Does anyone know the difference between dry fly hook lengths when marked standard, 1x, 2x and so on? Is there a resource (chart) out there?
Thanks, John
I don’t know of any chart that gives you the exact measurement differences between standard, 1X 2X, etc., but Killroys.com has very good hook comparison charts.
i don’t know if there is a chart out there that breaks it down or not, but I do know that most hook company web sites have an explanation to there hooks sizes and patterns. before mustad changed there hook lengths a few years back I had a handle on it , but now im not sure that everyone is on the same page.
it used to be that a 3906 was a standard wet fly hook, a 3906b was 1 x long, a 9671, was 2x long and a 9672 was 3x long.
breaking it down a little further, if I selected a size 14 hook, a 1x long size 14 would have the same shank length as a standard length size 12 hook. a 2x long 14 would have the same shank length as a standard size 10, and a 3x long would have the same shank length as a standard size 8.
hopefully that helps, makes sense, and I didn’t screw it up. sometimes the old brain doesn’t function exactly right.
Put fly hook size chart in your search engine there are a bunch of charts available.
A 1XL has a shank length equal to a standard length hook one size larger. So a size 14 1XL is as long as a size 13 standard length hook. A size 14 2XL is the same length as a size 12 standard length hook etc. The fact that most manufacturers don’t make odd sized hooks and the fact that hook manufacturers are notorious for doing whatever the hell they want, creates confusion.
jay, you are 100% correct. I never even considered odd number hooks and considered the slight variation in shank length a manufacturing tolerance.
ive been tieing since 1960, and can honestly say that in hook sizes 2 and smaller, I have never used an odd numbered hook.
thanks for setting me straight.
Well I figure I’m at least 75% correct.
I have seen supposed experts disagree about whether odd hook sizes count in the XL designations. I have verified with some of my hooks that a #12 2XL is the same shank length as a #10 standard, at least for those particular hooks. I agree that one hook number is a pretty small difference anyway.