Jump to content
Fly Tying
Sign in to follow this  
stabgnid

Hook question ???

Recommended Posts

I was gifted some hooks in sizes 18 & 22 but the eye of the hook is turned up what are these hooks used for ?

Thanks for any help

Steve-stabgnid

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

There are three types of eye arrangement, down, straight and up.  The typical dry fly like the Mustad R50 is a down eye.  A lot of streamer or saltwater hooks are straight.  The up eye is going to change the angle of the fly to the tippet.  I have seen the up eye version used for wet flies. Salmon fly hooks are up eye.  Your 18 and 22 would be a bit small for salmon flies (sic) but should work great for some small wets or sunken spinners.  I'm thinking a sunken Trico spinner tied on an up eye hook might be a very interesting choice.  Now, all of this is opinion as the only real answer is try some patterns and see if you prefer up, down or straight... 

You can look at this topic for a discussion: When to use hooks with straight, down or up eyes?  

 

 

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

 

Obviously, they are damaged and will never work.  Send them to me and I will dispose of them properly.   

 

18 minutes ago, stabgnid said:

the eye of the hook is turned up what are these hooks used for

I always thought it has more to do with tradition and/or aesthetics, and less to do with function nowadays.  I prefer the look of an up eye, but they are less commonly available, so I use the down eye. 

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites
2 hours ago, stabgnid said:

I was gifted some hooks in sizes 18 & 22 but the eye of the hook is turned up what are these hooks used for ?

Thanks for any help

Steve-stabgnid

They are probably dry fly hooks.

Once it was thought that a turned UP eye preserved the hook gap and turned down eyes narrowed the hook gap. So in the smaller hook sizes, some tiers used turned up eyes.

The angle of the hook eye has no effect on the hooking effectiveness of the fly. What is more important is to use wide gap hooks on the small flies. That is what I do for hooks of the up eyed hooks you have. Another alternative is to use a kirbed hook which is an offset hook point.

A more complete discussion of hooks is here:

https://www.theflyfishingforum.com/forums/index.php?threads/20-midge-scud-hook.892498/#post1536026

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites
1 hour ago, Landon P said:

Are they a heavier wire hook?

Do not believe so.  The Mustads were design for the dry fly.

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

If I recall correctly, up-eye hooks were for use, among other things,  with the Turle knot which looped behind the eye.  The up-eye also allows a greater gap than the down eye, especially in smaller sizes, as Silver points out.

 

Thanks, Bob H

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites
On 9/15/2020 at 2:59 PM, Mogup said:

guessing those are dry fly hooks !  Pic ?  Below are Mustad 94842

I used to use 94842 for small wets and midges also #22-24, for the reason that Silver gives; apparent wider gape. But they are described as dry fly hooks.

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

Loading...
Sign in to follow this  

×
×
  • Create New...