Dean, setting aside the fact that any hook can cause fatalities depending upon where it penetrates, I seriously doubt that the hook in question is any worse than others. In my experience the type of damage you describe is almost entirely limited to small trout (and very infrequent) and can occur with any hook that is upside down at the moment of hook-set. I have a number of friends who guide on the Bow river where the SJW (or derivatives) is used extensively. They are also committed conservationists and would speak out strongly if they were experiencing increased hooking mortality with any hook design. Upside-down dry-fly styles can result in upper jaw hook placements; fortunately these styles are such inherently bad "hookers" that the downside is evened out. Cheers, Paul http://www.galesendpress.com -- Paul Marriner Outdoor Writing & Photography. Owner: Gale's End Press. Member: OWAA & OWC. Author of Stillwater Fly Fishing: Tools & Tactics, How to Choose & Use Fly-tying Thread, Modern Atlantic Salmon Flies, Miramichi River Journal, Ausable River Journal, and Atlantic Salmon.
