Hooks ( rant !)

[David Lee]

Hello all , do you all have a favorite hook from the past or present ??

One of the best I've found was the Mustad 80000 series (not brittle , very strong ) .... in their infinate wisdom Mustad discontinued these for their new signature series . The few new signature hooks I've tyed with have been nowhere near as good as the 80000s were (a little too soft , huge diameter wire) . Now they have discontinued most of their saltwater signatures (that will increase sales , won't it ?) .

TMC hooks , I've found , are pretty brittle - if you prang the point on a rock or log , the hook is done for the most part .

Gamakatsu hooks are nice for big-game flies , but tough to find locally .

Let's hear what ya think - David

[Jgoding]

My dad's hook supply.... I loved all his hooks. They were mostly older stuff from mustad, probably the 80000 series and some tiemco. The newer hooks suck in my opinion compared to the older ones.

Some of the partridge hooks are alright but I'm sticking mostly with Tiemco right now as they offer a wide range of easily attainable styles and sizes. Mustad....might try some, Partridge, have some, but not impressed either...various styles....Daichii... haven't tried these yet, but have some of their dry fly and streamer hooks. I know they are known as "cheap" hooks for the most part.

[Darian]

Hi Guys,..... I agree with each of you for the most part. I tend to buy hooks for a specific type of fishing and have, in the past, found brands that suit that end.

The hooks that stand out in my mind were the original Allcocks from England for Steelhead/Salmon flies and the older Mustad varieties. Eagle Claw only has three hooks (1197, 1197N, 1197G) that interest me. Eagle Claw fly hooks are not generally forged and the wire tends to straighten under pressure. Tiemco puts out a good hook and has been copied (in hook style) by Targus (cheaper). I have no experience with Targus.

For Saltwater/Striper flies, I like Mustad/Owner/Eagle Claw (EC413 as it is forged). Don't tie much with "Jappaned" (blackened) Salmon Fly hooks unless for display.....

If there is a gripe that I have, it's the elimination of models that I've decided on using..... Or,.... Having a "bottom line" company buy out a quality maker and downgrade the product.

Altho, change is a natural response to market pressures......

[Bill Kiene semi-retired]

Darian,

I only saw a few of these old "208" nickle Allcock steelhead hooks from England.

Old Walt Bennett use to bitch to us about 20+ years ago about the fact that it was his favotrite hook and they discontinued it.

He told us "any time you find somehting you really like, buy a hell of a lot of it becuase they might stop making it".

They were heavy round wire, shinny nickel with a beautiful spire point.

[David Lee]

Bill , Walt was right - Truer words were never spoken , if you find something that works , buy ten of them !! David

[Jay Murakoshi]

My favorite hooks to use are Gamakatsu and Dai Ichi in both salt water and fresh water. I know, when I don tying demo's, the most FAQ is where can I get the gama's and Dai Ichi's

I'm sure the local shops can order them for you, unless the supplier demands a minimum. I do pass out samples at the shows (salt water hooks)

Jay

[Bill Kiene semi-retired]

Jay,

Tell us what models and sizes you use for what patterns?

[Bill Kiene semi-retired]

About 20 years ago I was taking my first large group tarpon fishing at El Pescador lodge in Belize. I was not really up on all the big game techneques so I asked my friend al Perryman if he would not like toi co-host that trip with me.

To perpare for the trip Al talk many of us how to tie big game leaders useing the bimini twist and all the prroper knots and proportions.

Al also taught us how to sharpen a large #4/0 Mustad 3407 SS hook. These were extra heavy cadium platted hooks popular in thos e days in the Floriday Keys for big Tarpon.

al had worked for Fenwick Company and at all the sport shows he would have all the famous salt water people show him how to build leaders and how to sharpen hooks right.

You would never think of just tying a fly on a salt water hook without sharpening it before or after tyiong it.

Al showed me how to sharpen those hooks about 6 different ways. He learned different methods from people like Al Pflueger, Lefty Kreh, Stu Apt, Mark Sosin and more. I settled in on the style where you made the bottom flat and then tiranulated the top taking down the size of the barb too for better penitration.

Today we are lucky to have great Japanese hooks like TMC, Targus, Gamakasu, Owner, Dai-ichi and more. They are hard, sharp with smaller barbs and well form smaller eyes than the old Mustad and old Eagle Claw style hooks. Today Mustad and Eagle Claw are playing catchup with these Japanese comanies making better hooks than they use to but.........?

In most case(99%) there is no need to sharpen these new high quality hooks before you fish with them. Years ago we sold everyone a hook file or hone because the old hooks were so dull to start with.