I thought I’d try these bait (worm) hooks for some Spiders -
http://www.picturetrail.com/gallery/vie … id=1740968
Hi,
Another fine collection! Have you noticed any difference with the change in hooks, in terms of their fish taking? Or have you had the oppertunity to put them to a fair test yet?
- Jeff
Donald it is funny how in this country a Spider is tied with very stiff over sized hackle on a short shank hook with an up eye. LOL Different country different ways of doing things. 
Ron
Hi Ron
Perhaps I shouldn’t indulge myself with a bit of whimsy, and should call them by what is probably a more correct term, softhackles.
Strictly speaking, spidering is wrapping a hackle around the front of the hook,
whether for a wet or a dry fly. In a lot of the nineteenth century books both were refered to.
The reason for the straight eye is to get nearer to the whipped gut version of the early flies. I saw it mentioned recently on another BB and had also read about using the bait hooks as the only straight eyed hooks suitable and managed to overcome my inertia and find the hooks, which had been in my tackle collection for some years. The only problem is that they have an off-set point, which I’m not convinced is necessary on a fly hook. That’s the only con I have, the pros are the short shank and tying close to the eye is easy.
Over here a lot of people still follow the convention of up-eyed for dry and down-eye for wet. Although there are plenty of excellent down-eyed dry fly hooks on the market.
I have a few rather obscure little fishing guides from the 19c and they are very useful for odd little bits of info but you have to learn to watch for the clues, as I said a ‘spider’ refered to, could be a dry fly.
Hi Donald,
A very nice looking group of flies. I particularly like the selection of hackle, lots of good web for action in the water. Very good photos too! Thanks for sharing. 8T 
Donald,
What hooks are they? I like them.
Nicely done batch of flies by the way. I happen to prefer the straight-eyed hooks for most fishing I do. Better hook gap (o.k…gape!) which I prefer.
I don’t know why so many hooks come with down-eyes anyway. Perhaps there’s some reason they’re still produced other than it would require re-tooling?
Jeremy…EDIT…nevermind Donald, I found it in another post. Thanks.
Whether the hook has an up or down eye, I “Snell Knot” my flies using tippet material. That way the tippet line runs from the snell knot on the hook shank through the eye (up or down), connecting the tippet to the tapered leader.
This way the line does a straight pull on the line, along the hook shank. No tipping (of the fly) with pull on the line, as will happen if knotted to the eye (moments of inertia).
The offset can be easily straightened by putting the hook in the vise and using your thumb to gently remove it…
The offset occurs at the top of the bend and positioning of the hook so the entire bend is supported in the jaws is needed to get them true…I use plain shank bait holder hooks often as they tend to better suit my budget and work equally as well as those deemed as “Fly Hooks”.
Just some thoughts… Never had one break during or while fishing after I’ve removed the offset…
A metalurgist can provide the answer…
If I remember correctly from physics class, it would be better to apply a slow steady pressure to straighten the hook rather than a quick bend back, this maintains the current temper (won’t straighten or snap when fished)?
Correct me if I’ve got it backwards
Donald,
Great flies man! Your pictures keep getting better and better. I love Soft Hackle flies in general and enjoy seeing them displayed so nicely. Thanks for the link.
Just a note: Your fly “holder” has seen better days. 
The images would, in my opinion, be even greater with a finer, cleaner holder. But heck-you may really like your old one it for sentimental reasons…
Regardless-great work there 8)
Rich
[quote=“billknepp”]The offset can be easily straightened by putting the hook in the vise and using your thumb to gently remove it…
quote]
I just noticed this…my mistake…A misread post. My apologies.
Jeremy.
Nice flies Donald. I have also for a while now used straight eye hooks for fishing spiders on the Warfe and Ure in Yorkshire.
You can buy course fishing hooks in very fine wire nowadays and they make really neat flies.
Some of my contemporaries on the rivers though tell me that my hooking power will deteriorate due to the angle of the flies in the water, although I cannot say I have noticed any. They are slightly offset and I haven’t done anything to straighten that and again it doesn’t appear to make much difference. I still hook fish. Not as many as I would like! I do miss bites but did anyway with traditional flies on normal flyhooks…
Donald, thank you for another installation of Fine Art. I might have to try some of the soft hackle patterns that you have put on your website. I suppose that I would need to pour a wee dram of Scotch and put on a Dougie Maclean CD first…
warm regards,
Ed
I have always wondered why hooks had TU or TD eyes. My investigation led me to believe that both directions of bending were done to accommodate snelling of the then prevalent gut leaders. The TD eye accommodated the argument about the pull being more in line with the hook point while the TU eye accommodated those guys that wanted more useable gape. With the advent of nylon tippets in the 1950’s the Turle knot was developed which also provided a straight line pull on the hook shank with either eye shape. I pursued this to some extent with the folks at Mustad and was encouraged by noting that we are seeing more and more new hooks with straight eyes and that the TD and TU eyes were mostly holding their popularity because of our inertia.
If anyone can add to my superficial investigation I’d like to hear from them.