I'm pasting in a response I made to someone on another site about do hooks matter. Seemed after I wrote it that aside from it just being my opion, it might be a good topic to bring up here as I know people are passionate about their hooks.
Hooks do matter and generally you get what you pay for.
There are exceptions to this. Most of my comments will
be aimed at steelhead and salmon hooks so might not
hold true for trout sizes.
Tiemco -- good hooks, nice finish, high price, good
point, will not open up on you.
Dia-Riki -- good hooks, good price, so-so finish, good
point, maybe a touch below the Tiemco in quality (some
qc problems from time to time) but a good choice for
the $$.
Diaichi -- Very good hook, somewhat pricey but worth
it. Super point, nice finish, good quality, nice
selection (hint - try the 2141 for steelhead, a wide
gaped straight eye that holds great), will not open
up.
Mustad -- Fair hook, great price, sub-par finish, poor
point (these need to be filed out of the box and I even
suggest tapering them as they are quite blunt), will not
open up.
Alec Jacksons -- Beautiful hook, pricey, beautiful
finish with options of gold, nickel and black, average
point, earlier versions tended to spring open on bigger
fish. They have a bad rap because of this but man do
they tie a pretty looking spey fly.
Partridge -- Good hook, somewhat pricey, excellent
point, good finish, some models prone to opening up.
There are a number of models and some have strengths
the others do not. The N is a sticky sharp "light" wire hook but will not open up. The 10/1 are a bartleet style spey hook that are springy as hell in some sizes. Still this is one of my favorites for small summer speys tied in size 6.
Gamekatsu -- Good hook, fairly pricey, good point, great
finish with color options, will not open up.
Or switch to tubes. You don't have to
worry about hooks much and you get to buy lots of new
stuff.
So what are your favorite hooks?
sinktip
The opinions expressed above are simply the opinion of the author and any resemblance to persons, living or dead, is purely coincidental.
Hooks do matter and generally you get what you pay for.
There are exceptions to this. Most of my comments will
be aimed at steelhead and salmon hooks so might not
hold true for trout sizes.
Tiemco -- good hooks, nice finish, high price, good
point, will not open up on you.
Dia-Riki -- good hooks, good price, so-so finish, good
point, maybe a touch below the Tiemco in quality (some
qc problems from time to time) but a good choice for
the $$.
Diaichi -- Very good hook, somewhat pricey but worth
it. Super point, nice finish, good quality, nice
selection (hint - try the 2141 for steelhead, a wide
gaped straight eye that holds great), will not open
up.
Mustad -- Fair hook, great price, sub-par finish, poor
point (these need to be filed out of the box and I even
suggest tapering them as they are quite blunt), will not
open up.
Alec Jacksons -- Beautiful hook, pricey, beautiful
finish with options of gold, nickel and black, average
point, earlier versions tended to spring open on bigger
fish. They have a bad rap because of this but man do
they tie a pretty looking spey fly.
Partridge -- Good hook, somewhat pricey, excellent
point, good finish, some models prone to opening up.
There are a number of models and some have strengths
the others do not. The N is a sticky sharp "light" wire hook but will not open up. The 10/1 are a bartleet style spey hook that are springy as hell in some sizes. Still this is one of my favorites for small summer speys tied in size 6.
Gamekatsu -- Good hook, fairly pricey, good point, great
finish with color options, will not open up.
Or switch to tubes. You don't have to
worry about hooks much and you get to buy lots of new
stuff.
So what are your favorite hooks?
sinktip
The opinions expressed above are simply the opinion of the author and any resemblance to persons, living or dead, is purely coincidental.