Do you tie on Mustad hooks ?

Brian K. Shaffer · Post by **Brian K. Shaffer** » 07/31/21 20:26

Many, like me, have strong feelings about hooks.
Brian

Prairie Drifter · Post by **Prairie Drifter** » 07/31/21 20:51

I've been tying on them for over 45 years, never had a reason to change.

flyfishermann1955 · Post by **flyfishermann1955** » 08/01/21 04:31

Yes, but not exclusively. I like the up eye dry fly hook (94842) for some
of my soft hackle/flymph patterns and also the 3906 for wet flies.

Tight Lines- Ken

Norm Frechette · Post by **Norm Frechette** » 08/01/21 05:25

yes but not exclusively. nothing wrong with them

i do stray now and then to other brands for jig style flies and Gamakatsu for salmon/steelhead flies

ctwhite · Post by **ctwhite** » 08/01/21 06:01

Same. I tie on Gamakatsu for saltwater flies and Tiemco for nymphs and the occasional dry. But I bought another tyers collection some years ago and he clearly tied almost exclusively streamers and ALL on Mustad hooks. I have enough vintage Mustad streamer hooks for 10 lifetimes...

Caneghost · Post by **Caneghost** » 08/01/21 06:48

Generally no. Bad experiences years ago... and last year when I dug out my Marinaro Midge Hooks # K1A to tie the incessant size 28 flying ants. I hooked a very nice trout on 7X and a light cane rod and the hook bend broke right off! I have had broken hooks and un-closed eyes years ago and thus moved on to other brands.

slw · Post by **slw** » 08/01/21 07:28

Not me. I got tired of unclosed eyes and brittle tempering.

Charles Brooks wrote in Larger Trout for the Western Fly fisherman (1970): "Hooks made in Norway are good, reliable, and available, but the steel doesn't suit me. Some fly tiers of note do use Norwegian hooks, but by far the largest number of top fly tiers use Scotch and English hooks."

When I met Syl Nemes in 1976 he also expressed a stong preference for English hooks and said he never missed a chance to buy up old stocks on Sealeys in particular because English hooks were fast dissappearing by then. He claimed to have quite a supply of them.

When Orvis marketed Partridge hooks in the late 1970s I saw an opportunity to build a supply of them in a variety of sizes and styles. I'm running short on some sizes of fine wire dry fly Partridge hooks so I use Japanese hooks as a substitute in those sizes when I tie for others.

twistedtippet · Post by **twistedtippet** » 08/01/21 07:43

yes but not exclusively. The latest generation is much improved from what the produced in the 60's and 70's. Back then I cringed every time I tightened a whipped head and the hook snapped off in the vise.
tt

jim royston · Post by **jim royston** » 08/01/21 08:25

My personal opinion is that the Japanese revolutionized hookmaking. In saltwater, I only use Gamys , the SC15 being the best bonefish, permit hook made, IMHO.
For freshwater, I'm fishing ( I hope) teeny weeny stuff and I look for deals among the many hook importers. The Tiemco clones that I have bought from 5 or 6 different sources are all good.

Hellmtflies · Post by **Hellmtflies** » 08/01/21 08:42

Yes, at times do I use Mustad. But only if the model isn't available from other makers such as Tiemco. Most often though I have to dispose of about 10-15% of the Mustad hooks from each box of 100 as they break or the hook eye isn't closed completely etc. I seldom have this happen with other hook makers. Partridge is still my all time favorite hook company.

Post by **DrLogik** » 08/01/21 08:56

+ Yes, but not exclusively. I have become quite attached to Sprite and Partridge hooks over the last 15 years.

bearbutt · Post by **bearbutt** » 08/01/21 09:45

Brian Shaffer wrote: ↑
07/31/21 20:26
Many, like me, have strong feelings about hooks.
Brian

And what exactly are those feelings?

Meanwhile...

Caneghost wrote: ↑
08/01/21 06:48

last year when I dug out my Marinaro Midge Hooks # K1A to tie the incessant size 28 flying ants. I hooked a very nice trout on 7X and a light cane rod and the hook bend broke right off!

The Marinaro's are Partridge hooks, not Mustad.

I'll post some Mustad charts later--I love them.

bb

ted patlen · Post by **ted patlen** » 08/01/21 10:03

I use everything. I tend to think that nothing is perfect.

Gnat · Post by **Gnat** » 08/01/21 10:13

I do tie on Mustad hooks. I used to think that the large barb on the old Mustad hooks made dry flies stand upright better (i.e., the weight of the barb causing the fly to sit vertically upright on top of the water). It might have been due to how I was tying flies on hooks in those days.

6tUc05 · Post by **6tUc05** » 08/01/21 10:50

I have used them since I started tying in 1970 and have never had any problems with breaking, either in the vise or with with "fish on". Have never had an reason to change. As far as the unclosed eye is concerned, being an iconoclast, I simply "close it up" with a couple of thread warps while finishing the head. The fish sure don't notice!

bearbutt · Post by **bearbutt** » 08/01/21 11:39

Here's a couple of hook charts I use. I am partial to Mustads for dries--especially Haystacks (94838) and Bombers (9671). I also use them a lot for flymphs (94842) and wets (7948, 7957 and 3399). Keep in mind I use vintage hooks--and love the deep dark bronzing. I'm also partial to Partridge and Allcock hooks--the Partridge L2A and L3A hooks especially.

For very small hooks--22/24 I prefer Tiemcos--better tempering.

Like Patlen, I'll use pretty much anythign, and it's always fun finding a weird hook like VMC or Seeley and finding it works just right for the whatever you are tying int he moment.

bb'

Brian K. Shaffer · Post by **Brian K. Shaffer** » 08/01/21 12:49

Being color blind takes something out of fly tying for me - I will say that.
Ants and beetles are my favorites and will be for the next 47 years too...

Often times recently I have tied on the Mustad Signature series hooks... but less so on the old style.
If I have it in stock - I have used anything else actually.

Like was mentioned - I had troutble with smashing down the barbs of Mustad hooks... in large sizes they are pretty big.
If could see the giant barb on a Mustad in the clear box I would instead buy a tinier barbed hook on purpose from any other brand.
That is easy now to see past.

Many of the opinions expressed in this thread have opened my eyes to tying on the old style.
They do seem to be available when needed too.
Many thanks for the help to all.

That's a ton of work to put together a hook chart like that - thanks for sharing it here.

Caneghost · Post by **Caneghost** » 08/01/21 15:48

Ahh memory; I miss it sometimes. Bearbutt is correct upon reflection, the K1A's were Partridge. Still broke as did many Mustads. Mustad 28's were the little gold ones Ed Shenk showed me, and they made some bronzed ones too. May still have some. Daiichi's are my first choice, and I like the Sprite hooks I have bought from Dette's the past year or so.
I took to tying 28 ants on short shank 24 hooks with extra steel fore and aft. The falls subsided before I could give them a real test, but they did work.

I still have some big, ugly Mustad bass hooks but have not tied a bass fly in perhaps twenty years. Have some saltwater Mustads too, ditto.

ctwhite · Post by **ctwhite** » 08/01/21 16:02

I'm certain there'll be more scorching heat and humidity but the air today has me thinking of Fall. And then there's this discussion. Time to start tying for September...

IMG_6144 by Craig White, on Flickr

JFL · Post by **JFL** » 08/02/21 00:40

For dry flies, size 10-18 I use only the Mustad Signature R50X-94845 Fly Hook. Have been using this one since it first came out. Easy to tie small tiny bodied flies. Love how it hooks and have never had any issue with it beeing too soft. Once in a while I get a hook with open eye, but that goes for all the brands.

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