Hooks are honestly one of the most important components of your fly fishing experience. Across social media and YouTube content, there is very little written about hook selection, and when there is, it is usually a truncated blurb that prefaces a particular pattern that steals the show. Hooks simply do not get the airtime they deserve!
You gain confidence in your hooks year after year, and they tend to be overlooked when considering your seasonal successes. You gain insight and mastery in tying flies on hooks that catch you fish over decades. You become so familiar with the hooks in your fly box that when you pull out a pattern, you don't even have to look at the hook; you already know what it's tied to, and I find comfort in knowing I don't second-guess my patterns. That is a priceless familiarity that runs deep with the well-seasoned angler. As a boy growing up in the Hawaiian Islands, I was no different; I had the go-to hooks that I could trust fighting a bonefish, Mahi, Papio, Yellowfin tuna, Marlin, or Ulua. I would never deviate, or else I would suffer the consequences, especially with these exceptionally powerful fish.
When I dedicated myself to fly-fishing for trout, I was still relatively young and gradually transitioned from saltwater to salmon fishing in Alaskan waters with my father. The first trout I ever caught was a massive Jurassic Rainbow near the Copper River watershed in Alaska. It was the beginning of my trout fixation. A half-century later, my saltwater hooks from my childhood days still influence me in my choices of hooks in my current freshwater fly boxes. In this entry, I thought I would share 3 of my most trusted “spring creek hooks” that make up the majority of my trout fishing fly boxes.
Above photo: #1 The TMC 531 #20
#1 Tiemco 531~ This is a short-shank, wide-gape hook with very fine 2x wire, a slight down-eye, and a black finish. This is my all-around dry fly hook for caddis and mayfly patterns as well as terrestrials.
The TMC 531 hook point is extended and bears a slight micro-barb, which makes it easier to remove from the trout's mouth. These hooks are among the sharpest I have seen. The proportions of this hook allow for very positive hookups at very small sizes, which is why they are my most valuable hooks. Primarily designed for thorax-style flies and parachute patterns, it is a hook that can fill many shoes. I tie a multitude of patterns on these hooks: caddis adults, mayfly duns, midges, and terrestrials in larger sizes. It is a favorite hook of mine for micropatterns bar none. The TMC 531 is my go-to all-around hook. It really is the backbone of my fishing experience. This hook provides the most reliable positive hook-ups of any hook I've used in 40-plus years. I have caught browns up to 28" on these hooks, and as fine as they are, they can handle very large fish.
Unfortunately, the TMC 531 is extremely hard to obtain now, and my hooks are now supplied by a few vendors in the UK, Poland, and the Netherlands. A great substitute for the TMC 531 is the Partridge Ideal Standard Dry Fly Hook. This Partridge hook is a short shank, wide gape, slight down-eye, blackened steel hook with a Captain Hamilton Bend. Which, in layman's terms, is a wide gape with a continuous moderate-depth curvature. It was introduced in 1903 and was designed to distribute even pressure, ensuring very positive hook-sets. The wire is slightly heavier than the 531, and the down-eye is not as slight, but the point is also extended slightly, much like the 531. This is a fantastic hook nonetheless; I would, hands down, swap it with the 531 on any given day.
Above photo: #2 The TMC 212Y #17
#2 Tiemco 212Y~ Unlike the TMC 212TR, which is a heavier wire bronze-finished hook, the TMC 212Y is a gossamer, high-floating, all-purpose emerger hook that is a proven winner against the most weary brown trout.
The TMC 212Y was originally designed for the Japanese Yamame, or Cherry Trout, in the Hokkaido and Honshu regions of Japan. The “Y” in the name 212Y stands for “Yamame,” the Japanese trout. Created as a very stealthy hook for weary Japanese quarry, these hooks boast a 4x-short shank, a massive 5x-wide gape, and a slight down eye configuration. Like the TMC 531, the eyes on these hooks are quite small. Many hook enthusiasts would say that this hook is similar to a Klinkhammer-style hook, but there are subtleties that make the two quite different, primarily the more drastic slope in the bend of the 212Y. I would go out on a limb and say most of my emerger patterns are tied on this hook. The Hanak H 390 BL takes a back seat to the 212Y in my boxes, but is a great substitute if you can't track these hooks down in your country.
Above photo: #3 The Hanak 300 BL
#3 Hanak 300 BL ~ This is a wonderful hook that is designed for Czech nymphs, scuds, emergers, and most any pattern that your imagination can conjure up. My top favorite hook of the three!
The Hanak 300 BL is a blank canvas I often use to test new patterns, especially larger ones in the #12-#16 size range. The standout feature of this hook is its extended, VERY sharp hook point. The Hanak 300 BL boasts an extended, tapered hook point resembling a medieval lance tip. Many competition anglers report that once a trout is hooked, the point and hook geometry prevents even the most athletic fish from throwing the hook. I would have to agree with this, since I have been using this hook for many years. I have caught many large fish on the 300 BL and have never bent or straightened one at all.
Above photo: The Hanak 300 BL
The price point for Hanak hooks is a bit higher than most, but you're really getting a lot for your money in quality and design. I really like that this hook is medium-gauge wire, not heavy. The reason is that I like to fish this hook on the surface without altering the dressings for a heavier wire. I have yet to even bend one of these hooks, let alone straighten one. Some of my favorite patterns to tie on this hook are caddis emergers. My only gripe with this hook is that it does not run any smaller than a size 16. I'm still holding my breath for the debut of a #18. Like most of the Hanak hooks, the 300 BL is blackened steel, and I prefer blackened wire over bronze or chrome finish on hooks. This hook is a piece of art, plain and simple, and the designers clearly hit a home run.
Above photo: Hanak 300 BL
So there you have it, my top three fly hooks that pretty much cover the gamut of the majority of trout flies I use to tie with. Tiemco, Hanak, Togata, and Partridge are hook manufacturers that are my standout picks, primarily for their high quality and, most importantly, their designs. Other reasons why I prefer these manufacturers include the hook size options. If hook sizes only go down to a #16, it's extremely limiting for me personally. Oversized hook eyes are a huge pet peeve for me, which is why I do not bother with many newer hook companies. Proportions are important, as well as the hook point tapers. I cannot stress enough how important the taper is on a hook point. The hook point taper is really the secret sauce for very positive, solid hookups. Take a look at the venerable Hanak 300 BL (as seen in the photo above) and its tapered, extended point; it is simply a work of art. There is so much care taken in the design, fishability, and overall quality of all the hooks mentioned above. I am truly grateful to be able to tie flies on them day after day, year after year!
Thanks for letting me share!
Clint Bova
