Wet vs Dry Fly Hooks

[fishing n autograph]

Hey Guys,

 

Quick question that just crossed my mind...

 

I'm just wondering, can you actually use dry fly hooks for nymphs or is that taboo? lol

 

Thanks for your help,

 

Dave

[Moosebunk]

Nymphs sink slow enough as is. You could use thinner and lighter dry fly hooks but they will not be as good as a nymph hook. Weight them with lead wire and you'll be alright.

[Ramble]

Im with bunker on this one. usually they need a little more weight. The wire the nymph hooks are made out of is heavier. If you are gonna use a bead head or wrap a little wire on it there it wont matter.

[HTHM]

I'm a little slow....don't hooks HAVE to wet in order to catch a fish??

[Dabluz]

I'm a little slow....don't hooks HAVE to wet in order to catch a fish??

 

Actually "no". A well constructed classic style dry fly....the hook does not touch the water. The hackles at the tail and at the front rest on the water surface because there is a barrier called "surface tension" on the water. The length of the tail and the length of the front hackles must be just right so that the hook is barely above water. In fact, if part of the hook does pierce the surface tension, it actually acts similar to a straw and draws water toward the body of the dry fly therefore making the dry fly become a wet fly.

 

From what I see for sale in most fly shops, the hook is usually too large on the classic style dry flies.

 

Using a very fine dry fly hook will also make the dry fly lighter and the hackles will better support the hook off the water.

 

Good dry fly hooks are expensive. I'm lucky, I've got a batch of some great Partridge ultra light hooks from Redditch England.

[HTHM]

Actually "no". A well constructed classic style dry fly....the hook does not touch the water. The hackles at the tail and at the front rest on the water surface because there is a barrier called "surface tension" on the water. The length of the tail and the length of the front hackles must be just right so that the hook is barely above water. In fact, if part of the hook does pierce the surface tension, it actually acts similar to a straw and draws water toward the body of the dry fly therefore making the dry fly become a wet fly.

 

From what I see for sale in most fly shops, the hook is usually too large on the classic style dry flies.

 

Using a very fine dry fly hook will also make the dry fly lighter and the hackles will better support the hook off the water.

 

Good dry fly hooks are expensive. I'm lucky, I've got a batch of some great Partridge ultra light hooks from Redditch England.

Thanks for explaining that to me. I know nothing of fly fishing....it is always nice to learn something new

[fish_finder]

Dry fly hooks are typically made of very fine gauge wire. Wet fly or nymph hooks are much stronger >> heavier which helps them sink. The lighter gauge of dry fly hooks may become annoying when fished deep around rocks and other structure as they'll be liable to bend much easier as they bump around various items below the surface. In a pinch, use em, but as far as longevity of the fly....get yourself some wet fly hooks!!

[Dabluz]

Dry fly hooks are typically made of very fine gauge wire. Wet fly or nymph hooks are much stronger >> heavier which helps them sink. The lighter gauge of dry fly hooks may become annoying when fished deep around rocks and other structure as they'll be liable to bend much easier as they bump around various items below the surface. In a pinch, use em, but as far as longevity of the fly....get yourself some wet fly hooks!!

 

This is why high quality dry fly hooks are so expensive. I almost always use high quality dry fly hooks, even for nymphes on a sinking tip fly line. If the sink tip line slides along the bottom, the nymphe still rides a bit above bottom and rarely catches on anything. The fine hard wire and tiny barbs make hooking the fish much easier. Yes, care must be taken when removing the hook from the fish's mouth because the hooks can snap. They won't bend much because they are too hard but they can snap when twisted. High quality dry fly hooks have a much smaller eye and the eye is always nicely formed and not at such a right angle as the cheaper wet fly hooks.