Small hooks with big eyes?

[JoJer]

I've read here in the past that there are size 20 and smaller hooks with larger eyes available. Can anyone tell me where?
My local guru tells me it's midge season now til spring here in town. I've never tied anything smaller than 18's before, but surprised myself with how fast I found my groove started cranking these out pretty fast. I tied a bunch of size 20's and went ahead and tied each to about 2' of 6X tippet anticipating difficulty stringing these up streamside. What's a good way to pack these so the tippet doesn't tangle and kink?
LATER... Went back to the vise today to crank out a few more of these and, groove gone. Very frustrating. Time to stop for a while and do something else.

 

[tcorfey]

Orvis sells big eye hooks.

Fly Tying Supply / Big Eye Hook in Straight-Eye Style -- Orvis

and

Fly-Tying Hooks / Big Eye Hook in Down-Eye Style -- Orvis

For storing flys on leaders

http://http://www.orvis.com/p/dropper-rig-fly-box/76kh

Not that Orvis is the only one selling these but it was easy to look it up.

I use the Orvis Big Eye hooks for smaller flys.
I have never used the dropper fly rig box. Tried making my own once but I found it easier for me just to tie the length I want at the stream.


Regards,

Tim C.

 

[ottosmagic13]

For keeping pre-tied midges neat for travel look into buying or making a snelled hook holder. Even something as simple as a leader wallet will allow you to coil and separate enough pre-tied flies to get you through the day.

I also just tie up on the stream. Manly because I use the tippet length to match the stream conditions for the day. If you worry about tying on stream look into one of the magnetic hook threaders. The Davy knot is also real easy to tie, even when cold and dealing with midges.

 

[bigjim5589]

Those Orvis Big Eye hooks are not something I've used but once or know much about the origins. I have seen them listed in their catalogs & tied some dry flies for another angler one time with them, which is the extent of my experience with them.

There are still some older hook styles around, primarily Mustad, that were made with a larger eye, but not aware of any in such small sizes. I have some older limerick style that have larger eyes. I suspect they may have been popular for trot line fishing, and the large eye allowed a larger diameter line to be attached. I had some purchased bass flies years ago that were tied on similar limericks with large eyes.

I don't pre- tie leader or tippet much to flies, but have tied my own leaders or assembled "flounder rigs" and used a cd case for storing & carrying them. I bought a cheap one that holds about 15 cd's and has plastic sleeves in it which worked as well as anything I've tried.

 

[silver creek]

JoJer,

Tim is spot-on with his Orvis recommendations. I've used a variety of their "Big Eye" hooks for years now, and they're good hooks. If memory serves, I believe that the Orvis BE hooks are made for them by Daiichi, a company that has long made great hooks. Silver Creek or BigJim might be able to shed more light on the origins of the Orvis Big Eye series.

Jerry, aka hairwing530

Jerry,

You are correct. See: Fly Tying Supply / FREE SHIPPING / Daiichi 1110 Big Eye Hook in Straight-Eye Style -- Casters Fly Shop

"Daiichi 1110 Big Eye Hook in Straight-Eye Style- This hook was designed by Jim Lepage and the Orvis Co. and patented as the "Big Eye" hook, in 1990. The Orvis 4641 or Daiichi 1110 features an oversized eye to facilitate easy threading of tippet material, and has the dimensions of a modern dry fly hook, including a slightly wider gape than a Mustad 94840 standard dry fly hook. "

One caution on these small flies and especially "big eye" hooks is that fish include the hook eye as being part of the insect. So although we as trout fishers consider a size 18 hook to imitate an insect with the body length of a size 18 hook, the fish interprets the size 18 as a larger size 16 insect. So with small patterns, go one size smaller since the hook eye makes the pattern one size larger. For a size 12 fly the length of the hook eye makes no difference but for a size 18 it does.

Gary Borger >> Blog Archive >> All Hooks are Not Created Equal

"Many anglers had noted over the years that if the fish doesn’t take the fly that seems to be the right size, then try one a size smaller. However, what I had not understood, and what everyone else had not understood it seems, is that the eye is a very important component of the overall imitation, especially in smaller sizes. Because of the hook eye, a fly dressed on a size 18 looks the same size as a natural that measures a size 16. So, I no longer measure the hook in the traditional manner, from back of the eye to bend. I now measure them from the front of the eye to the bend.

 

[sparsegraystubble]

I have used the Orvis Big Eye hooks for years in 20s and smaller. They are fine for dries, but I prefer curved hooks for small nymphs. For keeping pre-typed rigs, I have never used them but have seen round holders meant to be used for that and kept on a tippet stack. They are made by Loon.

One other thing about threading. I just recently bought a set of flip up magnifiers that are available in various diopters. When flipped down they only cover the bifocal area of my glasses. I got a +4 diopter that is so strong that the eye of a hook looks like a tire. The ones the fly shops sell are mostly designed to attach to the bill of a cap, but they require you to look through the tops of your glasses. That is hard for a long-time bifocals wearer, or at east it was for me. These little magnifiers cost around $20 with shipping and work great. I have a pair of regular distance only glasses and these magnifiers can be used with those as well to make them sort of a super bifocal.

Don

 

[planettrout]

The "Big Eye" hooks also come in handy when yer' hands are freezing too. I tie a lot of Midges and when it snowed real early, in September, on the Madison River in Montana, I used this pattern down to #22, on the Daiichi 1110 hook:

Taken above $3.00 Bridge...

If you are looking for a very small curved hook for Midge patterns, with a "Big Eye, #26 - #30, try these:

Gamakatsu Fishing Hooks > Fly Fishing > C12-BM Barbless Midge, Large Eye

Try this dropper rig fly box from Orvis if you don't want to completely rig up on the water:

Fly Fishing Fly Boxes / Dropper Rig Fly Box -- Orvis


PT/TB

 

[JoJer]

I used to use a chunk of Styrofoam to hold my snelled hooks for my spin rod. When I stopped using snelled hooks I cut the snells off then started buying loose hooks. I'll figure out something along those lines that will fit in a box. Thanks for all the assistance.