MidCurrent Tested and Trusted: Gamakatsu Worm Hooks

One of the biggest problems with tying big streamers for trout is finding the right hooks. Most standard streamer hooks have thin gaps and long shanks, essentially designed for tying classic patterns like the Mickey Finn and the Muddler Minnow. These traditional hooks don’t work well if you’re trying to craft larger, articulated streamers that big fish love, as they seem to come in only one or two smaller sizes. It’s almost like folks didn’t think big enough back in the day.

If you’re into tying truly giant streamers for trout, you might try buying larger, more modern fly tying hooks. However, most of these were designed for saltwater fishing and are far too thick and heavy to work well for trout flies. In my big streamer tying ventures, I found a few different hook styles that seemed to be a decent middle ground. I could make streamers that were slightly heavier than I liked and a few that were slightly smaller than I was going for, but I never found anything truly ideal for my massive articulated creatures—until I discovered Gamakatsu Worm Hooks.

The Right Balance

One of the keys to tying a good articulated streamer is finding a hook that is both large and thin. Most trout hooks that are big enough with a wide enough gap for tying big streamers are usually thicker than a Kardashian’s wallet and tend to sink fast and swim awkwardly in the water. Gamakatsu Worm Hooks, though, are thin and made from light wire, as they were designed for threading and pitching plastic worms with bass gear. This makes them ideal for fly tying because when they’re wrapped with neutrally buoyant materials, they practically float through the water.

Aside from being too thick and heavy, most streamer hooks have skinny gaps between the shank and point of the hook. This means you’re limited in creativity, as adding too much material to your streamers covers up the hook points, causing you to lose fish. Gamakatsu Worm hooks have an extremely wide gap, which means you can stack them with material and still leave the hook point exposed, keeping your streamers armed and ready.

The thin wire and wide gap of Gamakatsu Worm Hooks also make them perfect streamer hooks for another essential reason. When large trout attack streamers, they generally don’t inhale the flies like a bass or pike. Instead, they strike hard with their jaws, trying to kill or stun their prey before eating it. This is especially true of big browns. Most hooks are too thick and have too narrow a gap to stick into a trout’s mouth on these initial attacks, causing many streamer junkies to set the hook prematurely (it’s okay…it happens to everyone) and pull the fly away from the fish. However, the thin wire, wide-gaped Gamakatsu Worm Hooks usually stick the trout on these initial attacks, nearly doubling your hook-up rates and stopping you from throwing your rods into the water in frustration.

The Right Size and The Right Price

When you’re tying big streamers—size really does matter. Most standard streamer hooks for trout rarely come larger than a size 2, which even when doubled up on articulated patterns, means you can’t tie anything bigger than a 4- or 5-inch fly. Now, this may be plenty big for some streamer anglers, but when you’re tying up meat for a truly giant trout, it’s best to offer them a bigger meal. Gamakatsu Worm Hooks range in size from 1 to 4/0, meaning you can tie streamers that are 6 to 10 inches long or larger. When you can fish bugs that big, you can practically hear the Jaws theme song playing in the background of every cast.

The final thing that makes Gamakatsu Worm Hooks so special is their price. Most high-quality streamer hooks come in packs of 6 or 12 for roughly the same cost as a full tank of gas (ok, maybe half a tank). However, Gamakatsu Hooks are fairly inexpensive for their quality, with a pack of 25 hooks costing around $16.00. That means, so long as you stay snag-free, you can tie up a season’s worth of big flies with just a single pack of hooks. It’s a hell of a deal.

Creating a Monster

Tying big streamers is one of the most addicting aspects of fly fishing. Unlike dry flies and nymphs which have somewhat standard recipes, big streamers can be haphazardly thrown together and experimented with. Like a fishy mad scientist, you can lock yourself in a dungeon, sit down behind your vise, and create the perfect beast. When you’re tying big streamers for big trout, the only real limits are your imagination and the size of your hook—and with Gamakatsu Worm Hooks in your vise, you’ll be sure to have at least one of those things covered.