To set the stage, I have always tied Atlantic Salmon flies so I am used to really big hooks of say 2 manufacturers, Partridge and Mustad. Well, last year, I started to venture into tying some trout flies and well as you can imagine, my hook selection is not real plentiful so I have to order them. There are a few patterns that I pick up off places like FAOL that use specific hooks, and to quantify, if I can use another hook that I already have I do so for cost reasons. There are some patterns however that use a hook that I want to order and with hook sizings being so different, how do I know which one to order without actually seeing them (a picture that is blown up so the thing is 3 inches long when in reality it is a # 18 hook does not help much).
My latest quest is for Daiichi 1130 hooks, but, I don’t know if I should order 12,14 or 16. Does anyone have this problem, and is there any place that has them lying on graph paper or beside a ruler for sizes? I could order all 3 sizes that I might use evetually, but that would just add to the pile of hooks.
For smaller hook like that I only buy every second size, I don’t see the need to have a flybox full one fly in 4 or 5 different sizes. If the fish are being that picky its best if I were doing something else.
If your throwing around sizes 12, 14 & 16 just buy the 14.
Hi Dwight:
You most likely know of WW Doak as they are close by you.
Their hooks, which are under fly tying on their site, are laid out in 1/4" graph paper, none of the 1130s though, but ordering the size 14 would be a good place to start.
Yes, I should have included the WW Doak reference (they are great guys and I buy local most of the time), I would say that I have purchased probably 85% of my fly tying stuff there (not to mention rod, reel, spool and other stuff), and I do like the hooks on graph paper, kindof puts it into perspective. Maybe I will shoot for the #14 in the 1130.
I started tying not that long ago and aquiring hooks. I found that I needed different styles but not in every size. It’s best to pick some patterns that you will enjoy fishing and start there instead of buying hooks to buy hooks. In other words one of the staples that I throw are bead head buggers. I have to have some streamer hooks. Then scud patterns are very popular and I needed some scud hooks. I like the idea of not trying to buy every size. I also just don’t tie anything smaller than about a 16 and just a few of them. If I had to pick two sizes to start with it would be 10s and 14s. 8s to 14s cover 98% of everything that I throw.
I keep about 10 styles of hooks in 3 sizes each, except for streamer hooks. I keep 5 sizes of them because I use them for more different types of flies than the others. I can tie any fly that I need with these selections. I use Cabelas hooks, because they are only around $7.00 per 100, and they are as good as it gets. You don’t need every size and style out there. Many flies can be tied on different hooks. Example: Almost all nympths can be tied on curved nympth hooks. Stimulators are tied on curved hooks. So just use curved hooks for both and eliminate the extra stock. Streamers, crawfish, shrimp and hoppers can all be tied on the same hooks.
Figure out which styles and sizes you’ll be using the most of, and how many can be used for more than one type of fly, and go from there. You seldom need more than 3 sizes of each style.
My Janns Netcraft cat. has a couple of charts showing sizes and shapes on some of the popular brands…don’t know if they sponsor the site so sorry if it is wrong to mention them.
“I use Cabelas hooks, because they are only around $7.00 per 100, and they are as good as it gets.”
I also try to only purchase my hooks by the 100 count and was interested in your statement. I checked Cabella’s and found none that could be purchased for $7.00 per hundred. I did fine some of their Eagle Claw brand that could. Am I missing something here?
Click on the below link for a photo of the different sizes of Daiichi 1130 Wide Gape Scud Hooks complements of JS Fly Fishing
1130 Wide Gape Scud Hook
by: Daiichi
SKU: HK-051130-0000
Product Overview:
Continuous bend, down eye, 1X short shank, 1X fine wire, forged; Uses: scud, shrimp, grubs, pupae, nymphs; Sizes 10 - 16 in packs of 25 hooks, or Multi?Pack of 10 hooks in each of 4 popular sizes in a re?usable 4?compartment hook box.
Does anyone have this problem, and is there any place that has them lying on graph paper or beside a ruler for sizes?
This is going off topic a bit, I know exactly what you are saying and this concerns me too. Once I had so many little packets of hooks from different people that I decided to put all of them in a compartment box with say all fine standard 14’s together, all 2x 14’s together and so on. The difference between manufacturers was immediately obvious and very frustrating. I am still trying to sort out the mess I inadvertently created for myself. I can tie 12 perfect little flies and line them up, and they look like different sizes.
The only solution I know of is to stick to one manufacturer or the variation seems inevitable. If anyone knows any way to make a comparison I would like to know it too.
I had a similar problem, I ‘inherited’ a large collection of Mustad hooks that were sorted into indivdual containers but not labeled. I was having a heck of a time trying to sort them out.
I was able to order a catalog from the manufactor that had a 1:1 scale image of each hook size and shape. This has helped me considerably. I think most manufactors have such catalogs, intended for a reseller or fly shop, not the general public.
I just look at the hook and if it looks like it is the size I want to tie the fly on, I do it.
As flies get destoryed I throw them in a bowl. every once in a whiel I clean al lthe stuff off those hooks and leave them in the bowl. As I tie I take the hooks out of there first to tie flies on.
I just don’t worry if they all aren’t exactly the same size.
Then I am not anywhere near a purist.
No. It just means that they have gone up (like everything else) drastically since the last time I bought them. I just ordered some myself and was shocked at what it cost me to re-stock…well over $100.00! I suppose it’s just a function of inflation.
[LEFT]1000 hooks you pick style and sizes in 100 packs - $68.00 - 10% = $61.20 that’s only $6.12 per hundred. Or 100 hooks for $7.25 - 10% = $6.53 per hundred. Or 1000 hooks all one size and style in 1000 packs - $58.00 - 10% = $52.20 or $5.22 per hundred. Great offer for fly clubs, custom tyers, commercial tyers.[/LEFT]
Dwight, I don’t know where you could get comparison pics of all hooks. But I did make this one for you on the Daiichi 1130 in sizes 12-16. Hope this helps. John
OhioFly: I wondered about those Togen hooks. I’ve seen them advertised, and for the price, they sound too good to be true. Do they hold their points well? I have some hooks, I won’t mention the name, I can’t even sharpen.
I have bought some of the togen hooks, the nymph hooks have been great, but the streamer hooks are brittle (atleast the one I got), they snap off at the bend.
Those pictures are PERFECT, just what I was looking for. Now I can compare them for size at least with some of my other trout hooks.
Thanks alot, this has been a great discussion, good to see that I am not the only one with size challenges. I typically say with a few select hooks but every once in a while (which lately has been frequent) I want to try something new with a little different “chassis”.
I read that by streching a string between two points and then hanging hooks off of it, that you can sort hooks fairly easily. Small differences will stand out much better this way. This is for you guys with many different style hooks in a box.
Except in two cases I buy only Mustad. I keep them in Umpqua hook boxes that have 21 compartments. I do have a lot of sizes in each style so I now have 4 boxes for a total of 16 styles in many sizes that is a total of 84 different hooks. I know this is a lot but they tie almost any fly I tie. My hook sizes range from #20 all the way up to #3/0. I find these boxes keep my hooks seperated real well. John
—sagefisher—