"Something to think about: If you fish the wrong fly long and hard enough, it will sooner or later become the right fly". John Gierach
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Now, you are probably asking yourself " what is a reduced fly?" Simply put, it's a small fly tied on a larger hook. The Salmon gang have been doing this for years when faced with low flows in rivers. The salmon would strike at the "fly" portion and would ignore the large bare hook portion. (trout do the same thing by ignoring the large curved piece of steel sticking out of the butt of the fly!)
I've been tying size 28 and 30 flies on size 24 hooks using this method. In the above photo you will see that the rear portion of the hook is bare and all of the material is up at the thorax. All of that material mimics a size 30 fly. Here's the important point: the trout are not bothered by the bare hook and that larger hook increases hooking success.
It's March and even though snow is in the forecast we are heading towards Spring and it feels great.
Ken
9 comments:
Ken,
Everyone seems to forget that the curved portion of the hook, with that sharp point, is fully exposed for the trout to see but it doesn't seem to make a difference. They still try to eat the whole thing.
Al P.
Dear Ken,
"R.I.P. Size 32" ... and for good reason! With the exception of streamers, in my 54 years of fly tying I've limited my trout fly production to sizes 8 to 24, a range which satisfies virtually all practical fly fishing scenarios. Even on the Swift's most pressured sections I'm at no disadvantage when fishing flies size 24 and larger; indeed, a slightly larger fly may attract a trout's attention amidst a flotilla of smaller naturals.
Particularly when using the reduced fly technique, patterns tied on #24 straight-eye hooks (Orvis 4641, Tiemco 101, etc.) offer the same visual profile, better hook strength, and wider gape compared to those tied on 'nanoscale' hooks.
Just my $0.02 ...
-Mike
It's been years since I've had a reliable source of 32s. TMC stopped selling the 518 in the US quite awhile ago. The TMC2488 in the smallest sizes (28 & 30) haven't been around for even longer, which is a bigger loss in my opinion, since that hook was/is well designed. The euronymphing trend seemed to mark the end of the small hook production... too much money to be made selling jig hooks (silly since every nymph rides hook up anyways) and competition hooks with long, ghastly points on them to supposedly compensate for the lack of a barb.
The 518 is dreadful at hooking fish since the shank is too short relative to the gape (the eye is barely in front of the point), but sometimes they are the only answer. I carry a few to tie on in cases of real desperation (I find that late summer mornings at the Y pool can be maddening). The "reduced" flies work a lot of the time (I often try to tie reduced on the 32s), but the extra weight of the larger hook without the balance of other materials can lead to a fly that doesn't drift well in subtle currents. The excessive weight of the fly relative to the natural insect is a problem that fly tyers and fishers must work to overcome in order to achieve a natural presentation, and a reduced fly further complicates things in that regard.
I'll be honest...back when I was in school it was a trick I used often, money was tight - gas money to go fishing or fly tying hooks? It seems to make less and less difference the smaller you go.
Brendan,
I find that the extra weight of the hook, at the rear of the fly, mimics the emerger stage of the insect. Let's face it, when we see "a rise" it's most likely an emerger and not a dun.
Ken
Hi Ken I do on occasion tie under sized 24s as you describe. I only use them on the Swift and only then if I can’t get fish to take larger offerings. As you know you can have good days on the Swift fishing larger stuff than a #32 on 9X. I really enjoy tying trout classics, 12s down to 20s so that’s what I generally fish. Some days they work better than others, for me it’s all part of the fun. Stay well sir-
Dean F,
My Swift River dries have now become S.R. emergers, namely flies that are stuck in the surface film and have the back end BELOW the surface being kept afloat by short wing stubs of post wing material. They work great and outlast CDC all the time. Most rises that I see on the Swift appear to be for flies trying to break through the surface tension so that's why I use them.
Ken
I often tie two small flies on one larger hook. I have been doing it for years with Trico spinners but it works with small midges too
Saw this short video on one shop that measures actual lengths of hooks they sell: https://m.youtube.com/watch?mc_cid=a4ae731b0f&mc_eid=31df794ab2&v=fjMjklC5vEY&feature=youtu.be
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