[Toney]

What are the advantages for extending the length of books with tubes or with trailing hooks? Does it put the bite toward the end of the fly? For that matter, what are the advantages of long salmon hooks over shorter nymph-style hooks that are tied with long feathers? Do steelhead tend to strike short at flies? I don't want to buy a bunch of new hooks, but I am thinking of learning to tie trailing hooks, and am wonderting about the advantages of the extra effort.

Thanks.

 

[midwestnative]

I fish a lot of streamers for trout, and I just recently began tying flies with trailing hooks. There are two reasons why they work well. 1. The action in the water is more fluid and realistic 2. The fish hook easier and you land more fish. I always use Octopus hooks ( I think that is what they are called). I have noticed I hook and land more fish using them. They are easy to tie. Check out YouTube on how to tie articulated flies. There are plenty of good videos.

 

[Flyborg]

Trailer hooks are easier on the fish. Less leverage against the mouth.

I've never had issues with steelhead short striking (that I know of), but I have with coho.

 

[Gone’r]

they hold way better, especially during the dreaded death roll. i try to incorporate octopus stingers in all my trout, salmon and steelhead streamers whether easy or not for that purpose. plus being able to slap on a shiny new hook riverside after hook #1 is roached is pretty sweet too.

 

[Dr. Magill]

On the tubes the hook actually disengages from the fly which save the teeth tearing up the fly. The tube slides up the line during the fight. Pretty cool IMO!