Jig style hooks

[Mark Ferringer]

Question- what types of patterns, other than perhaps a large stone do you find beneficial to tie on a jig style hook? I tie some of my iso nymphs on them, and big stones that i want to "walk" along the bottom, but i feel like i am sacrificing some hooking quality. Are there any patterns that you believe fish better on these hooks? Do you think they lack the hooking quality of a traditionally tied nymph? Thanks.

Mark

[Andy Larkin]

All of the TL and Hanak jig hooks make some phenomenal nymphs and I find myself tying on this style of hook more and more (aside from unweighted/lightly weighted patterns).  If anything, my hook-up:fish ratio is nearly 100% when fishing these styles of hooks. 

Must be something with the leverage gained via the 45 degree bend for the slotted bead.

[Chris Heiner]

I tie most  standard nymph  patterns on jig hooks my, hook up ratio has gone through the roof and i dont lose hardly any flies because they are not getting snagged on the bottom.

[Mark Ferringer]

Well if you guys are getting these results I must be to blame on my end w the hook set. Thanks for the responses fellas. So in you eyes anything is game on a jig hook is basically what you are saying?

[Dejon Hamann]

Yeah, I'd have to say my hookup ratio with a jig his as good as a standard nymph.

Speaking of which, I should have the TL Jig hooks back in stock in a month. 

[Jim Frazier]

do you guys use the jig hook more for still water patterns or both river and still ? when you tie on a jig hook do you jig the fly ? or is the purpose to sink the fly with less weight ? I think mark might be jigging his flys too ? not sure ?

[Dejon Hamann]

River only.  Sometimes I'll active jig the fly, but as others have noted you can ride the fly near the bottom with less snags because the point is up.

[Jim Frazier]

Djon when you weight over half a hook shank with lead wraps and a tung bead doesn't any hook ride point up ? I think the reason people lose less fish on them is because with a 60 deg angle the hook penetrates deeper as you put more pressure (not sure though )  could just be leverage though too

[Alain Barthelemy]

Like Jim says, many weighted flies ride hook point up, but that's not the only benefit from jig hooks.  I probably said this before, but here are my three keys to jig flies:
(1) Jig hooks cause the fly to ride more horizontally in the drift.  If you hang a jig fly and look at it, the body of the fly will tend to be parallel to the floor.  With a standard nymph, the body of the fly will be more perpendicular to the floor.  This is another reason why jig hooks snag less.
(2) You can tie any nymph on a jig hook.  I believe in the success of isonychia styles also, and I think that is also one reason behind the popularity of the red/pink tag style jigs.  Red tags use peacock or peacock dubbing for the body, similar to a Prince, Leadwing Coachman or Zug Bug; standard isonychia imitative patterns.
(3) Jig hooks serve the most benefit in a stream when fished in the drift perpendicular to the current.  They derive less benefit when fished up or downstream.  I believe a standard Czech style is to fish two jigs in front of you, on a pendulum swing under the rod tip.  This is really effective in fast water.

[James Berzsenyi]

(3) Jig hooks serve the most benefit in a stream when fished in the drift perpendicular to the current.  They derive less benefit when fished up or downstream.  I believe a standard Czech style is to fish two jigs in front of you, on a pendulum swing under the rod tip.  This is really effective in fast water.

Alain,

Would you mind expanding on the perpendicular drift?  I've always fished em straight upstream with great success, so I'm curious.

Thanks
Jimmy

[Jim Frazier]

As far as jig hooks are concerned i believe they are great for iso nymphs which like fast shallow water. When fishing late year or early spring it is also a good hook to tie stoneflys on to fish the shallows along the bank but i still prefer a curved hook to tie most nymphs on