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Anatomy of a hook |
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On the left, hook shapes, or bends. From the top: Model Perfect, Sproat, Modified Sproat, Limerick. On the right, relative shank lengths. From the top: standard, 1X long, 2X long, 3X long, 4X long, 6X long. |
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On the left, hook eye types. From the top: turned-down, straight or ringed (top and side views), turned-up. On the right, potential problems with hook eyes. From the top: extreme turn-down, in excess of the 30 to 35 degrees that is recommended; an open eye with sharp-edged wire exposed; a well-formed eye. |
As a beginning fly tyer, you'll need to master a few simple techniques involving thread management and use of tools.
Before tackling the exercises described here, you should be confident about how to adjust a vise to accommodate the size of hook you're using and how to mount the hook into the vise jaws.
The next step is to learn the basic, essential techniques of fly tying, including how to attach the tying thread to the hook. In the process you'll also learn how to tie the famous and ubiquitous Woolly Worm, a fly that employs a tyer-friendly material called chenille.
Before we start, let me explain some things about materials and components, both in general and specifically for the flies you will be tying.
About Hooks
Hooks for fly tying come in a very large assortment of sizes, shapes, wire diameters, designs, and even colors. Unfortunately, there's no true standardization of terms used to describe such things as shank length, wire diameter, or even size.
Thus, it becomes important to know how your finished fly should look and to evaluate the hooks you're about to purchase by those criteria, rather than by what it says on the package. However, I'm going to use the jargon of the trade, because it will make life easier when you're shopping.
With each group of flies, you'll learn more about the specific hooks required for proper tying. For the fly detailed here, you'll use hooks with fairly long shanks and medium-heavy wire. These hooks are also suitable for larger nymphs and shorter streamer flies.
Besides size, shank length, and so forth, some hook packages carry a description of the shape of the bend. These terms can also be rather confusing: Model Perfect, Sproat, Modified Sproat, and Limerick are the more common ones. This is what they look like:
Model Perfect simply means that the bend describes a semicircle. This design is best for dry flies, as it sets the tail into the desired position. Model Perfect hooks can also be used for other types of flies; however, I prefer different bend shapes, as they position the hook point where I want it and balance out the symmetry of the fly in a more graceful manner.
A few words about hook design and determining the best one for your needs. The eye shouldn't slope downward at too extreme an angle; this causes problems both in finishing the head of the fly and, later on, in tying it to the leader. About 30 degrees is good. There are also straight-eye hooks.
These are fine for certain types of flies, but keep in mind that several knots commonly used to tic on flies, notably the Turle and its variations, are not accommodated by a straight eye. There are also hooks with turned-up eyes. To a large extent, they fall within the province of the salmon-fly tyer.
Another important consideration with regard to hook eyes is how well they are formed. The eve should be closedthat is, there should be no gap at the spot where the wire loops back to the main shank. Also, there should be no roughness there. Some cheaper hooks are delinquent in these areas. Do yourself a good turn and avoid them.
Hook points and barbs likewise come in for evaluation. Today, we release our fish, and a smaller barb better facilitates this. Also, such a design better accommodates pinching down the barb without breakage.
The shape of the hook point is closely related to the thickness of the wire. Very fine wire hooks, such as dry-fly models, generally have fairly short points, because these penetrate more easily. Heavier-wire hooks require a more tapered point for optimal penetration and also to allow resharpening without stubbing down the point too much.
Dry-fly hooks also haveor should havevery conservative barbs. It's quite difficult for fish to dislodge even debarbed light-wire hooks; they have little leverage or weight to work against. When pinching down barbs, be as gentle as the task will allow, and do it before you tie the fly, in case breakage should occur.
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