Hooks for dry flies

[dudemanspecial]

I had always used Dai Riki #305 hooks for my dry flies, and am getting thin on stock. Dai Riki has apparently been defunct for some time now so I need to try something else.

What are yinz tying your dry flies on? I typically avoid the bottom barrel and house brand stuff. I don't mind spending as long as I get a decent product in return. I have been using Fulling Mill nymph hooks, but haven't tried their dries yet.

I welcome all suggestions!

 

[joebamboo]

I too was a Dai Riki user. Then when they went belly up, I started using Firehole Sticks. Now they too went the way of Dai Riki. Umpqua and Fulling Mill have been working well.

 

[coyoterahn]

I too was a Dai Riki user. Then when they went belly up, I started using Firehole Sticks. Now they too went the way of Dai Riki. Umpqua and Fulling Mill have been working well.

I too have been a user of the Firehole Sticks. Really liked them. They’re sharp and come in packs of 36. Oh Man….now I have to find replacements also.

 

[Nocktavius]

Firehole sticks had gone downhill in quality (lots of duds in the boxes I bought and wtf kind of number per pack is 36?). I also seem to lose a lot more fish on their stonefly hooks than I do on the competitors (seems like the angle and width of the hook bend could be to blame.)

I’d go with FM, Ahrex, or Daiichi. Or Tiemco if you got deeper pockets. I tend to not use nearly as many hooks for dries as I do for nymphs since you’re not constantly losing them to the bottom.

 

[jifigz]

These days, I almost 100% exclusively tie all of my flies using BWO house-brand hooks. I have ZERO complaints. In fact, I would wholeheartedly recommend them.

Tungsten Bead and Hooks for Fly Tying - Blue Wing Olive

Tungsten beads fly tying slotted tungsten beads brass fly tying beads wood duck fly tying hooks nymph caddis dry hooks fly tying materials

www.bwofly.com

I noticed you said you avoid "bottom barrel" and "housebrand" stuff, but I promise you I have no complaints in quality, sharpness, etc.

 

[nymphingmaniac]

Daiichi or TMC. I like the straight eye, large eye hooks.

 

[6xAdams(Jones)]

These days, I almost 100% exclusively tie all of my flies using BWO house-brand hooks. I have ZERO complaints. In fact, I would wholeheartedly recommend them.

Tungsten Bead and Hooks for Fly Tying - Blue Wing Olive

Tungsten beads fly tying slotted tungsten beads brass fly tying beads wood duck fly tying hooks nymph caddis dry hooks fly tying materials

www.bwofly.com

I noticed you said you avoid "bottom barrel" and "housebrand" stuff, but I promise you I have no complaints in quality, sharpness, etc.

$3-$4 for 25 is a decent price. Stocking up would make it worth paying the shipping cost. I'll need to keep them in mind the next time I shop for my fly-tying "staff" (AKA my sons).

 

[jifigz]

$3-$4 for 25 is a decent price. Stocking up would make it worth paying the shipping cost. I'll need to keep them in mind the next time I shop for my fly-tying "staff" (AKA my sons).

Shipping from BWO is only like $2. They ship through USPS and it is very cheap.

I usually buy the 100 packs of barbless hooks. I love em. I am slowly transitioning to all barbless and will never go back.

 

[Tigereye]

Another vote for BWO. Never had a problem with their house brand hooks. Can't see paying top dollar for name brands. The increase in quality is insignificant or at best unneeded.

 

[CRB]

Daiichi 1100 I like the big eye hooks.
Perhaps later this year when the are stocked up (out of 14, and 16's) I'll try they are a good price.

 

[DrownedFish]

My favorite is the Daiichi 1110, especially for small flies. Straight shank, large eye.

 

[mt_flyfisher]

I tie the majority of my flies on Tiemco hooks, whether it’s a dry, wet, nymph, streamer, or something other. In the past few years their price has increased to where a box of 100 might be around $30.00, more or less, but their quality remains consistent, and excellent.

I probably grumble to myself when I repurchase those hooks at today’s prices, but when i think of it as costing just $0.30 per fly, plus or minus, and I might only go through several flies, at most, in a day of fishing, that’s almost a nothing expense by comparison to everything else I spend for every day I go fishing.

 

[dudemanspecial]

These days, I almost 100% exclusively tie all of my flies using BWO house-brand hooks. I have ZERO complaints. In fact, I would wholeheartedly recommend them.

Tungsten Bead and Hooks for Fly Tying - Blue Wing Olive

Tungsten beads fly tying slotted tungsten beads brass fly tying beads wood duck fly tying hooks nymph caddis dry hooks fly tying materials

www.bwofly.com

I noticed you said you avoid "bottom barrel" and "housebrand" stuff, but I promise you I have no complaints in quality, sharpness, etc.

Here is the one thing that holds me back from house brand anything......

When dealing with supplies of any fashion, be it fly hooks or deodorant or engine oil, I am a creature of habit. I like what I know. Call it a bad trait, mental disorder, anal retentive, whatever you want. I just feel like I couldn't trust them being the same exact thing from one order to the next.

I am probably wrong and should take a walk on the wild side and try them out. Next thing you know ill be buying Fruit of the Loom underwear instead of Hanes....

 

[jifigz]

Here is the one thing that holds me back from house brand anything......

When dealing with supplies of any fashion, be it fly hooks or deodorant or engine oil, I am a creature of habit. I like what I know. Call it a bad trait, mental disorder, anal retentive, whatever you want. I just feel like I couldn't trust them being the same exact thing from one order to the next.

I am probably wrong and should take a walk on the wild side and try them out. Next thing you know ill be buying Fruit of the Loom underwear instead of Hanes....

This contradicts your entire post. You like what you know, but what you know doesn't exist anymore, so you ask for opinions. If you also know Fulling Mill and like them, why not buy their hooks?

All of our suggestions will be brands you don't know, and if you don't want to try what you don't know then why bother asking?

I used to buy Daiichi, and I like them.

I mean no ill will by my post. I'm just curious about the logic...

 

[Bamboozle]

Daiichi 1180 for regular dry flies 18 - 10
Daiichi 100 for dry flies 20 - 26
Tiemco 518 for size 28 - 32 (I think the 30 & 32's were dicontinued)
Daiichi 2488 for curved bodied dry flies

 

[dc410]

It would be so much easier if we just had fewer choices. Dang it!

 

[dudemanspecial]

This contradicts your entire post. You like what you know, but what you know doesn't exist anymore, so you ask for opinions. If you also know Fulling Mill and like them, why not buy their hooks?

All of our suggestions will be brands you don't know, and if you don't want to try what you don't know then why bother asking?

I used to buy Daiichi, and I like them.

I mean no ill will by my post. I'm just curious about the logic...

I think you misunderstood me.....I don't like the idea of house brand because I feel like there is a risk of them switching suppliers every so often compared to buying say Tiemco which has probably been the exact same hook for the last 30 years.

Im not knocking your suggestion, in fact im considering it. I was just explaining why I said I avoid house brands in general.

 

[Bamboozle]

It would be so much easier if we just had fewer choices. Dang it!

You only get overwhelmed by all the choices by not picking one, sticking with it and not feeling compelled to try everything new that comes down the road.

I dumbed down my choices years ago, went with Daiichi & Tiemco and never looked at another option since.

 

[jifigz]

I think you misunderstood me.....I don't like the idea of house brand because I feel like there is a risk of them switching suppliers every so often compared to buying say Tiemco which has probably been the exact same hook for the last 30 years.

Im not knocking your suggestion, in fact im considering it. I was just explaining why I said I avoid house brands in general.

Oh I know what you meant... And I was being a snarky because that's not really what you said. Honestly, I've bought and tied on so many different brands of hook and I've never had any problems except for once...

I hate to knock em because Ryan is a member here, although I haven't seen him around in a while, but when Risen was first getting off the ground I got a pack of dry fly hooks from them that was terrible. They would bend in my vise when applying thread pressure.

I used to buy a lot of J Stockard brand hooks, and they were always good. But BWO is cheaper and better.

 

[dudemanspecial]

Daiichi 1180 for regular dry flies 18 - 10
Daiichi 100 for dry flies 20 - 26
Tiemco 518 for size 28 - 32 (I think the 30 & 32's were dicontinued)
Daiichi 2488 for curved bodied dry flies

I forgot about Daiichi...I did buy some of their scud hooks awhile back and was happy with them.