Scott,
Can you give me a Substitute Hook for this fly please ?? BPS dose not carry them. Also is there a there a hook that can be use to cover most flies like this ??
I have found the easiest way to find what hook I can substitute is to look up the hook specified and see the characteristics of the hook.
For instance the hook he calls is Turned up eye, Heavy wire, Standard Length, Salmon Bend, Forged and a Black finish.
So I went to Bass Pro and found a Gamakatsu Salmon/Steelhead hook T10-6H and it is described as a Wet Fly hook - that means it is a heavy wire hook. And it has a Tapered Bend (?) and has a turned up eye. The description does not specify long or short so I would assume it is a standard length. For me this hook would be close enough.
You can also look for fly tying hook conversion charts but I have never seen ONE that covers all the brands and all the sizes.
I am sure someone will chime in with another way to figure out a substitute but this has worked for me for quite some time. I am also fly-shop challenged as the closest fly shop to me is also a Bass Pro Shop, in Nashville.
I buy the Dai Riki 799s from Blue Quill Angler; they have very good prices and free shipping on any order over $5.00. If you want to use an inexpensive salmon hook, the Mustad 36890 would work. Allen Flyfishing carries a salmon hook at a reasonable price, too. You could also tie them on Mustad 3366s - a straight eye hook that I use for freshwater Clousers; those are real cheap (price, not quality) and very versatile.
