Featured Sponsor - O. Mustad & Son A.S.
Mustad started manufacturing and selling hooks in the 1870s, and it?s likely that if you have been tying flies for more than just a couple decades your first fly tying hooks were Mustad hooks.
Featured Sponsor - O. Mustad & Son A.S. - October 25, 2010
Featured Sponsor - O. Mustad & Son A.S.
Mustad started manufacturing and selling hooks in the 1870s, and it?s likely that if you have been tying flies for more than just a couple decades your first fly tying hooks were Mustad hooks.
I have been using Mustads for 44+ years. If I have ever had a Mustad hook fail me, I don't remember it. They have always been affordable, and most importantly, reliable. My ONLY "complaint" has ,and continues to be, the return loop eyes on the 9575 streamer hooks as well as the salmon hooks. I would love for Mustad to put a little longer return loop as well as a fine taper to the loop on these hooks. It wouldn't hurt for the salmon hooks to have a little style/flair, and NOT look so much like a 94840 with a turned up eye. Just some wishful thinking! I will say that up to now the fish could care less about the return loop eye, but many tiers I know, have commented (to me) that the return loop was too abrupt (not tapered enough) for them.
Back in the very early 70s I was tying some #28 spent wing midge/trico patterns to fish for some of the extremely selective (picky) trout on Spring Crick at Fishermans Paradise, here in Penna. I remember using nylon sewing thread for the tippet on the #28s.
Short story - (LOL!!!) I remember going to Beckies (Barry) Fly Shop in Berwick, Pa., back in the early 70s to purchase some items - sparkle yarn, my first vice, white & yellow polypro for wings, and a book on nymphs(Schwiebert). Two reasons why I remember this. 1. I still have this stuff after all these years. This stuff has traveled with me for 20+ years in the military to at least 3 foriegn countries and 7+ states and back to within 8 houses from which I started. 2. Beckie(Barry) gave me a " bakers dozen" free flies (my pick) with my purchase. I only remember one. A #28 yellow midge pattern on a gold hook. I believe the hook had an up-turned eye. I remember that fly because I was once again fishing Spring crick, the Paradise section. There used to be a much deeper run at the foot bridge. There were always some fish sipping at the bridge and almost everyone who crossed the bridge would try for those trout. Needless to say, those fish saw every fly under the sun thrown at them. I was no different. I was pretty much down to the last fly when I saw that little #28 yellow fly - what the heck, I tied it on (nylon sewing thread). I tried for the fish that was snubbing me all along. I expected more of the same, so when that fish rose up and took that little fly I was so surprised that I set the hook WAYYY too hard. That little fly was gone in a flash with a trout attached to it - GROAN! Darn, I liked that fly!
Best regards, Dave S.
Good hooks, reasonable price. I use them a lot, and will continue to do so.
I have had a few bad ones over the last few years (bumpy or pitted metal). I just throw those away. I have broken some when bending the barbs down, but I'm sure this is completely MY fault, rather than the hooks fault. One day I'll learn to debarb BEFORE tying the fly!
David Merical
St. Louis, MO
I remember back in 1988 when I bought a fly tying kit. The man at the ff store handed me a box of hooks to go along with my purchase. That is when I was introduced to Mustad hooks. 22 years later I still use Mustad.
Trout don't speak Latin.
3 Cheers for the 3906 !
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