Nymph Sizes

[Renegade]

After having a discussion with Jason B. about zebra midges, I'm curious to know what style and size of hook all you tiers use for your midge and baetis nymphs. I know Jason likes the tmc 200r in 18 and 20. How about the rest of you? Thanks!

[fanatic]

I like to tie mine on #20 or smaller Daiichi 1130s or Mustad 80100BR because they're cheaper and work just fine. I caught some nice rainbows on the lower last Sat. on a #20 with a silver beadhead, black thread body, silver wire rib and peacock herl collar. Water was really low and murky and its so mossy that it was hard to get a good drift. I found a nice riffle that was fairly moss free.

[cheech]

I love this hook....., but once you get too small, you lose some of the very important gap that will help you hook up. I use them down to about a 16, but any smaller than that, I just go with a regular nymph hook. If I need the bend in a hook that is 18 or smaller, I will use a scud hook. And by the way, if you want a very effective baetis nymph, check out Jason's BWO nymph. I like it so much that I tie it in brown and black too. They are deadly ANYWHERE.....Except at Jordanelle for Smallies, but you know what I mean.

Cheech

[Trout4x]

We use the same size hook.

[Jason]

A size 22 200R is the perfect size for midge pupas and BWO nymphs this time of year. And yes, I do sometimes use the 200R for my BWO nymph. It's killer this time of year. I use 4 different colors for my nymph; black, brown, dark olive, and light olive, all with gold wire ribbing.

I'm currently dabbling with a new BWO/mayfly nymph that could be just as deadly. I just haven't had enough time to really test it. Stay tuned.

[carpman]

I like to use TMC 2457 or 2487 #16-22. I prefer a larger gap then the 200R provides. I also like the heavier wire on the 2457, it makes the flies more durable so I prefer it in the sizes its available..................

[flyty]

cheech,

I was curious about your reasoning for using a standard nymph hook in the smaller sizes because it's the same reasoning that I believe makes the 200R a better choice. So, I decided to take a closer look at two hooks: the TMC 3761 and the TMC 200R.

I put a 3761, size 16 and a 200R, size 18--which are the same size--on top of a slip of paper with some printing on it. Comparing the hooks against the typeface, it looks to me like the 200R has about 20% more of a hook gap to start with, and the 3761 also has a down eye, which looks like it blocks at least 25% of its hook gap. Based on that, it seems to me, the 200R is going to give you more of a chance to hook up.

What's your take on that? Is the 3761 different than a standard nymph hook?

[cheech]

Your reasoning works somewhat with Tiemco hooks. I tie on ABI hooks which tend to have a little bit wider gap. I have had plenty of success with both Tiemco and ABI, but I much prefer the method that I just stated. Also, I have fished scud hooks both with a straight eye, and a down eye, and I have seen no difference between them whatsoever. I mean, you have to think of how small the eyes of these hooks are. They are almost non-existant. Another think that I love about ABI regular nymph hooks is that you can get them in 2x heavy. They are much stronger, and sink better. To my knowledge, you can't get 200R's in a heavier wire. Don't get me wrong, I love to tie on 200R's, but sometimes I have good reasons to tie on something else.

Cheech