The Caddis Fly: Oregon Fly Fishing Blog

Several wet flies tied for sea run cutthroat and summer steelhead on
AFW 581 Barbless Wet Fly hooks.

This is another Ahrex fly tying hook that I have been working with for several months tying and fishing wet flies.

Available in sizes that span the range from 4 to 10, I appreciate the wire, the barbless feature, the very slightly downturned eye, the finish, the curve the hook, and the overall proportion that enhances the finished flies I tie on this hook.

Very nice indeed.

Jay Nicholas – 2018

Nicholas Shrimp Flies tied on Ahrex NS150 Nordic Salt Curved Shrimp Hooks.

I have been tying and fishing one of my shrimp patterns on the NS150 Nordic Salt Curved Shrimp Hook for several months and am quite impressed with the hook’s overall performance as well as the esthetics of the hook and the fly I can tie on it.

The wire is the proper diameter, the point super sharp, the barb low and easily smushable, and the finish is salt water resistant. Sizes 4 to 10 cover all the bases I’m focused on.

Great Hook!

Jay Nicholas – 2018

Summer Steelhead fly tied on NS115 by Jay Nicholas.

I have been tying and fishing a hook that is new to me but well established in Northern Europe for some time.  While there are many styles of Ahrex fly tying hooks that we can provide — from tiny dry fly and scud patterns to tube fly hooks, wet fly, nymph and streamer hooks in the mix.

Overall, I am very enthused with the hook styles, finish, point sharpness, small barbs, barbless styles, and so forth that the Ahrex fly tying hook portfolio brings to the fly bench.

My basic approach to Ahrex – like any other fly tying hook – is to focus my tying on specific hooks to explore with flies that I enjoy tying and evaluate how the product shapes up. This post is on the Ahrex NS115 Nordic Salt Deep Streamer Hook — one of the first Ahrex hooks I have been tying on.

Regarding the NS115, I give it very high marks, and this in some respects is related to my sadness over the absence of the TMC 700 hook from the production line. The TMC 700 is a down eye, limerick bend hook with a slightly long shank and a very sharp point.

The NS115 has an eye that is so very slightly downturned, is black nickel finish, and is properly hefty to ensure that my wet flies swim true.

I’ll close by saying that I have a very high opinion of Ahrex fly tying hooks and consider many of the models I have tested to be on par generally with Gamakatsu, TMC, and Daiichi  hooks.

Jay Nicholas – 2018

Top row: Gamakatsu SL12S 1X Short Big Game .
Bottom row: SL12S. Sizes from left start with #1/0 and extend to# 6

Fact is, I couldn’t imagine an improvement on the trusted Gammie SL12S Wide Gap hook. This hook, in sizes # 2, 1/0, and 2/0 has ben my number one choice for salmon clouser hooks for over a decade or so. The bend is perfect, the barb is perfect, the point is sharp, the wire is just right, and the eye is right sized too.

So what fly tying hook  could be better than my old standby?

The same hook in a slightly shorter, slightly heavier wire, with the addition of a few sizes!

Yes, we now have access to the Gamakatsu SL12S 1X Short Big Game Wide Gap Hook in NS Black finish.

This hook is
* slightly shorter
* slightly heavier wire
* nickle silver black
* same eye
* same bend
* same small barb
* same proven hook and hold ability

AND — this hook series adds sizes 4 and 6 to the list of available sizes.

I’m pleased to see this hook available in stouter wire, and smaller sizes, especially for saltwater fly applications. This new heavy version of an already great hook will be especially effective on baitfish patterns that must swim true when retrieved at moderate to fast speeds. The heavier weight will keel the fly better than the lighter wire version of this hook style.

These are available on our drop down menu at the Caddis Fly Shop. 

And yes, these hooks swim flies true and perform well in the water.

JN – summer 2018

TMC 7999 top center. Daiichi 1530 lower left. Ahrex NS115 lower right. All of these hooks are size 4.

Yup. Contrary to what a person might think, different hook styles and manufacturers exhibit characteristics that are quite different, and these differences have a HUGE influence on the appearance of a finished fly tied on each specific hook.

The flies above, all superior summer steelhead enticers, are tied on different hooks. I prefer one over the other two (but only by s small margin that is based on appearance rather than performance. Which hook I prefer is irrelevant, what counts most is deciding which hook you might prefer. All of these will perform nicely—and please excuse the matter of my forgetting to pinch the barb.

Saying that a fly is tied on a #4 ho0k is not very helpful without knowing what hook model is preferred. Take a look at the row of #4 hooks pictured below and imagine how different a Silver Hilton or Comet would look and possibly (perform) if tied on each of the hook styles below.

Features that can vary considerably between hook models include at least the following—and it is best to become familiar with these hook properties and how your finished fly will function when it is tied on the end of your tippet:
hook shank length
barb height
length of the point forward of barb
wire diameter
shape of the point
shape of the wire (round vs forged)
shape of the eye (up, straight, or down eye and blind — versus tapered return)
shape of the bend

These are all size 4 fly hooks. Well imagine that!

The size 4 hooks pictured above are as listed below (left to right):

Daiichi 530
TMC 777 SP
Gamakatsu SL 12S 1X Short Big Game
Gamakatsu B 10-S
Gamakatsu SC 15
Ahrex NS 110 Nordic Salt Streamer
Ahrex NS 115 Nordic Salt Deep Streamer
Gamakatsu SL 11-3H
Gamakatsu 11S-3H
TMC 7999

I will follow with future blog posts that feature some of the hooks I have discovered recently and the flies tied on same.

My best to you all:

Jay Nicholas – mid-2018

This is the result of the Nicholas Hook Torture Test administered on a variety of Gamakatsu, Daiichi, TMC, and Ahrex fly tying hooks.

The picture tells the story I think.

No, this is not science, this is a pile of hooks that is the aftermath of sitting down at my fly bench, placing a series of my hook boxes on the desk, grabbing my needle nose pliers, and proceeding to torture the hooks. What I mean is that I held the shank between my left thumb and forefinger, and grasped the point in the jaws of the pliers. I then proceeded to bend the hook open – with the intent of testing whether or not the wire would break or bend. I tested a fair variety of the hook styles that I routinely tie with  – manufactured by Gamakatsu, TMC, Daiichi, and Ahrex.

Here is what I found.

1. There was no difference in the break rate between all hook brands I tested.
2. All hook brands had a few individual hooks that broke.
3. Some hook models had no breakage.
4. No hook manufacturer or hook model had more than an occasional hook break.

My intent of conducting this test was very simple, to determine if any particular brand or brands of hooks were more likely to fail by breaking when placed under stress while fishing. I am not implying that my plier torture test has much to do with the actual stress associated with fishing. Still, I was curious about what my spur of the moment test might reveal.

This was particularly related to the fact that I began tying with Ahrex hooks this year, after many years of experience with Gamakatsu, TMC, and Daiichi hooks.

To my satisfaction, the Ahrex hooks performed on par with all of my usual hook manufacturers.

While this test is far from highly thought-out, I found it comforting and I offer my opinions for your consideration.

Jay Nicholas – 2018