Lately I have been re-reading many of the 19th century books on fly fishing and dressing, and in the process, I have been comparing the hooks used with the types prefered by modern anglers. I came to the conclusion that most anglers, ancient and modern went with the hook recommended in the recipe. This appears very true of modern dressers even with the large range and variation of hooks available.
Although the 19th century fly dressers had a very much more limited range of hooks available. I had assumed that was the reason for very small flies on standard (at the time) size hooks. On second thoughts, the fact that heavy hooks, relative to the fly size, helped to sink the flies more quickly. They did not have the lead wire or metal beads available now-a-days.
This applies to the Clyde and especially to the Tummel style flies.
Whilst dressing the North Country spiders etc, I was struck by the fact that the originals were tied on eyeless hooks with the gut straight in line with the hook. I took the advice of Roger Fogg in his book A Handbook of North Country Trout Flies, acquired some s/e bait hooks, dressed a series of spiders on them. They certainly looked good, but I am not sure if they fished any better or caught more fish. I decided to do the same with my soft hackle nymphs and West Country wets.
Since reading the early books on dry fly, (Halford etc), I have developed some purist tendencies about up eyed hooks ;).
Well, after that long spiel, does anyone else have any opinions or was this all just a rant in the wilderness to an indifferent world.
Donald, I have to go with a straight eye preference. I think this has to do more with habit rather than analyzing the movement tendencies with up or down eye. I am not really sure it makes that big of a difference to the fish. I will read additional posts with interest.
Personally I don’t think the up eye, down eye, or straight eye makes a whole lot of difference when you are fishing the fly. When tying streamers I prefer a straight eye, but have used salmon hooks, and also jig hooks, which are not straight. I am sure there are some who can detect differences between each hook eye, but I haven’t. I think the differences are very minor. I try to go by the pattern, or at least find a comparable hook. Sometimes I just don’t have it, and guess which hook to use from my arsenal of hooks. I cannot afford to get every pattern’s hooks that are exactly what they call for, unless I see good reason for it. I have had good luck with most brands of hooks, and use most kinds.
It’s important to consider the traditional knots used with old flies - and the knot you’ll be using with them today. In addition to what was available, there were many common knots that influenced eye choice - the Turle knot coming to mind, and its influence on the Catskill dry - as an example.
With the widespread use of the clinch knot and improved clinch, eye style is much less important, as the knot is no longer behind the eye but in front on a single-strand pivot.
Up Eyes, will tilt the hook shank so water moves over the top of the fly body, causing the fly patten to angle downward beneath the water surface (Example: Salmon Hook: for Steelhead Patterns).
Down Eyes, will tilt the hook shank so the water moves over the bottom of the fly body, causing the submerged fly pattern to angle upward to the water surface (Example: Wet Flies, Emergers, Nymphs).
Straight Eyes will cause the hook shank to be aligned with the angle of the fishing line/leader/tippet beneath the water surface, as you strip in line. The axis of the Straight Eye Hook can be either vertical or horizontal to the water surface. The difference in the flies motion is dictated by the axis of the eye, horizontal to the surface the hook shank will swing to the the sides during the retrieve, vertical to the surface the hook shank will cause the hook shank but end to move up and down beneath the water surface.
No Eye: with either gut/mono/yarn will cause the fly pattern to move in all directions depending on the angle of the submerged line and the axis of the rod tip.
Originally the tippet was run through the up or down eye of the hook, and a “Snell” type knot was affixed to the hook shank ahead of the fly pattern, to make the fly pattern to move in the water similar to a no eye hook.
Standard dries down to size 16 down eye, but anything smaller there is more room to work and the hook has better hooking capability with a straight or up eye. Clousers just swim “correctly” with straight eyes. Those patters which are meant to ride hook up with dumbells need a straight eye. Or so I have been TOLD.
