Articulated Streamer hook rationale?

**bigorunge** · 12-27-2012, 11:04 PM

I have just recently got into articulated streamers , fishing them and tying them. I have streamer fished for years but never with articulated flies until this year. I was curious as to what the thinking behind the back hook was in terms of size and shape. Is there any rhyme or reason to hook selection or is it just personal preference? The few I have tied have the same hook front and back-this may be wrong, I don't know. Any opinions?

**H Dot Verseman** · 01-02-2013, 08:25 PM

I started off my articulated journey tying the same style of hook front and back, but 1 size different. Back hook is 1 size larger than the front hook. This works out just fine, but I've evolved into using a very short stinger hook in the front, and a longer normal streamer style hook in the back.

Most streamers we tie are imitations of baitfish of some sort, and trout tend to attack them head on. I was losing some fish, and was getting short strikes when I tried a traditional stinger hook in the back.

This combination has solved both issues for me. I don't get short strikes anymore, and the look of this combination is appealing to me.

**AaronJasper** · 01-03-2013, 11:30 PM

I like to use a Tiemco 8089 bass bug or "stinger" hook for the lead hook and a Gamakatsu octopus hook for the trailer.

I like using two shorter shanked hooks for my articulated streamers. The shorter the shank the harder it is for the fish to leverage the hook out during the fight. It's easy for a fish to roll around and torque out a streamer hook with a long shank.

**Davyfly** · 01-24-2013, 02:25 AM

Let me just dispel this way of thought that large trout aim to the head of the victim as that is not necessarily true.
I see frequently here on the White big browns nail rainbow trout, almost always those fish will be nailed sideways on. The brown will then swim around for a while with that trout in its jaws, when the victim is either dead or close to it the brown lets the trout go swims around to then swallow it.
Same applies when fishing large streamers, the brown either has it good or not, but here is the kicker, for l have seen it 100s of times.
When the brown takes the fly it is either holding it tight in its jaws with a good chance the hook will when the trout releases its grip allow for you to set a hook or it lets go and the fly comes free with no hook up. Pull as hard as you will that fish is more than capable of holding that fly in its mouth against your pressure and hook set jerk, you are not in effect trying to set a hook against a solid structure such as bottonm structure.
There are days here when we streamer fish we will get many takes, but percentage wise few fish hooked and landed, no matter if we use a single or multy hook flies. Bottom line is if the fish has taken the fly in such a way as a hook can catch flesh odds are you may get the fish , if not goodbye.

In my opinion, flies with a single treble will increase your odds, that is certainly my experience after a few 100 big browns under my belt. And its not so easy for the fish to lever the hook out once hooked.

Davy