In fly dressing, different hook types are used to create a fly that performs as intended for a specific fish, fly style, or water condition. Fly tying hooks vary in size, wire gauge, shank length, and eye type to affect how the fly floats or sinks, its action, and its overall durability.
Dry flies float and imitate adult insects, while wet flies, nymphs, and caddis imitations generally sink or suspend underwater to mimic different life stages. Terrestrial imitations can be fished on the surface or subsurface. Hook sizes are inversely numbered (#20 is smaller than #8), and the range of #08 to #20 is suitable for a wide variety of insects and crustaceans, with smaller sizes for smaller prey.
Application and hook choice
- Dry flies: Imitate adult insects on the water’s surface.
- Application: Used in clear, shallow water or when fish are actively feeding on the surface.
- Hook: Use lightweight, often thin-wire hooks to help them float.
- Wet flies: Imitate insects and crustaceans underwater, but are typically unweighted and sink slowly, or have a more realistic subsurface action.
- Application: Effective in deeper or faster water where fish are feeding below the surface.
- Hook: Generally use standard hooks; can be on a heavier wire for faster sinking or a lighter wire for a more natural, slow sink.
- Nymphs: Imitate the immature, underwater stages of insects.
- Application: Fish deeper in the water column than dry flies.
- Hook: Often use heavier hooks to help them sink and withstand abrasion from the streambed. Some may have curved shanks for specific imitation shapes.
- Caddis flies: Can be dressed as a dry fly (imitating the adult stage) or a wet fly/nymph (imitating the larval stage).
- Application: As a dry fly, it floats on the surface; as a wet fly or nymph, it sinks or suspends.
- Hook: Depends on whether it is being fished wet or dry.
- Terrestrial hooks: Imitate land-based insects that fall into the water, such as beetles, grasshoppers, and ants.
- Application: Can be fished on the surface (dry) or submerged (wet).
- Hook: Often feature a longer shank to better imitate the body of the terrestrial insect.
Fly Tying Hooks: Hook sizes for #08 to #20
- #08-#10: These sizes are best for larger prey like larger mayflies, smaller baitfish, smaller stoneflies, or eggs.
- #12-#16: This range is highly versatile and suitable for a wide variety of insects, including mayflies, caddis, and small stoneflies.
- #18-#20: These are very small hook sizes, ideal for imitating tiny insects like midges or small terrestrials and for imitating very small food sources.
