Favorite Chironomid Hooks?

Stonedfish

Stonedfish

Known Pluviophile
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What are everyone’s favorite chironomid hook brands and model these days?
I haven’t tied any in maybe a dozen years but plan to do some lake fishing this spring.
Thanks for your input.
SF
 
I like the hooks already mentioned, particularly daiichi 1760 and the analogous AJ covert nymph hooks. But you can’t go wrong with standard heavy wire nymph hooks like daiichi 1560 or TMC 3761. Mustad C49S is another good one.
 
On the AJ hooks, what are the sizes like 11, 13, 15 or 17 equivalent to in say a Daiichi 1760?
Thanks
SF
 
troutpocket said:
My understanding is both hooks are identical in shape/scale and the AJ odd numbers bridge the size difference in the even-numbered 1760’s. The sizes I use most are AJ #13 and daiichi #14.
Click to expand...

Thanks!
SF
 
The last several years I have been using the Daiichi 1160, the Klinkhamer hook. A finer wire than say the 1760 and a different shape. I believe that my take down to fish to hand has been better though due to the lighter wire have had some issues with some hook bending out.

Curt
 
I use the 1760s, togens and Firehole 718s . I like the latter the best as really strong hooks and come barbless. Their sizing is very generous as I’ve noted in an earlier post.

Dave
 
Matt B said:
Do chironomids on a straight shank hook even work at all, bro?
😁
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When I first started fly fishing I don't think very many people were tying on anything but straight shank hooks (keep in mind, given my senior (Boomer) citizen status that Mustad was almost the only game in town). Then one day along came Tiemco and the 2457. I tied chironomids on 2457's, by the fly box full. Anymore, I rarely tie on that hook. Why? Easy - so many choices, so many options. Like @Billy, I even tie a few on jig hooks.

A half dozen years ago Herb, Keith and I were up at Mile High Resort, there were two Americans staying in the cabin adjacent to ours. Herb is a great one to chat up people. One evening he came back after chatting up these two guys, his eyes were glassed over (no, not drugs): he'd got bitten by Fish Lore. GIANT trout in a super secret hike in lake. There was no internet access (or cell service at MHR back then) so our research was asking the owners of the resort about this lake. They said "oh, it's over by Lac Le Jeune". We decided to try and find it and eventually did (the next year); The "Ethyl Lake" chromie on my favorite chironomid hook:
Fr chromies.JPG

I sure wish I'd seen the trout that ate one of these -----^ It took off and nearly spooled me. I couldn't slow it down.

For what its worth, the lake ain't super secret anymore and given that Lac Le Jeune has become yuppie SUP paradise, many locals have migrated to and somehow managed to get old boats into Ethyl and leave them chained to trees. The once remote lake is now pressured.
 
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