Fly Fishing

jeremy · Location: Portland, Maine

Hey everyone,

I recently realized that alot of my friends have a definite preference for what hooks they use when they tie flies; especially in saltwater or for bigger freshwater species. It seems that some hooks are infact better than others for a variety of reasons including but not lilmited to strength, sharpness and ability to not rust. I personally have noticed a difference between hooks just in the sense that my fly boxes for saltwater, steelhead, salmon, trout etc... have flies that are tied with hooks from lots of different places and manufacturers. I notice that many hold up better than others, some rust much quicker than others, some bend easier than others and some are less sharp or lose their sharpness rather quickly. So, just curious what hooks people like to tie their flies with? and what brands/manufacturers they prefer to tie with for both fresh and saltwater. Thanks.

Austin · Posted: Sat 11/08/08 9:03 pm Post subject:

I have always used tiemco hooks. they run for a bit more $ than mustads. I really haven't had any trouble with a certain brand of hooks rusting more than other brands. the only times i get rusted flies is when i don't take care of them, like dunking my fly box and forgetting to dry off the flies inside. it seems as though the biggest brands are mustad. tiemco, daichi, and gamagatzu. i rarely have a hard time with hooks loosing their sharpness, no matter what brand. the biggest thing i had trouble with when i started catching fish on the flies i had tied was hooks bending. to fix this, i became super picky when choosing hooks that matched the type of fish i planned to hook up to. for dry flies, i usually go with light hooks. with nymphs and eggs, i almost always choose heavy hooks not only to weight the fly down, but mostly to not bend after hooking a few big fish/ tearing the fly off submerged rocks and branches numerous times. nymph flies take a lot more abuse than dry flies and that is another major reason why i like to use stronger hooks for nymphing. hope this helps!

joey · Location: Colorado

I don't tie alot of flies mostly stuff for steelhead (simple) and I have been using Owners and like them. Real strong and heavy. Black finish and an up turned eye. They have worked well for me the last few Steelhead trips I have made. Check 'em out.

Boz · Location: Portland

I used to fish alot of Mustad hooks when I first started tying. Now days I tie most of my flies on Tiemco and Daichi hooks. They are a little more money, but seem to hold strong, don't straighten out or break.

For bigger game steelhead/saltwater spending the extra dough on quality hooks equals more fish to the boat or on the bank. Worth the investment in my eyes.

lunchbox · Location: Utah

Tiemco and Gamakatsu. Every time I tie on Daiichi hooks they usually straighten out before the tippet breaks.

rhodyflyguy · Posted: Sat 11/15/08 3:15 am Post subject:

I use Owner, Tiemco, Gamakatsu and Daiichi. I tie albie/bonito flies on Owner mutu lights, clousers and flatwings on tiemcos, squid flies on gamakatsu sc-15s, and worm hatch flies on Daiichi salmon hooks. I started using the salmon hooks this year, and thy've worked out great; they're not super shiny like some stainless and tinned hooks, they're light so the flies float better, and they're fairly strong.