One of the smallest fly fishing accessories might make the difference between catching and not catching.
Think about the times you’ve missed fish. Was it because you were too slow? Was it because there was slack in the line? Was it because the fish was just slashing at the fly and not trying to eat it? All of those reasons/excuses might be true. Or, it could because the very thing that you’re depending upon to catch said fish is dull.
What do I mean? Well, consider your flies. So much energy is spent figuring out the right pattern. The fur and feathers and thread get top billing, but none of that matters unless there is a hook underneath. And if you want that fly to do anything more than impress your followers on social media, it better be sharp. After you’ve tied or bought that fly, what happens to it? Maybe it is ready to fish. Maybe the hook is made of fine metal, but it wasn’t sharpened enough in the factory. Perhaps you’ve fished with the fly already and caught some good fish. Or, you’ve fished with the fly already and nicked every rock on the stream bottom. You might have even caught dozens of fish, potentially with hard mouths, on that very fly.
The fly might look good, but the most essential element is not ready for the most important moment of fly fishing: the hook.
Thankfully there is an easy solution. A hook hone will keep your flies functioning at an optimal level until they’re literally falling apart. Since it takes up no space, requires a few seconds, and costs about $10, why wouldn’t you have one on hand?
Here are four quick things to remember as you’re sharpening your hooks:
- The old fingernail trick: I can’t remember the first time I heard this, but it has stuck with me. If you drag your hook across your fingernail, and it doesn’t stick, it needs to be sharpened. Of course I’d recommend employing this test with care. But it is absolutely a good gauge of sharpness. If your hook glides across your thumbnail…
- Pull our your hook hone: Hook hones are small, metal bars that usually feature a channel to aid in sliding your hook points across the grit. It works on virtually all hooks. Keep it in the vicinity of your floatant and weight.
- Give it five or six passes: Hold the fly by it’s eye. Keeping the point of your fly just a few degrees off parallel, pull the hook quickly away from you. Repeat a handful of times, making sure you are keeping a consistent angle. If you are too flat, you’re not going to be sharpening the point. If your angle is too extreme, you’ll actually dull the hook.
- Some flies need extra attention: All hooks need to be sharp. Some flies are utilized in certain scenarios that makes their sharpness extra important. Streamers and poppers are two kinds of flies that really need sharp hooks. These flies’ presentations often elicit quick, violent strikes. A sharp hook will optimize your chances of success.
Here are a few more items to consider regarding the sharpness of your hooks:
- Your hooks will start sharp and stay sharper longer if you buy quality hooks and/or flies from tyers that do the same.
- No matter how you fish, you’re putting a hook through the mouth of an animal. Sharper hooks will go in easier and reduce the impact on those species with more delicate mouths.
I keep a hook hone in every pack. You never know when a snag or a bad cast is going to ruin the hook on a fly that still has a perfect dressing.
I like the Loon Outdoors Hook Hone for three reasons:
- It has two different sized grooves, which makes sharpening a range of hooks easier.
- It has a hole in it, so I can clip it anywhere on any pack.
- It is only $10.