Discount Hooks?

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gibsygoldtop

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Jun 8, 2011
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Who is using the discount hooks? What are your thoughts? I have been using Daiichi, but at 6 bucks a pack they're starting to get a little pricey. I have been looking at Dai Riki's and J Stockards brand. I was on Allen's site as well.

Anyone have any thoughts on these? Using them?

Thanks!
 
I just recieved a $40 order from Allen hooks. Good so far, some of the eyes seem to be bigger than expected but that just makes finishing your fly easier. Tough to beat for $2.25 a pack.
 
I like the Jstockard nymph hooks. I do not, however, like their curverd nymph/scud hook. The curve is far to agressive.
 
I have become a big fan of Allen Hooks. I still use TMC or Mustad for some things, but I would guess I'm using 80% or more Allen. The quality is perfectly acceptable and the price and level of customer service they provide is fantastic.
Mike.
 
Yep Allen for me too.
 
I still have around 12,000 (thousand) mustads to use before I start to need certain types. For curved hooks and such I have and still use saber hooks (6.95/100)..
 
I ordered a couple packs of Allen's last night to check out. Reviews seem pretty good.
 
Allen hooks are great for the price. I just ordered some more today.
 
Saber hooks from flyshack.com work for me. Good price and good performance.
 
I just want to say that a saber hooks can not handle a steelhead with attitude, #censor# half of them bend in my vise.
 
go with allen hooks
 
I've been using Allen hooks since shortly after I started tying. The more expensive ones seemed a little sharper at times, and more consistent (I've gotten some Allen hooks with eyes that weren't completely closed), but Allen hooks have been great and *really* cheap. Shipping is generally free from them, they also have lots of tying beads and tools at reasonable prices. You can get discount fly boxes if you buy enough hooks (I just got 3 for free after putting in a $60 order - not excellent quality, but they work fine), and if you subscribe to their email list you'll know when they run their specials. I love their half price hook and bead specials!
 
(I've gotten some Allen hooks with eyes that weren't completely closed)

that can be said of ALL hook brands at one time or another

years ago, mustad was notorious for leaving the hook eye open. we just used a small build up of thread to remedy that situation

i have opened hook boxes from the most of the major brands and have found deformed hooks. some with odd bent shanks others with a flattened and unformed head.

i have ordered about $100 worth of allen hooks over the summer to replace the green caddis outfitters hooks. i havent gone into all of the allen hook bags to check for the odd ball hooks. i'll find them as i use them or not!
 
Allen. Work on the stream.
 
Some of the cheaper hooks I've tried were a little off on size.
The Dai-Riki dry fly hooks seemed significantly smaller than they should be IMO So much so, that I repackaged them - marking #12's as #14's, #14's as #16's, etc.
But other than that, their quality is pretty good
 
Dryflyguy that is odd because I have dai riki, mustad, tmc, and allen dry fly #14's in front of me and the dai riki's are the largest of the bunch slightly. Maybe that batch you got is packaged wrong or maybe mine are. My dai riki #22 dry fly are also slightly longer shank then my TMC #22 df.
 
Dcap -

The Dai Riki hooks I bought - about 2 years ago now - were model #305, standard wire/length dry fly hooks. And when I hold them up to a tiemco hook the same size, they are definitely shorter. Kinda look like a 2x short hook. Maybe they did get mislabeled somehow.
 
I think it's my hooks that are labeled wrong. I didn't buy them very long ago and Allen had a 50% off sale right after I bought them so
I haven't even really used them much. But after checking them out yesterday my #22's are 320's which are 1x and the 14's are labeled 305's but I'm thinking they are 300's or 320's as well. I found 2 egg type hooks in the 50 pack of 14's. If that got by them then a bad label could've gotten by as well. Mine also have a special label with the evening hatch name and logo on them. If they do special labels for every fly shop I'm sure they could easily screw it up. You must be right though because my 1x #22 is only very slightly longer than my tmc 100#22. And I mean just barely longer, only like the thickness of the wire longer.
 
Pricey or not, I buy the best hooks I can. You get what you pay for.

Quite a few years ago on Penns my dad lost the biggest brown trout I have ever seen swimming before or since (including the behemoths that come up out of Lake Ontario into the Salmon River) on a fly tied with a hook he bought on a closeout special from what was then E. H. Hille in Williamsport. While not completely unbending, it did enough for the fish the get off. I've always bought good hooks since and have never lost a trout of any size because of a bent hook. (Lost a few giant kings to bent hooks but that's another story.)
 
dont assume that one manufacturers hook size are going to equal another hook manufacturers hook sizes

since there are no standards for hook manufacturers to follow, anything goes!
 
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