I have a hard time picturing a fly for a given hook size until I see it in person.
Especially larger flies such as hoppers, muddler minnows, and streamers I usually guess the hook size or go for the middle but I'm always surprised when a fly is smaller or larger than I expected; often to extremes.
Does anyone have any tips or a rubric that will help me see these more clearly in my head?
For example, hopper size 6, 8, 10, 12, my brain says the 6 will be huge; the 12 small but these are so vague I really have no idea what my preferred size for any given fly is until I see them.
For dries it's a lot easier I know a #18 is small and anything smaller is approaching bifocal territory to thread the eye with tippet, and I know a #12 and #14 are decent to large size dries.
Where it really gets hard is big 'ol streamers that have 1/0 hooks I give up when I see the slash for I think the number-to-hook-size logic gets turned on its head and I'm even more confused
Would appreciate any help if this is better suited to novice/beginner mods can feel free to move
I would love a cheat sheet if anything exists — not a hook chart for that's not super simple but maybe real flies with something to scale for reference — I don't know that I've ever seen one
Especially larger flies such as hoppers, muddler minnows, and streamers I usually guess the hook size or go for the middle but I'm always surprised when a fly is smaller or larger than I expected; often to extremes.
Does anyone have any tips or a rubric that will help me see these more clearly in my head?
For example, hopper size 6, 8, 10, 12, my brain says the 6 will be huge; the 12 small but these are so vague I really have no idea what my preferred size for any given fly is until I see them.
For dries it's a lot easier I know a #18 is small and anything smaller is approaching bifocal territory to thread the eye with tippet, and I know a #12 and #14 are decent to large size dries.
Where it really gets hard is big 'ol streamers that have 1/0 hooks I give up when I see the slash for I think the number-to-hook-size logic gets turned on its head and I'm even more confused
Would appreciate any help if this is better suited to novice/beginner mods can feel free to move
I would love a cheat sheet if anything exists — not a hook chart for that's not super simple but maybe real flies with something to scale for reference — I don't know that I've ever seen one