Smallest size hook you will use to tie?

[bdhoover77]

I’m curious what is the smallest size hook folks will use for trout flies? I recently was watching some videos from Pat Dorsey about winter fishing in Colorado. He seems to use size 22 and 24 (and smaller) for winter midge fishing. Personally I have never gone smaller than a size 22 midge, and for BWOs I suppose it’s about a size 20. What say you?

 

[6xAdams(Jones)]

Personally, if I can't get a rise to anything as small as 20 or 18, I'll tie on a generic Adams, beetle, or ant. A long time ago on the Loyalhanna (and maybe more recently), the stockers that survived the first couple weeks of the season would key in on something tiny and white - it looked like so much dandelion fluff floating around. If I tried anything that small, it meant I switched to 7 or 8 tippets - with which I invariably struck too hard and snapped off. So smallest is 20 for me, which is probably as small a fly as I can see at this point in my life.

 

[caddisflyer]

I tied tricos at 22

 

[whheff]

The smallest I tie on is size 24. I still have a few K1A hooks in size 26 and 28.

 

[Roofin' Trouter]

I've only been tying a few years and don't go smaller than size 22. I met a nice gentleman on the crick that was catching 'em on a slow day using a size 26 scud so at some point I would like to tie smaller.

 

[tomgamber]

I tied and fished down to a 24 in ID but only dry. Probably couldn't see well enough now to tie a 20 onto the tippet, let alone tie the fly itself.i try to stay above a 16 these days.

 

[dc410]

The smallest I tie on is size 24. I still have a few K1A hooks in size 26 and 28.

I tie tricos on size 22 and occasionally down to a 24, but I’d really just prefer to tie a size 24 trico spinner on a size 22 hook. I did hook a pretty decent size carp one summer on a size 22 trico. It didn’t last more than about 5 seconds but it was a heck of a lot fun! Maybe this next summer I can figure out how to actually land a carp on a trico. 😉

 

[afishinado]

I have hooks down to a size 30 but a rarely tie anything smaller than a 24. Tying on a hook that small (size 28 or 30) is really not that hard, just a thread body and some kind of fuzz near the hook eye. I find the most difficult thing is dealing with it on the stream. Picking it from the fly box with forceps and tying it on the tippet. Seldom is any fly that small necessary to catch fish, but if it is, I'll usually move on to other fish.

 

[nymphingmaniac]

24 minimum.

 

[poopdeck]

Size 20 RS2 is as small as I care to go. Fortunately I don’t winter fish in Colorado.

 

[dudemanspecial]

22 for me, although I'm not opposed to trying 24's and will someday. I just haven't gotten there yet.

 

[dryflyguy]

I used to tie and fish #32's to midging fish.

Lately, I'll occasionally go down to #28.
But that's rare for me

I try hard not to go under #24 now

 

[JimNovo]

I tie down to size 26.
Olives and Tricos.
I like the Daiichi 1110 big eye hooks.

 

[falcon]

22. I have some 24 hooks but have not tied on them. Some tiers tie a Royal Wulff on a size 30 for a stunt I suppose.

 

[krayfish2]

Have tied as small as 26 but with bad eyes, 14 is about as small as I'll go nowadays

 

[Bamboozle]

I tie size 32 midges and fish them often when nothing else seems to work. I also have versions in 30 - 26.

It's not the same thing but I also recently got into micro-fishing, targeting tiny fish which is not fly fishing. Because of the size of the fish I use size 32 & 30 hooks exclusively.

Two things I have found essential to fishing flies that small are Hat Eyes and a Minigrabber® Test Clip which I adaped to hang from a zinger or equivalent.

 

[coyoterahn]

I’ve tied down to 28’s but rarely fish anything under a 22. I struggle to tie them on my tippet.

 

[rancid waders]

#26, using 18/0 nano silk thread. I then install on c&f threader so I can find them later.

 

[BruceC2C]

24 for Bling Midge...but only on rare day i might b feeling especially confident

 

[Drifly]

I used to fish W. Branch Farmington in CT where tricos are notoriously tiny, tied and fished down to 32’s. Those discriminating fish wouldn’t even look at a 24.