A place to discuss the collecting and tying of classic flies, the tyers who made them famous, the tools, materials and techniques they used as well as the waters they were designed for. While classic is generally used to describe old things, classic is also used in the sense of first class or in the highest form. Therefore a fully dressed Salmon Fly, or a Carrie Stevens Streamer are just as much classics as a Chernobyl Ant would be. Enjoy the forum.
I know inflation is apparent in our world today. No worries, as the value of my home has skyrocketed in the last couple of years. Good for me, right? But I went to the local fly shop the other day to pick up a couple of hundred hooks. When I was told what the cost was, I dam near vapor locked. $45.00 per hundred? Really? Now know why the fly shops are selling flies for $3.00 or more per fly. Wow! Still glad I tie my own though. If I had to buy flies, I think I'd be playing more golf than fishing. Am I the only one who has seen this increase in hooks?
That is certainly more than you would pay online (especially during a sale), so perhaps it's the cost of supporting your local fly shop. Like Blackdog, I've somewhat recently become acquainted with WFC and I'm very happy. If you're interested, PM me your address and I will mail you some hooks to try/compare to what you're using now.
I looked at the price of hooks the other day and was surprised as well. Having said that, I've bought hooks for years from Togens Fly Shop (https://togensflyshop.com). They are based in Canada and 100 hooks will run you around $11 USD. I've tied hundreds of flies on these hooks and never had an issue.
Then as it was, then again it will be. Though the course may change sometimes, rivers always reach the sea. - Led Zeppelin, 10 Years Gone
J.Stockard has been having hook sales the past couple of weeks. Even at full price at my fly shops, I've been paying around $7.50 per 25 and about $25 per 100.
You must have bought some very special hooks at $45 per hundred. T brand I'll bet as they are hitting close to $10 for a 25 pack at various outlets. I have used Daiichi for years and their prices remained the same for a long time, now around $25 per hundred.
For the past 2 or 3 years Dette Flies sold and even distributed Sprite hooks which I liked very much. Retailed for $8.00 for a 50 pack. Sadly they stopped carrying them, though I got what I could at closeout. They can be ordered online I believe from the company in England.
...a wink of gold like the glint of sunlight on polished cane...
TMC 100s are my favorite dry fly hook. They are running now at $32.50/100 hooks. I usually wait and buy them when they go on sale.
I just looked around and Trout Hunter has marked down the TMC 100s' price to $5.25/25 hooks, which is $21.00/100 hooks. I think I might buy some more. :-)
Living across the pond makes ordering hooks a nightmare. In Europe hooks never are on sale but in the US sales are very frequently.
Getting them shipped from the fly shop is a no go as shipping & handling is at least $20-25. If I see a hook I need/want that’s for sale I let the hooks ship to a friend. The hooks are put in zip lock bag and between an old postcard and mailed as a letter.
Buying cheap hooks is throwing good money after bad. I picked up some by Core at a good price. In the process of crushing barbs I broke 5 out of 12 hooks. They all went in the trash. I’ll stick with Fulling Mills, Gamakatsu and Hanak and pay for the better quality.
Hooks I won’t buy are Core, Ahrex, Mustad and Firehole.
I find it odd that some have no issue paying $2G for a rod but raise the price of a hook by a nickel and all hell breaks loose.
Last edited by PYochim on 01/29/23 14:17, edited 2 times in total.
TMC 100s are my favorite dry fly hook. They are running now at $32.50/100 hooks. I usually wait and buy them when they go on sale.
I bought a 100 pack of TMC 100 for $28.83 (with tax?) at AvidMax last fall. Just checked their website and for sizes 16 & 26 they're coming up at $26.85/100. I'll have to keep Trout Hunter in mind....
If they have what i need i still buy Eagle Claw.ONLY hooks made in the USA.Many of the onliners fly shops repackage chinese made hooks.Size 12 barbless dry fly hooks i buy by the 100s at less than 5 dollars.Same goes for Mustad sproats,3 per hundred.These are NOS.Have had many high end hooks i bought when i started tying break many times.Over tempered and brittle.Just tested some in the vise.Tossed quite a few.Not losing fish over a freaking defective hook which has happened.Not only lose a fish,lost time and materials at the vise,lost fishing time etc.When i get the china hooks,most of them are these days,I test to see if they break or bend.If a couple break they go in the garbage.
$45.00 per hundred? Really? Now know why the fly shops are selling flies for $3.00 or more per fly. Wow! Still glad I tie my own though. If I had to buy flies, I think I'd be playing more golf than fishing. 
