Hook sizes

[Troutmeister]

I was watching some tying videos on Youtube recently and was wondering why tiers go to such small hook sizes and then use a 3x long hook. Case in point a guy was tying a size 22 pheasant tail but then used a 3x long hook. In this case the finished fly was probably the same length as a size 16 or 18.

Seems to me that fly size, silhouette, length is the important part and by using a 3x long hook you are upsizing the fly by 3 sizes and losing the hooking ability because of the smaller hook gap.

Help me out here, what am I missing?

 

[poopdeck]

it’s the same reason a poem was written on a pinhead. so you can say you tie and fish your PT nymphs down to a size 22.

 

[Bocianka1]

As you go down in hook sizes, the thickness of the wire also decreases. If you tied a size 22 with 3x long hooks, your end result would be a size 18 in physical size, but it would be on the thinner wire of the size 22.

I'm not sure why you would WANT a larger fly on a thinner wire. I've only ever seen an advantage in tying hooks the opposite way, say on 3x short hooks in order to get stronger flies in smaller sizes.

 

[redietz]

As you go down in hook sizes, the thickness of the wire also decreases. If you tied a size 22 with 3x long hooks, your end result would be a size 18 in physical size, but it would be on the thinner wire of the size 22.

You use a size 18 3X fine, although I'm with you; I'd go for the heavier wire.

 

[Troutmeister]

Heavier wire, and also the larger hook gap for increased hookups.