The Northern California Fly Fishing Board

The geometry of a curved shank does not lend itself to stabbing something deep when the eye is pulled. Lots has been written about this (check out some of Darrel Martin's stuff).

The TMC 2457 makes gorgeous flies and I find myself returning to the hook because the flies LOOK so sweet. That said, after a few sessions with the cool looking flies, I'm back to straight shank hooks because of missed fish. Many of the landed fish on the 2457 are only being held by the smallest piece of issue. Bead anglers gravitate towards this hook, so there must be something about dragging it across the side of the trout's face that makes it snag better than a straight shank.

The whole idea about an inverted midge emerger is the bent shape, and the scud hook seems to fill the bill unlike anything else I've seen so far. We are far from the perfect pattern yet!