Hooks for Dry Flies?
L. Burton Hawley
Dr. Thomas Hackmann wrote:
>
> At the risk of boring experienced flytiers I'd like to get some
> recommendations/opinions on hooks for dry flies.
>
I prefer Tiemco 2302, 200 and 101 depending on what I am tying. You can't
beat the TMC's. If you use Mustads you will have to sharpen them good. I
must confess, however, that when drift fishing snaggy rocky areas, I will use
Mustad quite frequently *because* they can be easily resharpened after
losing the point to a rock.
>after you have caught a fish? Would you not get your file out anyway and
>resharpen the hook?
No, these hooks are a very hard steel that is not easily damaged. They are
not easily resharpened either.
>
> Partridge, Tiemco and Daiichi seems to be 2-4 times more expensive than
> the old Mustad. Is it worth the difference?
IMHO, yes!
-Burton
--
L. Burton Hawley
2330 NW Hummingbird
Corvallis, OR
L. Burton Hawley
msr...@aol.com wrote:
>
> Let us take this another step.
>
> 1) What brand of hackle do you purchase for dry flies? (Hoffman, Metz,
> Ausable etc)
Metz!
>
> 2) What grade do you purchase?
Generally grade 2, unless I find a good deal on #1's. I do have #1's for
my dun and coachman brown.
> 3) What size dry fly do you tie?
22 to 1/0
> I am interested to know what the group feels are the cost effective
> choices.
Fly tying cost effective! Don't know about that - It's an expensive
addiction.
L. Burton Hawley
L. Burton Hawley wrote:
>
> msr...@aol.com wrote:
> >
> > Let us take this another step.
> >
> > 1) What brand of hackle do you purchase for dry flies? (Hoffman, Metz,
> > Ausable etc)
>
> Metz!
>
> >
> > 2) What grade do you purchase?
>
> Generally grade 2, unless I find a good deal on #1's. I do have #1's for
> my dun and coachman brown.
>
> > 3) What size dry fly do you tie?
>
>
> > I am interested to know what the group feels are the cost effective
> > choices.
>
> Fly tying cost effective! Don't know about that - It's an expensive
> addiction.
>
I did a boo boo on the size of dry fly - 12-22! I didn't see DRY! Humble
apologies!
-Burton
msr...@aol.com
Hello Group,
Let us take this another step.
1) What brand of hackle do you purchase for dry flies? (Hoffman, Metz, Ausable etc)
2) What grade do you purchase?
3) What size dry fly do you tie?
I am interested to know what the group feels are the cost effective choices.
Thanks!
Mark Rupp
Thomas
In article <3309CE...@alpinet.net>, Al Beatty <albe...@alpinet.net> wrote:
> msr...@aol.com wrote:
>
> Hi Mark
>
> > 1) What brand of hackle do you purchase for dry flies? (Hoffman, Metz,
Ausable etc)
>
> I use Hoffman hackle almost exclusively. I do keep several Metz saddles
> for tying larger flies (#6 - #10) because Hoffman doesn't have many large
> feathers.
>
> >
> > 2) What grade do you purchase?
>
> I purchase #2 & #3 and feel #3 is probably the best grade for my tying.
> It's been my experience that a saddle is graded #3 not because of poor
> hackle quality but for one of a couple of reasons -- feather colors may
> vary (the grizzly saddle I'm looking at now has several brown feathers in
> it along with the grizzly) OR the saddle has a limited range of feather
> sizes (I saw a beautiful #3 saddle in a fly shop last week that only had
> #18 & #20 size hackles). I seen other #3's that has basically #14 &
> #16's. For me as a commercial tier, they are perfect. I just sort through
> the #3's I get for the size range I'm looking for.
> >
> > 3) What size dry fly do you tie?
>
> I mostly tied dries from #12 to #22.
> >
> > I am interested to know what the group feels are the cost effective choices.
>
> If you want a fairly good range of sizes a #3 that is mixed color like
> the grizzly I mention would be a good choice if it has the range of
> sizes. Check it before you buy it -- the larger feather are more to the
> middle and the smaller feather to the outsides.
> >
> > Thanks!
> >
> > Mark Rupp
>
> Good Tying & ...
> --
> Tight Lines
>
> Al Beatty
> BT's Fly Fishing Products
> Bozeman, MT
> http://www.flyshop.com/Expo/Specialty/BTsPdcts/index.html
Basically, there is not much more to say, I fully agree with Al. I found
Hoffmann necks to be the cheapest one can buy. Choice depends mainly in
the size of flies you are going to tie. In general the higher grades will
have more feathers in the smaller sizes but it's well worth checking the
Hoffmann grade #3. Some of the really good one go into the grade #3 range
just because of the colouration. I have a grade #3 saddle which is perfect
but a grade 3 because it's almost cree but neither a pure cree nor a pure
grizzly, therefor it was sold as a grade 3 grizzly!
With Metz be a little bit more careful, I have a grade 1 which has awful
thick stems and the hackle count is fairly low, other grade #2 Metz I own
provide real fine feathers over a size range from 10 to 24. If you buy
Metz you should check really carefully.
Thomas
--
Thomas Urbig
Email: Ur...@biosun.harvard.edu
Charlie McGuire
In article <19970218084...@ladder01.news.aol.com>, msr...@aol.com writes:
|> Hello Group,
|>
|> Let us take this another step.
|>
I've been buying nothing but Hoffman for the past few years.
|> 2) What grade do you purchase?
Usually 2 or 3. I pick thru em pretty closely and try to
optimize quality/quantity for what I'm going to tie.
|> 3) What size dry fly do you tie?
Anywhere from 8 - 20 with an occasional 22. The vast
majority are in the 12-18 range.
|> I am interested to know what the group feels are the cost
effective choices.
In my experience, a #3 hoffman will almost always yield at
least as many usable feathers as a #1 metz (usually more).
So my reasons for hoffman are:
(1) I get better utilization out of a given neck or saddle.
(2) The finer and more subtle stems make them a real joy
to use. (metz stems are usually larger and stiffer)
I get a lot of flies out of a single saddle feather and
the size stays the same right down to the end.
-- charlie
Al Beatty
msr...@aol.com wrote:
Hi Mark
> 1) What brand of hackle do you purchase for dry flies? (Hoffman, Metz, Ausable etc)
I use Hoffman hackle almost exclusively. I do keep several Metz saddles
for tying larger flies (#6 - #10) because Hoffman doesn't have many large
feathers.
>
> 2) What grade do you purchase?
I purchase #2 & #3 and feel #3 is probably the best grade for my tying.
It's been my experience that a saddle is graded #3 not because of poor
hackle quality but for one of a couple of reasons -- feather colors may
vary (the grizzly saddle I'm looking at now has several brown feathers in
it along with the grizzly) OR the saddle has a limited range of feather
sizes (I saw a beautiful #3 saddle in a fly shop last week that only had
#18 & #20 size hackles). I seen other #3's that has basically #14 &
#16's. For me as a commercial tier, they are perfect. I just sort through
the #3's I get for the size range I'm looking for.
>
> 3) What size dry fly do you tie?
I mostly tied dries from #12 to #22.
>
> I am interested to know what the group feels are the cost effective choices.
If you want a fairly good range of sizes a #3 that is mixed color like
Bob Petti
Hoffman - necks and saddles. I use the necks most, as I like
to tie a variety of sizes. I save the saddles for flies that call
for a palmered hackle.
>2) What grade do you purchase?
#3 necks (with a single #2 Grizzly) and #2 half saddles.
>3) What size dry fly do you tie?
#12-#22, with the majority being #14-#18
I think a #3 Hoffman is an excellent buy for the weekend tyer like
myself who doesn't tie a ton of flies smaller than #20. I'm lucky to
live within day trip range of a shop that has a very large selection
of Hoffman hackle, and picking through their pile of #3's can yield
some wonderful surprises.
Bob Petti
bobp...@vnet.ibm.com
Mike Hogue
I've see alot of hackle and by far the best is Hoffman. The ability to tie
alot of flies of one piece is what I love. the hackle is consistant and
the I have never gotten a bad piece from them. Some times you can hit the
jack pot on a Grade 4 saddle. I have one that is only about 5 " long but
it is all 20-22! One feather literally does 1 dozen flies. I'm sure alot
of guys pooh-poohed this piece because of the length. Hoffman says that
the saddles are rated by density, length and size. I still have found some
nice pieces in the 4's and the3's are quite good for the money. If you are
careful selecting a piece, you should be able to tie alot of flies ...say
250-500 from a good Hoffman saddle.
--
Visit my web site:http://www.commonlink.com/~Midwestflytying
L. Burton Hawley
msr...@aol.com wrote:
>
> Charlie, Al, Bob, Mike, Burton and Group,
>
> Thanks for your input on hackle!
>
> I will probably mail order some Hoffman #3/#4 half saddles soon. I
>currently have a grizzly saddle from AuSauble and a strung indian brown
>hackle. I was disapp
>
> Burton reminded me that tying flies is not cost effective! It's just fun.
>
> The alternative is to concentrate on grizzly hackled flies this year and
>then maybe move on to Blue dun next season! Then cream the next...
>
Good choice! I use Blue Dun quite a bit. It does make a difference on what
is hatching on your local rivers like BWO's, Blue Quills, Blue Duns, etc. We
have a lot of those, but for the caddis hatches I use a lot of brown. You'll
have to go out and investigate. But that's part of the fun of it, IMHO.
Learning the aquatic entomology. ;-)
Good tying and better fishing,
-Burton
--
L. Burton Hawley
Corvallis, OR
msr...@aol.com
Charlie, Al, Bob, Mike, Burton and Group,
Thanks for your input on hackle!
I will probably mail order some Hoffman #3/#4 half saddles soon. I currently have a grizzly saddle from AuSauble and a strung indian brown hackle. I was disappointed in the strung indian saddle when I tried it on a #12 Elk Hair Caddis. But I'll save it for Buggers and Leaches. The grizzly looks good on the 12 Adams and should be useful at least down to #18.
Burton reminded me that tying flies is not cost effective! It's just fun.
The alternative is to concentrate on grizzly hackled flies this year and then maybe move on to Blue dun next season! Then cream the next...
Thanks again,
Mark Rupp
Al Beatty
msr...@aol.com wrote:
>
> Charlie, Al, Bob, Mike, Burton and Group,
>
> Thanks for your input on hackle!
>
> I will probably mail order some Hoffman #3/#4 half saddles soon. I currently have a grizzly saddle from AuSauble and a strung indian brown
hackle. I was disapp
>
>
> The alternative is to concentrate on grizzly hackled flies this year and then maybe move on to Blue dun next season! Then cream the next...
>
> Thanks again,
>
> Mark Rupp
Hi Mark,
You could keep your cost down by dying small quantities of grizzly hackle
to dun or brown. OR bleach the grizzly to a barred cream color by using
the following bleach formula:
1 part hydrogen peroxide (20% type from beauty supply house)
2 parts non-sudzing ammonia from most super markets
Good Luck
Charlie McGuire
In article <19970227084...@ladder02.news.aol.com>, msr...@aol.com writes:
|> Charlie, Al, Bob, Mike, Burton and Group,
|>
|> Thanks for your input on hackle!
|>
|> I will probably mail order some Hoffman #3/#4 half saddles soon. I currently
|> have a grizzly saddle from AuSauble and a strung indian brown hackle. I was
|> on the 12 Adams and should be useful at least down to #18.
|>
Hi Mark,
There's definitely the "fun" factor. But, if you look at some
of the most basic dry flies that are also extremely effective
like an elk hair caddis or sparkle dun, you'll find that you
can tie these for pennies beyond the flat cost of a hook.
(sometimes I hackle a caddis, sometimes I don't)
Most shops and catalogs charge upwards of a $1.00 for a
sparkle dun. I've never tried to figure it out exactly (that's
no fun), but if I use a 12 cent hook like a TMC 100, the fly
might cost me a total of 14 cents. My time is "free", but
even then it only takes seconds to tie. I usually go thru
a couple of dozen a year, not counting what I give away.
Material costs are highest when accumulating your initial
inventory. If you get quality stuff and keep it in sealed
freezer bags, it will last quite a few years.
Next to hackle, decent critter hair is also an extremely
useful and sometimes hard-to-find-at-a-reasonable-price
material.
Years ago, I had an elk hide and deer hide tanned which
I'm still using (damn near a lifetime supply). I'm a hunter
so I waited until I harvested hides that were worth tanning.
I'm more of a "shape" than "color" freak, so I don't bother
with dyes. These hides work great for hair wings, bullet
heads, or spinning, and there's plenty to play with.
As far as sparkle or compara duns go, most descriptions
suggest "coastal" deer hair. There's nothing sacred about
that. Any good deer hair (not thick/heavy/brittle) with
decent tips works fine. (early season critters usually
means not-so-coarse/brittle, more even tips, and less
fur to comb out). A good diet is a big influence too.
(If you talk to a local taxidermist, you can find
good hair cheap if not free, including different stuff
like caribou, etc!)
I'm sure you'll enjoy using the Hoffmans.
Good tying!
-- Charlie
Kevin Nguyen
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