Hand Made fish hooks?

Anybody know where I can buy hand made or custom fly tying hooks?

Most of the big guys want a 100.000 piece order and I need a whole lot less
than that g

Thanks,
John

What are you talking about?

Jixter

"John" wrote in message
...
Anybody know where I can buy hand made or custom fly tying hooks?

Most of the big guys want a 100.000 piece order and I need a whole lot
less than that g

Thanks,
John

To my original skimpy post Jixter asked:
What are you talking about?

I'm trying to find anyone who still makes or can make really BIG kink shank
fly hooks (2/0, 3/0. 4/0, 5/0) similar to the 4X Long 2X Heavy Tiemco 511S
which has been discontinued. I heard Partridge of Redditch used to but
since being bought by Mustad they won't even reply to inquiries. AFAIK all
hooks today are machine made. Hook manufacturers require you to buy 100,000
pieces per size to set up their machines.

Today the Mustad CK 74S SS comes in 3/0 and 2/0 and the Mustad CK 52S in 2/0
but both points bend back to the shank reducing the bite due to their sproat
bend. Mustad no longer makes their 33900 or 33903 larger than 1/0. Wapsi's
WPS1 is great but they do not make it larger than 2/0. AFAIK no other big
hump shank hooks are made today.

The hump shank helps keep soft foam bodies from twisting on the shank. The
kink is far more essential on big bodies with larger leverage propensity to
twist than for small and medium sized bodies. Even with today's great
adhesives and affixing a metal keel strip to a non-kink shank hook, big
bodies need big humped shank hooks.

Sorry for the original post. Did this information explain why I 'm looking
for hand made fish hooks? Any advice will be appreciated.

Good Luck Fishing and Tying!
John

"Cornmuse" wrote:
Here's a thought, I'm not sure if it will work for your application but...

There is a method of tying a fly called a Waddington Shank. you tie the
flie on a striaight piece of wire with loop connections at each end, then
attach a single or double hook to the WS. You might want to experiement
with a Waddington Shank popper - get some forged wire custom bent to a large
hump with a loop on each end in a lengt appropriate for your foam bodies.
Tie the popper normally and then connect a short shank hook to the back
loop. It will swing freely, give less leverage to large fish to throw the
hook and you should be able to get a machine shop to make 50 - 100- or 1,000
of the shanks for very little $. You can experiment by using a heavy steel
leader wire (heavy wire is used for billfish leaders and is readily
available) and bending the wire over a form made using a piece of wood and
some shoulder bolts with a couple needlenose pliers. If it works out then
you might have a less expensive and far more flexible alternative to a hump
shanked custom hook.


Joe Cornwall
http://www.flyfishohio.com

You're describing a perfect application for tube flies. Poppers in particular
are nice on tubes because the problem of breaking the hook loose from the
popper doesn't exist.

Tube flies, try 'em, youi'll like 'em.

Chas
remove fly fish to e mail directly

Yea I can understand why most mfgrs would require a large order.

Too bad what you require isn't made by another manufacturer. I'd probably
just find the closest hook and either modify it or work with it.

Can you get extra long shank hooks and put your own bend into it? Or perhaps
take a file to it and add some grooves for extra adhesion?

How about Mustad's equivalent?
http://www.mustad.no/catalog/product.php?id=689

Jixter


"John" wrote in message
...
To my original skimpy post Jixter asked:
What are you talking about?

I'm trying to find anyone who still makes or can make really BIG kink
shank fly hooks (2/0, 3/0. 4/0, 5/0) similar to the 4X Long 2X Heavy
Tiemco 511S which has been discontinued. I heard Partridge of Redditch
used to but since being bought by Mustad they won't even reply to
inquiries. AFAIK all hooks today are machine made. Hook manufacturers
require you to buy 100,000 pieces per size to set up their machines.

Today the Mustad CK 74S SS comes in 3/0 and 2/0 and the Mustad CK 52S in
2/0 but both points bend back to the shank reducing the bite due to their
sproat bend. Mustad no longer makes their 33900 or 33903 larger than 1/0.
Wapsi's WPS1 is great but they do not make it larger than 2/0. AFAIK no
other big hump shank hooks are made today.

The hump shank helps keep soft foam bodies from twisting on the shank.
The kink is far more essential on big bodies with larger leverage
propensity to twist than for small and medium sized bodies. Even with
today's great adhesives and affixing a metal keel strip to a non-kink
shank hook, big bodies need big humped shank hooks.

Sorry for the original post. Did this information explain why I 'm
looking for hand made fish hooks? Any advice will be appreciated.

Good Luck Fishing and Tying!
John

Great idea, Joe! Thanks I'll explore it.

John
"Cornmuse" wrote in message
...
Here's a thought, I'm not sure if it will work for your application but...

There is a method of tying a fly called a Waddington Shank. you tie the
flie on a striaight piece of wire with loop connections at each end, then
attach a single or double hook to the WS. You might want to experiement
with a Waddington Shank popper - get some forged wire custom bent to a
large
hump with a loop on each end in a lengt appropriate for your foam bodies.
Tie the popper normally and then connect a short shank hook to the back
loop. It will swing freely, give less leverage to large fish to throw the
hook and you should be able to get a machine shop to make 50 - 100- or
1,000
of the shanks for very little $. You can experiment by using a heavy
steel
leader wire (heavy wire is used for billfish leaders and is readily
available) and bending the wire over a form made using a piece of wood and
some shoulder bolts with a couple needlenose pliers. If it works out then
you might have a less expensive and far more flexible alternative to a
hump
shanked custom hook.


Joe Cornwall
http://www.flyfishohio.com

"John" wrote in message
...
To my original skimpy post Jixter asked:
What are you talking about?

I'm trying to find anyone who still makes or can make really BIG kink
shank
fly hooks (2/0, 3/0. 4/0, 5/0) similar to the 4X Long 2X Heavy Tiemco
511S
which has been discontinued. I heard Partridge of Redditch used to but
since being bought by Mustad they won't even reply to inquiries. AFAIK
all
hooks today are machine made. Hook manufacturers require you to buy
100,000
pieces per size to set up their machines.

Today the Mustad CK 74S SS comes in 3/0 and 2/0 and the Mustad CK 52S in
2/0
but both points bend back to the shank reducing the bite due to their
sproat
bend. Mustad no longer makes their 33900 or 33903 larger than 1/0.
Wapsi's
WPS1 is great but they do not make it larger than 2/0. AFAIK no other big
hump shank hooks are made today.

The hump shank helps keep soft foam bodies from twisting on the shank.
The
kink is far more essential on big bodies with larger leverage propensity
to
twist than for small and medium sized bodies. Even with today's great
adhesives and affixing a metal keel strip to a non-kink shank hook, big
bodies need big humped shank hooks.

Sorry for the original post. Did this information explain why I 'm
looking
for hand made fish hooks? Any advice will be appreciated.

Good Luck Fishing and Tying!
John

"chas" wrote in response to Joe's Waddington
Shank suggestion

You're describing a perfect application for tube flies. Poppers in
particular
are nice on tubes because the problem of breaking the hook loose from the
popper doesn't exist.

Tube flies, try 'em, youi'll like 'em.

Thanks Chas. You got my attention also. Do you have any links to tying Big
bass tube flies that you like? I did not find anything on a Yahoo search.

Thanks again.
John

I added comments below @@@ when
"Jixter" wrote:
Yea I can understand why most mfgrs would require a large order.

Too bad what you require isn't made by another manufacturer.
@@@ Agreed. This is the best alternate. Many WERE made but are
discontinued now, or are in the process of being discontinued.

I'd probably just find the closest hook and either modify it or work with
it.

@@@ That's kind of what I have to do. In designing big popping bugs, I
always start with the body - NOT the hook. After settlling on the
proportional sizes, then I choose the best hook I can find to fit to the
body, never the other way around Say for example I'm using the "5"
proportions (body sizes of 1/2", 5/8", 3/4", 7/8" and 1" diameters) today I
do have to find the closest hook commercially available and work with it.
When you look for hooks to fit above 1" diameter bodies, there aren't any
kink shank hooks available AFAIK.

I used to bend hooks to fit but today's newest hooks are so tempered that
any bending makes them more brittle and more easily broken in the vise or by
big bass. Plus the ones easy to bend like the thin wire Eagle Claw are also
the easiest to straighten back out g

Can you get extra long shank hooks and put your own bend into it? Or
perhaps take a file to it and add some grooves for extra adhesion?

@@@Tried the file appraoch, did not seem to help. I am always experimenting
with new adhesives seeking the silver bullet! Bait hooks have one or two
slits to hold bait which may provide a basis for adhesive in a foam popper.
So far I have not found any 4X long. Most bait hooks are regular or short
length AFAIK.

How about Mustad's equivalent?
http://www.mustad.no/catalog/product.php?id=689

@@@ Good suggestion. It's a great hook. The problem is it is being
disconinued. Only the 2/0 size is available now.

Jixter
@@@Thanks for your suggestions.
Good luck and good tying!
John

Wow.. that's really interesting.. sounds like your shark fishing,.. I think
were on opposite ends of the tying spectrum though. I usually tie tiny
chironomids sometimes 12, 14, 16 I even tied a couple 20s 22? but doubt I'll
use them for more than show. I catch lots on 12-16 though.

I'd suggest cleaning out the rest of the stocks you CAN still find. Or even
flyshops might have them in their warehouse inventories but not advertise
them. Sounds like that's what you've already been trying though.

You could check out this supply house.. They were pretty helpful when I was
there...
http://www.anglersworkshop.com/ You can even request a catalog.. they have
all kinds of stuff. Might even ask them where you could go if they didn't
have what your looking for.

Jixter


"John" wrote in message
...

"chas" wrote in response to Joe's
Waddington Shank suggestion

You're describing a perfect application for tube flies. Poppers in
particular
are nice on tubes because the problem of breaking the hook loose from the
popper doesn't exist.

Tube flies, try 'em, youi'll like 'em.

Thanks Chas. You got my attention also. Do you have any links to tying
Big bass tube flies that you like? I did not find anything on a Yahoo
search.

Thanks again.
John

"John" wrote:

"chas" wrote in response to Joe's Waddington
Shank suggestion

You're describing a perfect application for tube flies. Poppers in
particular
are nice on tubes because the problem of breaking the hook loose from the
popper doesn't exist.

Tube flies, try 'em, youi'll like 'em.

Thanks Chas. You got my attention also. Do you have any links to tying Big
bass tube flies that you like? I did not find anything on a Yahoo search.

Thanks again.
John


Links? No I don't, but you shouldn't need them. The key is to get a tube
attachment for your vice, and just tie your favorite flkies on the tube instead
of a hook. The technique is identical, except for a weedless hook. You can
tie a weed guard on a bare hook, and either use it or a regualr hook depending
on the water you're fishing. You can also use a wire leader if you want to
catch pike, or mono if the fish aren't as toothy. The only difference in the
fly tying is that you don't have to work as hard at getting the popper to stay
on the tube because the fly will be independent of the hook.

Go for it...

Chas
remove fly fish to e mail directly