"scud" hooks, fact or fancy?

Hi Dave. Here's what you should do: Deliver the flies in person, and
we'll try them out. We don't need to wait until 2007. Don't forget
that the San Juan is barely over the border and on many days, most of
the license plates are green! Thanks very much for tying those flies.
bh

I agree that the TMC 2488 with the straight eye is a great hook for very
small flies, particularly midge pupae, etc.,as well as for actual scuds.
I like the TMC 2457 for serendipities, though, and the lighter 2487
for parachute-style emergers, because I find it easier to thread the
tippet through the eye if the eye is curved down and away from the spun
hair head or the horizontally wound hackle.

JR

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