What can one say about a fishing hook beyond the obvious? Well, you know me; I'll find something...

Tiemco (abbreviated as TMC) is the brand name for specialty fly tying hooks and, now, tools. Made in Japan, Tiemco hooks have chemically sharpened points, come in a variety of styles, and have some of the best steel used in fly tying hooks. (I've been given to understand that Daiichi uses the 'best' steel vis a vis competitors; but, they do not have the variety or same models of hooks as Tiemco. And, Tiemco's steel is very close in terms of quality.) Umpqua Feather Merchants is the exclusive distributor in North America.

I was one of those who relied heavily on Mustad hooks; which, at the time, were considered the 'standard' in fly tying hooks. Then I became somewhat... alright ... 'obsessed' with a particular piece of catch and release water. The trout were educated; holding Ph.D.'s along with full professorships in angler aggravation. While I did meet with a modicum of success, I was having trouble getting the hook set properly on what, at the time (I thought), should have been classic dry fly takes.

Setting the hook faster, slower, more aggressively, not 'setting' (hoping the fish would hook itself), holding my mouth in a variety of different ways, as well as the invocation of various descriptors related to the personalities and parentage of the fish themselves - nothing was working. Then one day I was whining about my troubles at a certain fly shop and the guy told me to try using Tiemco hooks. Well, when I saw the price, I declined. Long story short... It only took a couple/ten dozen more such missed opportunities for me to justify biting the bullet and experimenting.

That was closing in on two decades ago and I've never really looked back. Why? I tied a few flies on that first pack of Tiemcos and my hook-up rate tripled. Of course, you know how it is with fishermen. If it works, no matter what "IT" is (not necessarily the "IT" found on eBay), it becomes an article of faith that "IT" is what will work; i.e., 'confidence' becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy, nothing succeeds like success, and/or if it ain't broke, why fix it.

Acronyms, Abbreviations, & Notations

As noted, 'TMC' is the abbreviation used by Tiemco as part of their hook model designation. Note this carefully. A couple of companies/retailers/manufacturers are currently using the Tiemco numeric identification portion of their model designations as identifiers for their own versions of a particular hook style; e.g., TAR 2457 and TFS 2457 to identify their TMC 2457 equivalent. It is easy to misread - isn't it?

One of the key factors in fly tying hooks is that they are often designed, 'styled,' so as to imitate, give the appearance of movement, and/or create an impressionistic sense of specific types of insects. In the case of the TMC 2457, one of the identifying aspects is the description; i.e., Caddis pupae & shrimp. Many will refer to this style of hook as a 'scud hook;' which is a bit of a misnomer in that natural 'shrimp' and 'scud' curl when out of the water, but swim in more of a straight-bodied configuration. Thus, while a popular 'scud hook,' one must be careful not to tie the pattern too far down the hook bend on this style of hook when trying to imitate shrimp/scud.

The terms 'bronze' and 'forged' are fairly self-explanatory (bronze finish and forged steel), as is the 'down eye.' But, what's with all the '2X' designators? Glad you asked...

In simplistic terms, there are 'light,' 'standard,' and 'heavy' wire hooks. 'Standard' is just that - the average standard or benchmark. Wire that is 'lighter' or 'heavier' in terms of weight/diameter of the shank is designated by a numbered "X" either side of this standard. (Some companies substitute the term 'strong' for heavy, fine, light, etc. Though they are presumed to be roughly equivalent, there is meaning to the differences in 'strong' vs. 'heavy,' but that's a different discussion for a different product.) The 2457 is labeled as "2X Heavy;" meaning it is a larger/heavier wire than standard.

As a basis of comparison, the TMC 2487 is the same shape/style of hook, but is designated "fine wire." This is why it is noted as being for "Caddis pupae, emergers, & shrimp." It is a lighter, narrower diameter wire; which translates into 'slower sinking,' making it more appropriate for dries and emergers which ride on or in the water's surface film. It is also a thinner diameter hook shank, meaning that fly bodies can be made more delicate; important when you want a fly to ride high in the water or want to tie smaller sized flies (the 2487 is available down to size 24, where as the 2457 is available only down to size 18).

The TMC 2457 is "2X wide," which means that the hook gap (or gape) is significantly wider than 'standard.' As much as anything else, this is potentially the greatest asset of this hook style. A wider hook gap for any given hook size translates into better hooking potential. (Note that the 2457 has a straight hook point/bite; i.e., the hook points straight along the shank. A number of other companies offer similarly styled hooks with 'offset' hook points; i.e., the point is set at an angle away from the shank. The jury is out, as far as I'm concerned, on which is 'better.' I will admit that I can see the logic in the smaller sizes. But, such 'equivalents' [e.g., Mustad 80250 and Daiichi 1120] are still my second choice for large fishbig water; though they are a workable substitute for smaller fish and a totally acceptable alternative for the TMC 2487.)

Finally, the TMC 2457 is listed as "2X Short." This means that the shank of the hook (that portion between the eye and the bend), is two hook eyes shorter than standard. With the down-eye configuration, this 'short shank' makes the 'wide hook gap' more important in that it keeps the hook eye from interfering with the hook set.

Now, wasn't that simple?

What Flies?

A very short list of fly patterns which list the TMC 2457 "or equivalent" as the hook style of choice would be:

Mercer's Z-Wing Caddis (see See What Happens When Someone Wonders: "What If?"), Mercer's Sac Fry, Mercer's Rag Hex Nymph, Mercer's Glasstail Caddis Pupa (see Kafka Would Have Been Proud...), Mercer's Zebra Midgeling (the preceding flies and how to tie them can be found in Mike Mercer's book Creative Fly Tying, see Inquisitiveness, Experience, and Creativity Combine With Pragmatism, An Open-Mind, And A Sense Of Anticipation), Mercer's Psycho Prince, any number of 'Czech Nymphs,' the Zebra Midge, Brassies (see Have You Got The Brass?), Disco Midge, the San Juan Worm, various/numerous/uncounted scud-shrimp patterns

Many tyers also use the TMC 2457 for their egg patterns. This is not my first choice as an 'egg hook.' It works and I have used it that way. But, I think there are better options. (The few times I actually use "Glo-Bugs," I tend toward the Gamakatsu C-14S or even the Mustad 9174 or Mustad 9479 - hey, some habits die hard.)

The Final Particulars

If you find a retailer that sells Tiemco hooks, it is highly probable that they will stock 2457's. They are most commonly available in 25-packs for sizes 6 - 18; with a price tag at about $5.45. (Cabela's does list this hook at $5.45 per pack. But, they also list that if you buy 2 or more 25 packs of the same size, then the price is 90 cents less.) Less common, but still somewhat 'readily' available, are the 100-packs; priced at $16.95 in the Fly Shop's 2007 catalog - see Good staff; good product variety; easy to navigate website. As a basis of comparison, I have a 25-pack of Daiichi 1120 size 14's sitting here with a price tag of $4.75. I'm not sure what the Daiichi 100-packs run.

Is it worth the price difference? I think so. While I have met with some success using the Mustad 80250, it is hard to come by and I haven't even used up what I bought 8 or 9 years ago. I've been experimenting with the Daiichi 1120 for about 6 months now. I've also had a reasonable amount of hook-ups with this style. In fact, I haven't missed one yet with the Daiichi. But, the offset hook point can tweak some patterns just a bit, the wire diameter seems just a bit smaller (though it is a better grade of steel, so...), and the Daiichi is only 1X short; which means, once again, the patterns are or can be 'tweaked' a bit from what I'm used to.

What was that I said about 'confidence' becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy, nothing succeeds like success, and/or if it ain't broke, why fix it...?

Recommended: Yes