How small is too small

[brannan]

After reading a recent thread about removing small flys this question sprung to mind...

I have tied a 'few' flies on 30's and yes they can be problematic to unhook.

How small is too small when it comes to well fair of the fish & practicality?

Cheers

[fredaevans]

Personal opinion here only, but smaller fish (and their food) may require a smaller sized fly. For me, a hook below a size 12 is a non-starter. You can tie a pretty scaled down pattern on a 12.

Well some can, I can't.

fae

[Dunk]

I tie down to a #26, and the smallest flies take fish - mainly grayling up to 1.5lb. All my flies are debarbed. If I'm struggling to reach the fly, I get the forceps and pick it out - easy enough. Another option would be to take a fine disgorger - that would do the job without so much damage to the fly.

[shpeil]

Taking a 1.5lb grayling on a size 26 sounds pretty good going to me. I can bend a size 26 them in the vice with 18/0 thread! Do you find that the brand of hook you use makes a difference?

[Beacon Beige]

I have F-Flys in 20s to 26s and its amazing the amount of fish I take on them when the conditions are right!

Drum Fishery in flat calm when trout are rising freely is a prime example when tiny flies do the business , Remember to use fine nylon like stroft tapered down to 4lb or 2lb.

Drum is not a big fish venue the average is 2lb so I can get away with 2lb but Tinto would be 6lb as the fish are much larger - Tricky using 6.7 lb stroft on 26s so 20s are the norm on Tinto.

But in theory 30s will hold good trout if played properly.

Never had problems unhooking at all!

Col

[Dunk]

I've never had any problems with hooks bending out. I use Teimco hooks, various models. You do have to be careful with them in the vice, but when they're hooked into a fish the pressure doesn't seem to force the bend open. It's never been a problem so far anyway.

When the fish are on something tiny (greenfly for example) I find they take very confidently, and the hookup rate is high - even with the small fly. Never had anything over 1.5lb to tiny flies though. I'm sure a #26 can hold a much bigger fish - it may not haul it out of some weeds, but in a straight fight.

[darwin]

I stop at #26, I have smaller (#28 & #30 somewhere) but have not had the desire to use them. Just to small for my clumbsy hands & bad eyes.