Hi all.

I'm just on the start of my learning curve for UK SWFF. Can anyone advise on the best hook sizes to tie up some flies for UK Bass?

I am looking at the usual suspects of Deceivers, Clousers and Sand Eel patterns but have no idea what size to tie them up in.

Cheers in advance.

Steve (OT).

1/0's to 3/0's should do the trick

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I used to like fishing because I thought it had some larger significance. Now I like fishing because it's the one thing I can think of that probably doesn't.

.....it will be like chucking out a budgie .

Didn't realise they would be that big - I thought a size 4 or 2 was too large.

Thanks for the reality check - I best buy some bigger hooks.

Sizes 4, 2 and 1's for most flies like clousers. I rarely go above 1/0 or 2/0 even on large patterns.

Ok perhaps 3/0 is getting a little large but I have used them occasionally to tie up joey mackerel patterns

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I used to like fishing because I thought it had some larger significance. Now I like fishing because it's the one thing I can think of that probably doesn't.

Depends on the time of year. This end of the season I will not use anything UNDER a 1/0 and will use a 4/0 frequently with baitfish/deceiver types 6" - 8" long. You can still cast these 30 yards on a good #8,, provided they are tied well.

Early season, I use smaller hooks and smaller dressings, buteven then a size 1 is the very smallest I use on bass.Even 10" bass will wolf down a 2/0 and a 3" - 4" fly. Sparse clousers will be tied on a size 1, then hooks to suit the tying.

At this time of year, sandeels are well grown, so even a sandeel pattern (and you only need ONE, the DNA clouser like this one pictured) tied sparse is "6 long and on a 1/0 hook with 5/16 eyes.


For this type of tying a larger hook, because the flyis MUCH larger. This one was 6" long too.


A school bass of 1.5lb will take a whole mackerel, so why use tiny morsels unless they are locked on to herring fry or brit?

Thanks to all for the help

The trouble with using larger hooks especially on clousers is that you need larger/heavier eyes to keep them tracking hook up. Also larger hooks tend to snag more. Many of my patterns have weedguards so I can fish them slowly around the snags. Fishing slowly has caught me many more decent fish than stripping fast.
For example small lead dumbell eyes work on Size 2 hooks but not size 1. On size 1/0 or above you really need Large dumbell eyes and these sink the fly like a brick.
Obviously there are exceptions like fishing from a boat when you need to get down quick in tide etc.
Just my opinion of course.

No, I agree the weight has ot match the tying or it gets keeled by the heavier effect of the hook. In that case I don't use a clouser, hook up tying. I make my weed guards out of the fly materials and can fish through some reasonable weed stands this way.

Whatever works for the angler an dhow they like to fish. There is no hard and fast rule in angling. Hwever, by tying all on the top, hi tie style, you can keel the fly with less weight - how much depends on the dressing and the style of hook, of course. The wider the gape, for a given guage of wire, the more the keeling effect of the hook.

All my bass flies are tied on size 2, 1 and 1/0 stainless hooks. Never felt the need to go smaller since a 5lb bass can comfortably fit a tennis ball in its gob!