Check out the picture on the right for a visual aid. If I were to tie a size 1/0 to a smaller trailer hook, I will use a longer joint to accommodate the depth of the bend – the distance between the point the hook shank ends to the point in which the hook bend ends. Understanding hook placement and shank placement within a pattern is critical, and sometimes misunderstood.Ī two-hooked fly is probably the most common combination for modern trout streamers. When a lot of tiers venture into this platform, they make the mistake of putting the front hook and back hook too close together, whether this is due to the type of hook or because they don’t use a long enough joint between the two.įor example, one of the more popular hooks, the Gamakatsu B10s, is a wide gap stinger hook. It also can give the angler a second tail hook that assists with hook-ups on short strikes. This platform of fly tying allows the tier to create a larger profile with materials that otherwise wouldn’t allow, and also provides one or more joints to give a pattern more movement. The popularity of articulated flies has really taken off in the last decade, and for good reason.

Hook and eye blue ridge