|
sefly.com
|
The Owner AKI Hook and Mosquito Hooks Salt Water Fly Hooks |
|||
|
VMC a French hook manufacturer produces a Live Bait hook
that I like for several saltwater baitfish patterns. VMC Needle
Point Saltwater - Live Bait - 72650 B is an in-line J-hook with a short
shank, medium-heavy wire, black chrome finish, and a sharp needle point.
The ring-eye is amply sized to accommodate a heavy shock leader even in
hooks as small as a #2. They have proven to me to be an acceptable
substitute to an Owner AKI hook for typical tarpon flies, but unlike the
AKI hooks, these VMC - 72650 B hooks are available in smaller sizes.
I find them particularly advantageous for tying small baitfish patterns to
present to big fish that are close to heavy structure; such as, a big tarpon
feeding on glass minnows under the bridge lights. This VMC hook is a
good choice for a small fly that you really need to pull on hard. The VMC 72650 B hooks retail for about $5.00 for a box of 50. |
||||
| On
the subject of big fish and small fly hooks, I tried a package of Owner (a
company that produces some of my very favorite hooks) hooks: Flyliner 5306
in a size #4. From all outward appearance, I though these to be just
the ticket for the big fish little fly dilemma. To make a long story
short, these hooks failed me miserably. Fly fishing for snook back
in the mangroves, I broke several of these hooks off on fish. The
hooks would break-off right behind the barb. I stopped using them.
Not wanting to completely give up on an Owner product, I purchased another package of the Flyliner Hooks. Thinking that perhaps the first package I purchased had some latent manufacturing defect, this second time a purchased a different size hook, and a smaller quantity package than my first purchase. My first cast with a fly tied on a hook from this new batch ended up in a mangrove tree. When subtlety did not dislodge the fly, I gave the fly line a good solid jerk; my fly came streaming back at me, everything but the point of the hook. That was it for me, I have not used an Owner Flyliner Hook since that day. |
||||
| Owner
SSW - All Purpose Bait Hooks - 5315 is an "Octopus" style hook is
available in both a straight eye and an offset eye. I have tied
hundreds of flies on the SSW hook with the offset eye, I personally cannot
say that I can see any difference in the number of missed hook-up, or in
the number of fish that "come un-buttoned" between flies tied with the
straight eye versus the offset eye. Regardless of what I think, some
fly tiers find both the offset eye and the offset hook bend objectionable
for fly tying.
SSW hooks are available in sizes #8 thru 10/0. I have tied all types of baitfish patterns on these Owner SSW hook, mostly in sizes 3/0 and 4/0. There are a couple of larger tarpon fly patterns that I use the SSW hook almost exclusively when I tie.
Gamakatsu produces a similar hook: Gamakatsu Octopus available in black chrome finish sizes #14 thru 10/0; with the option of straight eye (se) or traditional bent eye, and various wire sizes. I tie many of my biggest bunker and herring flies on 5/0 and 7/0 Gamakatsu Octopus Hooks. Gamakatsu Octopus SE 4X Strong is another alternative hook to the Owner AKI. The Octopus SE 4X Strong has slightly heavier wire than the AKI hook, a beak type hook point with an offset hook bend, and it has a straight eye like the AKI. I like to tie larger tarpon bunnies on these heavier Octopus SE 4X Strong hooks, and use them for casting to "traveling" tarpon on the Gulf Coast of Florida. A lot of the "traveling" tarpon we see here on the Gulf coast are swimming much faster, and deeper that what one would consider typical down in the Keys. Harry Hall
sefly
|
||||
| Copyright 2009 Harry Hall/Sefly.com All rights reserved • Site Map • Return to Home Page • Contact | ||||
