Jig-Competiton · Sizes #10-20
The Hends BL164 is a barbless jig-competiton hook available in sizes #10-20. It's built around a standard-length jig shank, designed to ride point-up when weighted at the eye, paired with standard wire — a balance of strength and weight that works across most freshwater applications. Tyers reach for it most often when working on jig nymphs, euro nymphs, perdigons. The sections below break down what each specification actually means at the vice, which patterns suit it, and which hooks from other manufacturers you can substitute when it's out of stock.
Shank length (Std. Jig). This hook has a standard-length jig shank, designed to ride point-up when weighted at the eye.
Wire strength (Std.). It's made from standard wire — a balance of strength and weight that works across most freshwater applications.
Bend and gape (Wide). The BL164 uses a wide gape, improving hook-up rates and leaving clearance for a bulkier dressed body.
Eye type (60° Flat). It's finished with a 60° flat jig eye, tipping the point upward to ride clear of the riverbed — the standard for modern euro nymphing.
Barbless. This hook is barbless from the factory, so it's ready for competition use and catch-and-release waters, and it does noticeably less damage to fish. Keep a steady line tension when playing a fish, as barbless hooks drop out more readily on slack.
The Hends BL164 is tagged in the Woolly Bug database for jig nymphs, euro nymphs, perdigons. Patterns that sit naturally on this hook include Jig Perdigon, Jig Hare's Ear, Perdigon, Frenchie, Walt's Worm, Quill Perdigon. Because the hook's proportions drive the finished fly's silhouette, it's worth matching the pattern's intended shape to the shank rather than forcing a recipe onto the wrong blank.
The BL164 runs from size 10 through 20. The smaller end of the range (down to size 20) covers midge and small mayfly work, where fine tying thread and sparse dressings matter more than bulk. If you're buying this hook for the first time, the mid-range sizes see the most use at the vice, and tracking exactly which sizes you own is where an inventory app earns its keep — it's the detail most tyers forget at the fly shop counter.
The Woolly Bug database identifies 6 comparable hooks across 2 other manufacturers, matched on the specifications that actually determine a fly's proportions — gape and shank length first, then wire strength and eye type.
Equivalent hooks, full specs and side-by-side comparison are in the free Woolly Bug app.
Open in Woolly BugIf the Hends BL164 is out of stock, the Woolly Bug app lists 6 comparable hooks. When substituting, the specifications that matter most are gape and shank length — these determine whether the finished fly keeps its intended proportions. Wire strength is the next consideration, since it changes how the fly sits in the water: a heavier wire will sink a pattern that was designed to float. Eye type is usually the most forgiving difference, though switching to or from a jig eye changes how the hook rides entirely.
Log every hook, material and pattern on your bench — free on the App Store.
Download FreeThe Hends BL164 is a jig-competiton hook used for Jig Nymphs, Euro Nymphs, Perdigons. It's available in sizes #10-20 with a Std. Jig shank and Std. wire.
The Woolly Bug database identifies 6 comparable hooks across 2 other manufacturers, matched on shank length (Std. Jig), wire strength (Std.) and bend (Wide). The models are listed in the free app.
The Hends BL164 is barbless. That makes it suitable for competition use and catch-and-release fisheries without modification.
It's available in sizes #10-20.
Woolly Bug