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Ethan101

Hook Classification for Panfish

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I have tied a few trout flies and understand the differences between dry fly and wet/streamer fly hooks. However, since I don't live close to trout fishing I would like to tie for panfish and bass. My question to you tying guru's is this - Do I really need to worry about the hook classification (wet vs. dry) for panfish and bass? Also, I am thinking about tying for bluegill and crappie so I am thinking about using hook sizes 10 - 6. Is that appropriate? Can I just go to my walmart and pick up some aberdeen style hooks to tie, or do I need to stick with the wet/dry fly hooks at the more expensive retailers for better results. I would prefer to spend the extra money if it does yield better results because that is what matters most to me. I just didn't know if it really mattered all that much. I appreciate any help I get from yall. Thanks in advance!

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A fly can be tied on any hook you have, Some are even tied on hooks for plastic worms. Using cheap aberdeens for bluegill and crappie is quite all right, especially if fishing around brush. If the fish see the hook well enough to know what it is, they would not bite on it.

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Hey Ethan, welcome to the site. This is a good place whether you're a new or experienced tyer. Panfish/bass hooks. Your suggestion of buying less expensive hooks is fine. But they won't perform as well as good fly hooks. I would put floating flies on dryfly hooks and wets on wetfly hooks. For bass, I would strongly recommend the Gamakatsu B10S...they make small sizes, it isn't that expensive, and you can get big packs if you like. It is a superb hook for bass and big panfish for the money...very good, very sharp, very strong. I like ring-eye hooks for most bass and panfish flies. Now, again, having said all this, the aberdeens are ok and I imagine alot of guys use them. Oh yeah, your hook sizes are a good start, but for bass you may also think about bigger...much bigger. For bass, I start at size 1 and go to about 4/0. Good luck and cheers, Ed

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"If the fish see the hook well enough to know what it is, they would not bite on it."

Yeah ... them smarter feesh, well, they just wouldn't bite a fly ties on some cheap ol' Eagle Claw!wink.png

 

Florida here ... NO trout to be had. I tie for bass and sunfish. A lot of my flies are tied on size 8 and size 6 Eagle claw hooks from that box on the bottom shelf. I do like the curved shank scud hooks once in a while, but usually, not.

You can catch little 'gills and other sunfish on small trout flies ... but you'll be hooking a lot of 3 inch fish. Tie a little larger for the 8 to 12 inch fish.

 

 

 

 

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Ethan i tie for panfish and bass mostly.I buy the eagle claw plain shank,baitholder and aberdeen from walmart.Sometimes i use the cheap $1 off brand packs.For panfish i tie on sizes12 - 6.Sometimes 12 is a little small and they will swallow it but somedays this is what they want.I tie floating flies with foam on the eagle claw hooks and have no problem.For bass i tie on sizes 6 - 2 and have tied flies on 1/0 and 2/0 worm hooks.I have caught nice bass on a #10 fly so you just never know.I usually fish for crappie with a spinning rod and hand tied jigs but have caught a few on panfish flies.

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I use 6 for crappie flies (like small streamers). I use mostly 8 and 10 for bluegills & other bream, but sometimes a 12 (like for an ant). We have lots of vegetation in Florida, so it's not a bad idea to use fine wire hooks that you can straighten out if you get snagged, and then re-bend it and reuse it. Panfish generally can't straighten a hook so fine hooks work OK.

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I use a variety of hooks for fresh water. I prefer sharp hooks so I stay away from the off brands. I do like Eagle Claw Aberdeen hooks. They are sharp and you can tie top water patterns on them as well as woolly buggers and other subsurface patterns and they make them from size 14 to 3/0. Drop shot hooks are good for bait fish patterns. I use straight shank worm hooks for a lot of my bass flies. Gamakatsu and Owner make good ones. For pan fish I usually tie on size 4-10 hooks. We have green sunfish and rock bass in the streams around here and a big bluegill can slurp down a size 4.

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I live in an area with a lot of two stage ponds, so cold water species as well as bass and panfish. The time of year determines what I will fish for and the month of May into early June will offer a cross section of fish, as will Sept.. Midges are prevalent here in the early season of that crossing over. So I have to tie some smaller flies. If I lived and fished exclusively for warm water fish I would buy all the cheaper hooks, Eagle Claw is fine. Just floating small flies takes a finer wire and I tie down to size 24 for trout ( though mostly 16-18 and quite a few size 20 midges). The Aberdeen is a nice hook and actually half decent quality. Some of the cheapest hooks I've used tend to rust up easy.

 

The only reason wet fly hooks and dry fly hooks have different wire size is so the dry flies can float right. It has nothing to do with fish seeing the hook or not and certainly not pan fish. Sticking a worm on a hook is living proof of that. The fish can see the whole stupid hook and will swallow the whole stupid hook. There are some really fussy brown trout around though and I've literally watched them come up and eye ball a dry fly and decide to turn on it or turn away from it. But I bet they didn't inspect it for wire diameter.

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i have a lot of "trout fly" hooks that i use for panfish and bass flies

 

it doenst really matter what you use nor do the fish even care

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I like a #12 popper for Bluegill. It works great in open water and you finesse your way through lily pads without getting hung up. I have used foam ear plugs (cut the round end off for use), wood dowel, balsa wood, cork, styrofoam or anything that floats well. Put a bigger head and tail on it to catch the eye of some bass. Cheapo fingernail polish or Sharpies work well for coloring and then cover them with 30 minute epoxy for a glassy protective shine (careful not to fill your hook eye).

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Thanks for off of the replies guys! I have been tying on a sizes 4-8 and seem to be doing well on those. It is good to hear that I had the right sizes in mind. Again, I appreciate all of the input you have given me.

 

Ethan.

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I worry more about the length of the hook shank for getting proportions right in the fly. It can be done, but it's more difficult. That is my ....justification for buying "trout" hooks. You just can't get shorter length hooks in smaller sizes at Malmart. That said, bait holder hooks, the ones with the barbs on the back of the shank, do come in sizes down to 8 or 10, which is small enough for panfish. I don't like the barbs on the back, and the points are kerfed, or bent to the left. I can fix those things, but I'd rather not have to.

 

Kirk B.

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Ethan, everyone here has given you great advice! IMO, you're over thinking it. The fish don't read the labels or the advertising hype.

As long as a hook is strong enough, and sharp enough (out of the pack or by sharpening) for the purpose when you use it, that's all that really matters. If you have issues, such as bending a hook while landing fish, try something different next time.

 

Some fly types will dictate certain hook types, but that has little to do with the targeted fish species & is more about getting the materials on the hook & having enough gape for actually hooking the fish. The labels (dry fly, wet fly, etc.) are intended as guides not law. There can be good reasons to use these types of hooks, but doesn't mean they're the only hooks that can be used. Beyond that, try different things & find out for yourself what you like best. Hooks don't have to be expensive to catch fish.

 

I tie on many styles of hooks & I use a lot of "non" fly hooks for my tying & fishing. I never worry about the labels, those are primarily for marketing. If I feel a hook will work for me, for a specific purpose, I'll try it. Easy as that! smile.png

 

BTW, there have been several discussions about hooks and everyone has their favorites. After you've been tying awhile, you'll likely develop your own favorites, but until you try different brands & styles, you won't know what you'll like best. Read the posts about hooks, try some that others recommend, but make your own decisions about what you like! Again, easy as that! wink.png

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agree with tidewaterfly. I stick with fly shop hooks, but that's convenience (and I pay more sometimes just because I'm not thinking, I get tired thinking ...). Mustad makes some good hooks in small bulk packages of 50 or 100; I use those in sizes 10 and 12 for wets and nymphs.

I like the Gamakatsu hooks. I use them for tying as well as baitcasting worms and creature baits for bass. I tie a lot of panfish and bass flies using the stinger (bass bug) style hook because I like the space it gives for putting on a popper head or very full dressings while leaving a good gap for hookup. For me it's more about accommodating my pattern than it is about the fish.

If pressed, I'd say my range of hooks goes:

smallmouth - 1/0 to 6; 1/0 and 2 being most common. I have a number of kreelex's and crawfish in size 6.

largemouth - 3/0 to 1/0 but no reason other than personal preference. In articulated flies I sometimes use a size 2 trailer hook to a 1/0 or larger main hook.

panfish - 8 to 12

all that hooey said, I catch some great gills when throwing my favorite top water bug (cicada) on a 1/0, and smallmouths will smack my size 8 and 10 streamers without thinking twice.

If your line will get wet in salt water, I'd buy some salt water hooks. They have added protection - standard hooks will rust in a quick heartbeat if exposed to salt and not cleaned very well. I ruined two entire flyboxes worth of flies a few years ago fishing in brackish water over a weekend and (stupid me) did not clean my equipment well after I got home.

Just felt like posting tonight. I really have nothing to add to Tidewaterfly's great post .... :-)

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