Which kamasan down eye hook for dries.

[kjdunph 0]

Have recently got back into fly fishing and tying after a number of years and am having trouble finding the correct hook for dry flies. The hooks in my kit are all years old and up eyed. The problem is the shank lengths seem to be much shorter than any of the hooks I've bought. The kamasan size fourteen b401s seem two sizes longer. Which hook would be best for traditional dry flies but with down eye?

Any suggestions or comments gratefully received.

[rockworm 0]

Kamasan B400, 401 and 402 are standard shank hooks with turned down eyes and were designed for dry flies. The 400 is 1xF wire and suitable for emergers. The 401 has a mini-barb; the 402 is barbless.

[kjdunph 0]

Thanks the problem is they seem too long in the shank.

[kjdunph 0]

What is the doen eye equivalent of the 440?

[Piker20 0]

Why down eyed again? just cause you think your hooks are old fashioned? Up, down or straight really matters not a jot to the fish. The issue I have with some older hooks is that the barbs can be a little severe but they will serve a purpose today as well as they did 5, 10 or 20 years ago.

For my twopence worth I like the Orvis Ultimate dry hooks and Partridge SUR and SLD hooks. The partridge are very fine wire and the shank length suits my olives and mayflies. You can always tie your fly a little shorter on a shank if you want to.

[kjdunph 0]

Thanks Piker20.

Have wondered why the up eye hooks are no longer used. Am new to forum so dont know if it has been discussed. Can anyone enlighten me?

 

[rockworm 0]

The B405 is 1xShort with a turned down eye. But it is also 1xFine. That may be an advantage or a disadvantage depending on the flies you tye and the fish they are intended for. Maybe you could consider another brand?

[Piker20 0]

Up eyed hooks just seem to have lost in the fashion stakes.

[kjdunph 0]

Thanks guys.

Kamasan hooks seem to be the only hooks available in my local tackle shops. Will have to start buying on line. Figured the up eyes had just gone out of fashion but wasn't sure. If thats all it is I'll stick to my up eyes. Its what I'm used to.

[kjdunph 0]

One more quetion. Were the old standard up eye hooks 2x short or is it just the batch I have?

[rockworm 0]

The B440 was indeed a 1xShort hook.

[kjdunph 0]

Thankyou Rockworm and Piker20. You've been a big help. Looks like the b405 is what I'm looking for. Probably just stick to thr 440s.