The smallest hook made, as many of you know, was the Mustad 277 size 32. As you also know, Mustad stopped production of these hooks years ago and are nearly impossible to find. Well, I did, and was wondering if anyone knows how much a half of a box (50 or so) might actually be worth in $$'s?
Just looking for a numerical answer if someone has come across this subject, not a philosophical one.
Thanks.
A guy was selling those for 5$ each on this board a while back.
I’m sure if you check back through the older posts on this sub-forum, you’ll find a post or two about a fly tied on a Mustad size 40! Supposedly there was just one small production run of those back in the 70’s, and every now and then, some will turn up.
I’ve got some TMC 101 size 24’s, and I’ve tied a couple flies with those. A size 32 (or smaller) is just pure insanity!
A rod builder might be an investor for custom inlays, otherwise many would probably purchase a few more for replacing those that were shot out of a vise before even getting dressed with thread disappearing into space &/or for gag birthday gifts.
Several years ago I bought a box of 100 for $50.00 on Ebay. That was the last box I have seen in some time. Individually I have seen them go from $5 to 10 each.
I tie flies on the Mustad #32’s, so I am always interested in finding a good opportunity to buy them at a reasonable price. But scarcity drives the price up, even if it’s just for collector’s items. Someone who has purchased them for investment purposes is looking for payback. Keep looking for auctions where there’s fly tying supplies for sale. This is a good chance for a buy, as not too many tiers tie on them.
Are your 32’s blind eye, because the ones I have are.
Really nice, Don01 !!
Hi Don,
Perhaps a dozen years ago, Hans W. sent out these 32s (1 each) to tiers all over the world hoping we, or at least some of us would, tie a pattern and send it back to him. I was afraid to take mine out of the envelope (true but I’m LOL anyway). Some time later Hans photographed the flies that had been sent back to him and placed the photos on his web site. The flies were truly amazing. Unfortunately, and I don’t know why, the photos have since disappeared. I think you had tied one of the flies. Anyway, thanks for the response and I do have a question that you can answer:
How do you manage to grip the hook in order to tie anything?
Thanks again,
Allan
I’m getting ready to tie some 32’s for an upcoming club tying event at Cabalas. I’ll take some photographs of the hook mounted in the vise, the bobbin and thread, etc. and post them for you. If my eyes are still good enough at 65 to tie without glasses or magnification, that would be pretty good. It’s been a while since I wrapped up one of these babies (literally). I’m also thinking of a streamer on the #34 VMC if I can find wing feathers small enough.
Here is a photo of a #32 Royal C in the midge vise, but there’s nothing in the photo for size reference.
Quite the accomplishment! Well done!
I once watched Lee Wulff, about a year before he died, tie a #28 Royal Wulfff without the aid of vise. He was in his 80’s at the time, so it can be done.
I have #28’s, and I tied without a vise for years when I started. I’ll have to give that a shot. My fingers might be too big, but we’ll see.
I’ll tie mine without a bobbin, also, as I didn’t have one until I got the vise.
Bob - There’s a DVD of Lee Wulff tying 5 flies, including a grizzly hackle on a size 28 Mustad hook, without a vise. Title of the dvd is, Lee Wulff On The Beaverkill. It was made just a couple of months before he died. This hook is about the same size as the Tiemco 32 which are both at least 2x larger then the Mustad 32.
Don - The gape on the VMC looks about the same as the 32. I wonder if the designation as a 34 is just marketing so the company can say, ‘smallest hook ever’?
In an earlier post someone mentioned a size 40. You ever hear of that or see such a hook?
Allan
That would be me. I could have sworn I read about someone tying a size 40 in a post somewhere here on FOAL. It’s probably buried somewhere in the back of the Fly Tying Forum, or the Warm Water forum. Those are the two that I’ve got all the way to the back and started reading through posts to “present day”. That was a few years ago.
I remember the gist of the post being that someone was going to do a demo of a fly at the tying show, and had acquired a size 40 hook. That person had to split some thread down and spool that thread onto a bobbin, plus prep other materials. They tied the fly, and a few other people took out magnifiers, looked at it, and one of them noticed that the fly had a woven body ?
I should have bookmarked that post…
I was in Hans SFP too, Allan It took me three hooks to get the fly tied. Hans sent me a second one after the first one popped out of the jaws. I lost that one trying to get it seated in the jaws. Tony Spezio sent me the third one which I finally got the fly tied on. Weird thing is that I found both hooks I lost cleaning up around my desk a couple of weeks later. Gave one to a local tyer, Rick Ross, who was involved in the project and the second one to the owner of the local fly shop I frequent. I tied a few on the Tiemco size 32 but those days are long gone, best I can do these days is an size 18 or 20. I think Hans switched servers and for some reason the pictures of the SFP didn’t make the transfer.
To bad they got lost. The flies, I recall some of them, were really amazing.
