I was in one of the local fly shops buying some tying supplies including hooks and the shop person helping me made a negative comment about Mustad hooks. The store sells Mustad hooks as well as 3 other brands. I was a bit surprised as I have used Mustad hooks for several years for many of my flies and find them to be a good all around hook for the price. I am interested in what others are hearing and experiencing on this subject.
Thanks in advance for your input.
Dr Bob
I have been using Mustad hooks for all my tying for over 14 years and I have no complaints with them. I like the price and the quality suits my needs. Every once in a while I will find a hook with a bad eye or something, but, 1 bad hook out of a box of 100 every once in a while does not bother me. Others will have their favorite brand and that is fine. I have no negative comments to make about any brand of hook. I buy Mustads in the 100 count and I am pleased with them. I like their price and I do not tie commercially so the only person I have to please is myself.
Bob -
I know quite a few fellows who tie exclusively with Mustad and continue to be quite satisfied with them. I personally prefer Dai-Riki, but I do use some Mustad hooks and have not had any problems with them.
John
P. S. How is Woodinville these days. I moved there in '85 ( Bear Creek Highlands ) when it was still just a small town, and stayed a couple years before moving to Issaquah. Last time I was through there, '05, I was overwhelmed by the growth. Still a beautiful area, generally, but way too crowded for me anymore.
I’ve heard claims that the Mustad hooks will open up and let a big fish get off. The guys who say it always heard about if from someone else. Has it actually ever happened to anyone on this board? I really doubt it.
I use Mustad almost all of the time for my tying. I have never had a problem with them. I have purchased many thousands of them and have only found 2 bad ones in all of the ones I have purchased. They are one of the best buys in hooks on the market in my opinion. Just my 2 cents worth. John
The rumors have gotten so bad in the SF Bay Area that many shops don’t sell Mustad or have a very small selection. It is all based on word of mouth with no one actually claiming they personally have had a bad experience.
The Mustads I have used have been excellent. I have yet to have an issue. I can’t say that with some of the ‘in’ brands the shops sell (read: push).
I use mustad a lot and have never once had a problem with them. I love how easy it is to pinch down their babr without breaking the hook. They are a great hook, and my favorite brand. The word of mouth thing could be from the “up-tightness” of brand loyalty and pig-headedness. People have their likes and dislikes and that is ok, but most of what I hear wrong with mustad, I nor have anyone I have fished with (or know) has seen or expereinced what people are saying. Of course if a hook lets go, it is not going to matter what brand oyu use, the issue is the fish might just be too big for the hook. It can happen with any brand. You arent going to land a blue fin tuna on a 22 dry fly hook.
Phil
I am not a old hand at tying flies and have only tie crappie jigs for about 2 years and I guess it’s just me but I don’t like Mustad hooks in general. I guess I got spoiled using Gamakatsu back in the 90’s fishing for bass mostly and I got started on them because they come so sharp and stay that way.
I got totally pushed away by hooks that need to be sharpened and I am sure many will disagree with me, but like I said I got spoiled.
Gamakatsu hooks cost s ton compared to others like Mustad or Eagle Claw so soon after I started tying jigs the guy I got my jig heads from exposed me to Matuzo Sickle hooks and now that is almost the only hook I use in jigs. I use their Sickle and Regular bend hooks as much as possible. I do have a few Eagle Claw for customer request, but no Mustad at all.
When I started tying flies one of the places I buy materials sells Daiichi which I also know are sharp hooks so that is about 95% of all fly tying hooks I have. The only other hooks I have at all are the popper hooks with the little funny bend in the shank and if Daiichi made them i would have the Daiichi hooks for that too.
If Gamakatsu were not so high and they made every hook I needed they would be the only hook in my house!
There is a little test I learned and I use it a lot. Take your hook and put the point of the hook on your finger or thumb nail pointing in like you were going to stick it in and then drag it across the nail. If it’s dull it will slide with ease and if sharp it will try to dig in and you will scratch your nail.
What a shame I got so spoiled about hook sharpness, but when fishing for Large Mouth Bass and the big jaw bones you need a good sharp hook IMHO!
Anyway that is my 2 cents about hooks.
Skip
I used a micrometer and checked a small batch of hooks from Dai-ichi Dai Riki and Mustad the more expensive hooks were more consistant from hook to hook, but all were with in an acceptable range for me. I tie mostly on Dai-riki beceause that is what my local fly shop carries if they carried Mustad I would buy those. If my local fly shop is out and I have to mail order I buy mustad.
as far as hooks coming unbent, I leave enough in trees that if that was happening I would know it. The tippet breaks before the hook gives which is all that matters.
Eric
I tie a lot of flies each year. Maybe a couple of thousand. Most of them are tied on Mustad. It has been a while since I found one that was defective. All in all I think Mustad are the best buy for me as I have confidence in them and the price when compared to the other brands shows Mustad to be superior.
Plus - even though I give most of my flies away I really am a penny pincher.
Tim
Do any of you think the extra cost of Mustad’s Signature series is worth the difference?
When I started tying almost 30 years ago Mustad was the only brand readily available in a wide variety of styles and sizes. I used them for several years an had few complaints. Then Tiemco came on the scene. The Tiemco hooks were much sharper, the eyes were formed better, the barbs were smaller and my vise held them better(maybe a vise design issue). I have been using them for most of my tying since. I will say that I have used a few Mustad (signature) hooks lately and they seem to be good quality.
I also tie with Mustad hooks and have no issues with them.
However my preference swings toward Gamakatsu, Matzuo and Qwner hooks.
They all seem to be sharper than Mustad. Gamakatsu are in my opinion the sharpest of them all and I tie most of the flies with them despite the price.
Mustad hooks are very good value but that is not what I look for in hooks.
PS Gamakatsu fresh water fly hooks are very dangerous. You feel nothing when they go in. Pulling them out of your fingers is different story…
I have been fishing and tying for about 19 years. All I ever tied on and fished with is Mustad. A quality hook that is dependable, reliable, reasonably priced. I own close to 5,000 hooks of various types all in Mustad. I think this is some one who finally found one bad hook in a bunch or snagged a few under rocks, yanked them out and truly weekened them. Sorry, but Mustad is nothing but quality and a class act. Just my two cents worth.
Fontinalis
Personally, I think Mustad is OK but I like others more. Dai Riki and Tiemco are my preferred hooks. Mustad makes good hooks too when they are available in the same style and size, but often they are too expensive. Eagle claw is about even with Mustad or maybe just slightly behind them. If a hook straightens when a large fish is on then you are either using too light a leader, or too light a wire hook for that fish. I have never had that happen.
Daren
While I can’t say I tie exclusively on Mustad hooks I will say the make up 95% of what I use. The only hook I ever broke on a fish wasn’t a Mustad. I haven’t used them on anything larger than 10 lb steelhead but I’ve never broken a Mustad on a fish. I have really high confidence in there product and it’s quality. I’ve rarely run into any issues with sharpness, nicks, open or closed eyes, soft or brittle hooks, etc. I’m u[FONT=Verdana]napologetically a great fan and proponent of their hooks. Until someone comes along with something better that cost less I intend to continue to use them.[/FONT]
[FONT=Verdana]For what its worth, that’s my opinion. [/FONT]:tieone: I like 'em!
I think the issue that I have with Mustads is how sharp they are (they are not sharp). They also have HUGE barbs. That kind of sets you back when it comes to setting the hook. I personally tie with anything that has a chemically sharpened conical point. Mustad does not, so I don’t tie with them.
A good test is to lightly drag the hook point across your thumbnail If it sticks, or is very hard to drag, you have a good, sharp hook. If it does the electric slide across your nail, break out the file, and who wants to hand file every hook they use for tying?
FWIW, Cabela’s Brand hooks are actually made by Tiemco. They are $10.99 per 100.
People used to use the phrase, “The fish straightened out the hook”. Well I"m thinking that if fish loss was because the wire bent, that it would be something one could see, i.e. a bent or straightended out hook. If I bend a Mustad hook (offset, open, etc.) it stays that way so I’m thinking fish loss might not always be an issue with the hook.
Cheers,
MontanaMoose
I know Cabala’s gives a Tiemco equivalent…and it has been a long time…but the last time I ordered some Cabala’s hooks on their in house label was the exact model # of comparable Daiichi hooks…maybe they’ve made a change to Tiemco…as is said …“inquiring minds wonder”???
All that bad mouthing of Mustad is by people trying to get you to buy the more expensive Japanese hooks
Save your money