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The problem is....the 3609 & the 3399 series hooks are each a different series hook. So there is no direct comparison.
The 3609B is 1XL or 1 eye length longer than the 3609.
When comparing the 3399A to the 3609....the only noticeable difference is that it is 2 eye lengths longer. The 3399 series is also standard wire which makes it more compatable to dry fly applications than the 3609 series hooks.
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In looking at the hooks in hand, with very few holes between sizes 8 and 18 it appears the gap differences are continued across the three series. The 3906B is wider and the 3399 is narrower when compared to the 3906.
The wire in the 3399 is finer than in the other two.
Again, the new system is supposed to address these issues and new specification designations are different from the old for those reasons.
art
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Looking at the slight difference in those three hooks tells me a great deal.
I could tie the same fly on any of them and catch fish.
To my mind, they are basically interchangeable wet fly/nymph hooks.
So, when looking online for hook deals, I'll buy the ones I can get the most of for the best price.
Thanks guys.
Buddy
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Difference
Remember Mustad has recently changed their hook lines. The old or classic hooks might be slightly different than their Signature series. I'd have to agree with Steven's listings. The 3906B is/was definitely heavier and longer than the 3399A. The 3906 is heavier than the 3399A or 3399. It may be slightly shorter, but not by much. All these hooks are sproat bend. The 3906 and 3906B were originally ring eyed. The 3399 and 3399A were originally ball eyed.
It is rather confusing.
Mark
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For my own use I tied at least a couple hundred scuds each year on the 3906B, sizes 12-16, bent to hump slightly down pretty well forward. I would not do that with the 3399.
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This thread is gonna get printed out and put in my 3-ring binder. Some fantastic side-by-side comparison and whatnot. Thanks for the clarification, guys!
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For what its worth I can tell you the 3399A is slightly longer than a 3399,the 3399A up my way is used a lot for butt bugs like the green machine.That is the hook W.W. Doak in New Brunswick uses for their butt bugs.
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3399 vs. 3906
I'm with Mark Libertone (Softhackle). I like the 3399 for wets, and prefer it to the 3906. I've heard some say there is no real difference but to me there is. Without getting into specs and eye lengths, for me the real difference is at the eye. The 3906 seemingly has a tiny "ramp" where the shank leads down to the eye, and the 3399 doesn't, and I like a wet fly hook that doesn't. The 3906B I always thought of as a nymph hook, and it's longer. The slight ramp down to the eye is quite problematical for me, and my thread always seems to go down there and get caught in the eye. Maybe it's simply the shape of the eye, I don't know, but there is a decided difference, at least for me.
Eric