Simplifying Hook Inventories

[oldfrat]

The recent posts by tying newbies leads me to ask a question I asked once before. Fly recipes specify certain hooks and, if you follow the recipes, you will end up owning a lot of different hook packages. Do any of you cut down on your hook inventories by buying only a few hooks types and sizes and then substituting them in the official recipes? If so, how?

(FWIW, I currently own at least 40 packages of hooks in different models and sizes and I know this is silly.)

[steveks]

To down size my hook inventory I only buy one style of saltwater hook That I tie clousers on. Also it was hard to tell my wife that I needed saltwater hooks since I live in Kansas. Other than that I would like to see ideas on how to not buy so many sizes and styles.

[DG]

I solve that problem by not reading recipes, and just tying flies.

I use a handful of hook styles, in a handful of sizes. I do have my preferences, but since I tie flies to fish, I don't worry too much about the "proper" hook.

[Sonny Edmonds]

I saw these magnetic hook boxes at my local shop and got one.
Works really good for me. I just pick my hook with my tweezers and clamp it up and tye.
(Except for the two #28 that shot away. Still haven't found them. )



I'd like to get a few more of them because they are really handy!
I can turn it upside down and narry a hook moves from the magnetic white bottom of it. (not even the bigger hooks). And the stickers came with it.

[Panman]

Old Frat. I agree that if you follow the recipe you can end up ith a bunch of different hook packages. But I don't think the recipes are written in stone and must be followed exactly. If you try to stick to hooks from one manufacturer rather than several this can cut down on your inventory. For instance Hook & Hackle has a chart that shows what hooks are about the same between manufacturers. I try to stick with Mustad because of the price. In addition you can substitute hooks within the same manufacturer. For instance Mustad made a 3399A, a 3399 and a 3366. When I see a recipe calling for one of those 3 hooks I just use a 3366. So far the fish haven't seemed to mind.

Tim

[hap]

Jo-Ann Fabrics carries a box with 14 individually opening compartments in two sizes for dirt cheap, especially if you watch their sales. Just counted 16 of those with virtually all compartments full. That is just trout fly hooks.

There are several other boxes for saltwater and a couple big boxes with salmon fly hooks... And we still manage to end up with assorted boxes kicking around! There is no end to it and giving up right now is the only thing you can do.

Welcome to the Dark Side!
art

[Normand]

inventory schminventory!!

i too have way too many hooks that i'll probably never ever use, but its an addiction. what if i want to tie that pattern and dont have the hook called for.



probably time to do some weeding of weak ones!

[coughlin]

I don't worry so much about hook style, though I'm a sucker for a fly with the upturned eye. Anyway, I just figure on the size I need and then see what I have. I keep my dry fly hooks in pill containers, the one that has the days of the week on it. Nymphs and streamers stay in the packages they came in.
Coughlin

[NJTroutbum]

In reality, a standard Mustad dry fly hook, can be used to tie any fly. Weight it for nymphs if need be. Some 4x long for streamers. The rest of them are more for fishermen than the fish. That being said, I have way to many hooks on my bench

[JohnScott]

What DG said.

To elaborate, I've got an inventory based on several types of hooks from one company ( Dai-Riki ). Dry fly hooks, scud / emerger hooks, streamer hooks, hopper hooks, etc. And the variety of sizes in each of those types of hooks to tie what I want to fish.

Those hooks will accomodate virturally any pattern / recipe that I run across that I want to try. Maybe its not a problem because I don't find many new patterns that strike me as better than the ones I've been using.

John