Hook eye position

[hbgbswanson]

I guess I'm a little confused with upturned/downturned/straight eye hooks and their uses. Is it just preference or are there significant advantages of each? I know classic salmon patterns are tied on upturned eyes and I imagine on small hooks that downturned eyes interfere with the small hook gap...but I was wondering if there is anything more.

 

[Foxgap239]

That's a really good question, IMHO. I know I only use straight eye hooks for spinners and down eye for everything else but I'd be really interested in how others answer your question.

 

[sandfly]

I like upturned for skittering a fly to me it helps keep the tippet off of the water.

 

[quillfly]

straight eyes for standard dries always work better for me less chance of sabotage by tread build up down eyes for parachutes though up eyes for throax flies to get the nose in the water without the eye showing

 

[pwk5017]

Tom rosenbauer mentioned this in a podcast once. He had a decent explanation for each hook type. Having a downturn eye alters the direction of the force you apply to the hook point and is designed to keep the force from directly being pulled away.

 

[Chaz]

I use down eyes for anything # 18 or larger and straight eyes for anything smaller than #18.

 

[outsider]

I won't use an up-eye hooks for any trout fishing fly, missed enough fish over the decades to relegate them to the back of the shelf.

 

[dryflyguy]

I agree with chaz.
Down eyes logically should give you a better hook set - the pull of the line drives the hook point into the fish mouth better But they do negate some hook gap - or "bite". And that can matter on small hooks. Ring eyes are better for them.
I never use up eyes