I’ve recently joined this board after having read the long but informative thread on Mustad dropping their classic series fly hooks and going with the Signature series.
I’ve been tying for about 3 years now and in the interest of sanity (not to mention my bank account) decided at some point a year or so ago to “standardize” on Mustad hooks and to try and limit the number of different hook types I need. To that end I decided to use the 3906b for most of my nymph/wet/flymph ties.
I’m now in need of some 3906b hooks and while I know I can still find them have decided that since they are being discontinued and the replacement is the S82 I might as well begin getting the replacement hook since I’ll have to eventually.
What bothers me with the new hook is that if you go by Mustad’s coding system, this hook is 3x heavy and 2x long whereas the 3906b was 2x heavy and 1x long. I realize I maybe shouldn’t compare the specs of the 2 hooks but I’m concerned the new replacement is going to be much longer than the 3906b. I’ve sent a PM to Dr. Fish but no answer yet.
Has anyone purchased the S82 hook and compared it to the 3906b to see if they are, in fact, comparable in size? I’m not as concerned with weight, I’m more concerned with length.
This whole exercise in desperation is a joke. Mustad is just trying to play catch-up with the other Oriental imports touted as being sharper and at the same time double their prices. Most individual anectdotes about Mustad hook breakage or an odd misshapen bend are mostly singular experiences. These complainers have really gone overboard. While a lot of lower cost private label hooks are very poor I’ve been sampling hooks from Cabela’s and especially Eagle Claw that are American made. The Eagle Claw aren’t bad at all if they have enough styles to suit you
get yourself an adult beverage and take some time reading this thread especially the replies from dr fish, a mustad representative. it may provide you with some answers.
Hi Steve. This might be the time to maybe not go with the direct conversion. If you go to mustad’s site, you may be able to get a picture of the hook and see if the length of the new is that much more than the old. If so, consider one of the other new Signatures to take its place. I’m in the process of changing over as well, but I think I’m going to stick with Mustad as my primary hook. I will change brands if I think I need a hook shape not available from Mustad, but I’m not worried about Mustad’s quality.
I’m sure I’ll be corrected, but I believe the difference between the two DESCRIPTIONS is more about the 3906B being described wrong than the S82 being different from it.
All of these new hooks are going into the Signature line which are “proportionally correct” hooks between sizes. In other words, as the hook size changes the wire size, barb, eye, length, gape all change proportionally to the size. The old 3906B was 1X longer than what, the 3906? It was 2X heavier than what, the 94840? This is the problem with comparing apples to oranges.
I have a feeling when Mustad made the switch from the 3906B to the S82, they picked a point of reference in the Signature line and based their S82 description on that so it is now described as 3X heavy and 2X long because of what it is being compared against, versus how it compares to what it replaced.
All that gobbledygook means I have a feeling the S82 & the 3906B have relatively the same dimensions. I could be wrong, I often am but we’ll know for sure when you hear from Dr. Fish.
One thing is certain. The new hooks are going to cost more than the old classic style. Supposedly, this shift came about because no one wants the old style. Bull Poop! Tyers are scrambling to pick up the remaining old (and much cheaper) classics. You won’t be buying new wetfly hooks for $8-$9 dollars a hundred. 8T
I’m buying ALL my fly tying hooks for less than $9/100. Much less. Nice hooks, too. I do have to buy in reasonable quantity, but I have no problems with that…
I don’t want to ‘promote’ a non sponsor here, but if you are interested, send me a PM and I’ll hook you up…
What is the baseline for Mustad’s Proportional system? Is it the old 94840 dry fly (or whatever it is called now?)
I mean, what is 0x fine, 0x heavy, 0x wide, 0x long, etc? Where is the beginning, that all proportions are made from? I want to buy that hook, then base further purchases off of that one.
According to Mustad’s website, the standard for their signature hooks is the R50 which is their replacement for the 94840. More info can be found here:
I haven’t had to purchase any yet so I don’t know how close the R50 is to the 94840. That’s why I initially asked my question - has anyone actually bought the S82 and physically compared it to the 3906b. I just want confirmation that it’s close.
LEt me know what sizes you are interested in and I can let you know what the differences are between the 3906B and the S82-3906B.
As for why each has different nomenclature, Bamboozle pretty much nailed it. There was no set standard back in the day so the rating of strength and length are all over the place on some of the Classics while with the Signature series, we set the R50-94840 as the standard length and standard strength hook. All other hooks in the series are compared to this hook.
Dr. Fish , while you are here, maybe you can tell me why a hook would be labeled Dry/wet. I realize you can use hooks for both but does the Dry/wet designation mean they are “twinners” and not ideal for either?
Having purchased a whole set of the new S82’s to replace my 3906B’s, I was disappointed in the description overall. The S82 box says it was a replacement for the 3906B but it is not. Don’t get me wrong, they are good hooks, but they were considerably larger than the older style. A S82 sz#14 is a sz#12 3906B in length. The hook gap does seem larger which is a + in my book.
Long story short:
If you want a Mustad replacment for the 3906B, buy S80’s.
On a side note, the S71SZ looks to be a good remake of the old 3366S. My old Clouser hook is back.
I sent you a PM on this last week but basically I want to make sure the S82 is “close” in length to the 3906b. I’m trying to limit the number of different hook styles I need to have and had settled on the 3906b for my nymphs, and wets/flymphs that I use. I tie in sizes from 10-18.
I know I have to get away from comparing hook descriptions (1x long, 2x heavy, etc) as I’m comparing apples to oranges which is why I want to make sure the S82 length is close to the 3906b.
Gregbst - just saw your post. Thanks for the info.
