It sounds like an obvious question: “What’s the difference between the original TYEPRO tool and the TYEPRO Fly & Ice?”
True, one is designed primarily for ice fishing and fly fishing... but understanding the reasons why one is used for X situation and not Y can be a big help if you find that your preferred hook or jig isn’t meshing with a TYEPRO tool according to plan. The most basic thing to understand is the size of the hook, fly or jig that you’re using.
NOTE: The method of measuring hooks and flies is hardly an official one. Although different brands use the same numbering convention for placing measurements on their products, it’s all arbitrary. You shouldn’t be surprised if one hook or fly is labelled one way, yet behaves slightly differently when placed in a TYEPRO. This is because TYEPRO functionality depends on the diameter of the eyelet and the gauge of wire used, not the hook size—as a relative measurement of the distance from the tip of the hook to the shank, hook size actually varies from brand to brand.
Below, you'll see a photo of what happens when you try to use too large of a hook with a TYEPRO Fly & Ice:
Hooks
The size of hooks are listed down to #32, although it should be noted that the scale travels in an order reverse of what you might expect. A #1 will be a larger hook, while a #32 will be mind-bogglingly small. Hooks can also be larger by crossing over the “0” median and moving upward, with 1/0, 3/0, etc. (read as “one-aught.” The aught-size hooks increase in size as the first digit increases).
A #32 is so small that we have not designed a TYEPRO product with the ability to handle such small hooks; people using such tiny snares probably aren’t rookies, and probably don’t deal with poor eyesight either. The same goes for hooks bigger than 5/0: They won’t fit in the TYEPRO, but most of our clients won’t typically use such behemoths.
So why not use the same tool, if both use the same measurement method?
Flies
A fly is, realistically, a glorified form of hook. The fly’s most recognizable feature requires a tweak to the original TYEPRO design.
The obvious difference between a hook and fly is the colorful feathers and hair, all intended to mimic the prey of the target fish. The portion of these feathers and hair that is intended to look like legs, known as “hackle,” makes an impact: It often gets in the way of the tool, providing less eyelet to grip. The TYEPRO Fly & Ice version allows the user a better opportunity than the original TYEPRO to grip the eyelet on many flies with hackle, and thread, near the eyelet.
The slight change in design also alters what size flies can be used with the tool. We recommend TYEPRO Fly & Ice for fly sizes from #2 to #16.
Jigs
Measuring a jig is quite different than measuring a hook, in that the former is classified by weight, and not any sort of length.
What size jig you use may impact which TYEPRO works better for you. We recommend jigs between 1/64 oz. and 1/2 oz. when using the original TYEPRO, or 1/32 to 1/8 oz. when using a Fly & Ice tool.
Why?
The original TYEPRO works better for jigs that have a shank, because the eyelet can fit further into the tool. This also allows the original TYEPRO tool to handle a wider range of weights. The eyelet pocket on the original tool is set deeper into the tip to hold eyelets with at least a short shank. TYEPRO Fly & Ice is primarily designed to hold jigs without shanks. If you try to put a shank-less jig in the original TYEPRO, it just won’t position the eyelet properly for threading.