"scud" hooks, fact or fancy?

Larry L schrieb:

I don't nymph much but it's time to replenish my nymph hook supply and tie
up a few each of the ties I do use each season.

I notice that more and more I see nymphs tied on curved shank hooks.

My question for those of you that enjoy nymphing enough to have developed
and tested an opinion .... do these curved ties actually fish better than
the same tie/ same size/ same day and place on a straight shank hook? Is
their increased use the product of function or simply fad?

They look cute, but I find these hooks a pain to tie on and even to store in
slit C&F type boxes .... should I bite the bullet and buy scud hooks or
stick with my straight old guy models?

Some flies, notably scuds, hydropsyche, and some other free living
caddis are best imitated with imitations tied on curved hooks, at least
to human eyes. Whether the fish take much notice is a moot point.

For most nymphs curved hooks dont seem to make any difference to their
catching capabilities, and they also have some disadvantages.

In most cases, where a curve is deemed necessary, it is usually
possible to achieve it by using the appropriate dressing.

As a general rule, ordinary good quality hooks are more than sufficient
for practically all applications.

TL
MC

wrote in
ups.com:


Larry L schrieb:

I don't nymph much but it's time to replenish my nymph hook supply
and tie up a few each of the ties I do use each season.

I notice that more and more I see nymphs tied on curved shank hooks.

My question for those of you that enjoy nymphing enough to have
developed and tested an opinion .... do these curved ties actually
fish better than the same tie/ same size/ same day and place on a
straight shank hook? Is their increased use the product of function
or simply fad?

They look cute, but I find these hooks a pain to tie on and even to
store in slit C&F type boxes .... should I bite the bullet and buy
scud hooks or stick with my straight old guy models?

Some flies, notably scuds, hydropsyche, and some other free living
caddis are best imitated with imitations tied on curved hooks, at
least to human eyes. Whether the fish take much notice is a moot
point.

For most nymphs curved hooks dont seem to make any difference to their
catching capabilities, and they also have some disadvantages.

In most cases, where a curve is deemed necessary, it is usually
possible to achieve it by using the appropriate dressing.

As a general rule, ordinary good quality hooks are more than
sufficient for practically all applications.

TL
MC



I tie a scud on a straight hook, and use a moon-shaped slice of lead
Twist-On to curve things. I like this because it gets the fly down very
fast, and its a local pattern with an interesting history.

That said, I also tie a scud on a curved hook, and some caddis on curved
hooks, and they tie much, much faster. If speed is important to you, and
you plan to tie curved patterns, go with the curved hooks. You'll use
them all anyway, and you'll save some money on materials, so it isn't a
financial decision. You'll save a ton of time.

If you want to use straight imitations, you don't need curved hooks, but
thats' a different story.

Do curved hooks catch more fish when an appropriate pattern is tied on
them?? Don't know.

--
Scott
Reverse name to reply

In article . com,
writes
Some flies, notably scuds, hydropsyche, and some other free living
caddis are best imitated with imitations tied on curved hooks, at least
to human eyes. Whether the fish take much notice is a moot point.

My favourite hook for buzzers are size 12 "Sedge" hooks. These have a
lovely curve and do look the part. I believe they fish better as well.
--
Bill Grey
http://www.billboy.co.uk

W. D. Grey schrieb:

My favourite hook for buzzers are size 12 "Sedge" hooks. These have a
lovely curve and do look the part. I believe they fish better as well.
--
Bill Grey
http://www.billboy.co.uk

Hi Bill,

Nowadays there is a bewildering array of hooks available for a whole
host of things. Even quite a few which are designed specifically for
tying a single fly. ( i.e- Klinkhammer).

This is overkill. There is no way any normal person is going to obtain
even a fraction of the types available.

I decided long ago to stick to a very basic selection of hooks, and I
have never noticed any disadvantages as a result.

There may be a few cases where the curved hook is of advantage, but not
so many, and even then one can usually get away with a simple
"straight" alternative.

The major problem with many of these things, is that they are designed
to impress human eyes. Nobody knows what the fish sees. If fish were
indeed capable of such fine discernment then we would never catch any!

Regarding the curved buzzer hooks, buzzers at rest hang in a hook like
position anyway. This is easily imitated by "tying round the bend", on
a normal round bend hook.The wild gyrations they engage in as
bloodworms, or as hatching pupae, are impossible to imitate in any
case.

When attempting to tie many modern patterns from the internet, and in
newer books etc, it can be a major difficulty obtaining the hooks which
are often recommended. It also makes things uneccessarily difficult for
beginners, who doubtless imagine that such things are essential for
success. The vast number of "conversion tables" for various hooks etc,
is also a load of useless claptrap.

Using a basic selection of good quality standard hooks, one may achieve
practically anything one wishes. ( Applies to the flies as well!).

TL
MC

My local PBS station runs a fly tying show produced at Washington State
University (go WAZZU). As they were tying a scud recently, one of the
pair of tyers asked the other why he didn't use a curved hook. He
answered that, although scuds curled up in your hand and in a sampling
net, when they swam free, they were straightened out.
Therefore, he added, it appealed only to the fisherman to use curved
hooks, not to the fish.
It has been so long since I fished a "scud area" that I don't remember.
These guys seemed to know what they were talking about.
YMMV

cheers

oz, checking out Current River gold medal water next week.

"MajorOz" wrote

YMMV

richard?

awh