flytire 0]

Hook point side

[mikechell 0]

What flytire said ....

Jig hooks are designed to keep the hook point "up". The back of the fly should also be "up". So, shell back on the back, or "up".

[Crackaig 0]

I wouldn't tie one on a jig hook! In their original sizes used with soft plastics etc. I can see their advantage. However the ones used for fly tying are tiny by comparison. Back when I learned to tie the threads were not so fine and we had to avoid building up bulk so that we didn't fill up the gap of the hook, preventing the fly hooking the fish. Now we are using hooks of such a shape the gap is filled for us. That is the first reason I don't get these hooks.

 

Then there is the idea of tying a heavy fly on light wire hooks. Most jig hooks are light wire. I use light wire hooks for dry flies. I would rather use heavier wire hooks but it is difficult to get them to stay on the surface. I wouldn't add weight to a light wire hook. I'd simply use a heavier gauge hook. This means your hook hold can be much stronger (you are not trying to protect a light wire hook while playing a fish), Also, as it is density not weight that sinks a fly, using a heavier gauge of hook makes more sense.

 

Then there is the fact that you can rig any straight or down eyed hook to fish in the attitude of a jig hook by adjusting the way you attach it to your leader. Use a turle knot but go through the hook eye from below. This means you don't have the expense of buying special hooks - just use what you have. It also means you can change from conventional presentation to jig type presentation without having to have different flies for the job.

 

Bearing all that in mind what would I gain from using jig hooks? Other than being fashionable.

 

Cheers,

C.

[mikechell 0]

Bearing all that in mind what would I gain from using jig hooks? Other than being fashionable.

 

Cheers,

C.

The only time I use jig hooks is when I know I am slow dragging a presentation across the bottom. Jig presentations are noticeably more snag-less than tumbling or hook down offerings.

[ihang10 0]

Just out of curiosity, I truly don't know....would a fish care if the wing case is up or down?

 

Seems to me the nymph here would be, or is, "tumbling" through the water,eh?

[SilverCreek 0]

Just out of curiosity, I truly don't know....would a fish care if the wing case is up or down?

Seems to me the nymph here would be, or is, "tumbling" through the water,eh?

 

It is true that the natural mayfly nymph does tumble when it is washed off a rock or bottom.

However, a non tumbling natural nymph that is on a rock or on the bottom maintains a dorsal up orientation. With a jig style you clearly MUST choose a side to tie the dorsal wing case on and the side that has the ventral surface. Since the jig hook most often maintains it orientation as hook up, the logical side to tie the wing cast is the side that is most often up, which will most closely imitate the side that that the trout are used to seeing as the "natural" orientation. So yes there is a reason to tie the thorax as depicted.

Does it matter if the fish do or don't care? If they don't, you have tied the thorax on the side that is equally good as the other side. If the fish do care, then you have still tied the thorax on the correct side. So you win on both counts.

BTW, Remember to buy slotted beads for jig type hooks.

 

[flytire 0]

paying the premium for slotted beads is perfectly acceptable in fly tying land but its been my experience that round non slotted beads work just fine with jig style hooks

 

 

http://flytyingnewandold.blogspot.com/2014/05/slotted-beads.html