i made some elk hair caddis in size 14, i then decided i wanted to make some in size 16. the hook description said it was a nymph hook tho. and not dry fly like my size 14. i tied some elk hair caddis anyways. will this have any effect on the fly? are nymph hooks heavier or something?
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Dry fly hooks tend to be thinner wire, making the nymph hook heavier. But there is no industry standard, so one company's nymph hook could be thinner than another company's dry fly hook. Also, many companies make their "nymph" hooks 2x, meaning they're a little longer than their standard shank length for that brand's hook size.
If your real question is, "can I use a hook labeled 'nymph' to make a dry fly," go for it. Tie one up and put it in a glass of water to see how it floats. It may not float as long as a dry fly hook, but for an EHC, it should float at the beginning with no problem.
Nothing to add here except to say that sometimes I’ll tie a dry on a heavier gauge hook because I want it to sit lower on the water or just below the surface. Not like an Emerger per se but as a struggling dry. With the EHC you can get really creative in how you fish it. It is very versatile. Experiment.