A question for all you tyers......

[Mr. Loopy]

I was curious what brand of hooks you think is the most popular? Is there a brand of hooks that stands out above the rest or are there many popular companies that are pretty comparable?

[gambler1621]

I use mostly Mustad hooks because I can buy them in quantity and get really good prices on them.

[bcsort]

I bought some mustads a year ago and actually had them break in my vise while tying with them. I also found quite a few of them that had flat marks in the shank (manufacturing defects) where I could break it with my fingers.

I use Dai-Riki and Targus hooks now just because those are the brands my local shop carries.

[Larry S.]

You asked which was the most popular? I would say Mustad followed by Tiemco.

Now that isn't to say which are necessarily the best. We're talking Chevy to Cadilac here maybe.

All of the flies from Umpqua are tied on Tiemco hooks(no surprise since they are affilliated). In a lot of the tying videos by Jack Dennis they use them(again affilliated?).

Probably the reason Mustads are so popular are because they are cheaper. As you can see by the one post on this thread they may have a quality control issue. This has been stated over and over again when this question comes up. I have used a lot of Mustads in the past and have had some problems but I don't think to that extent. I do like their heavier hooks such as the 9672 and 3906 series.

As far as buying cheaper vs. less expensive I would look to Dennis Brakke at the fly desk and see what he has to offer. You can get some excellent quality hooks at Mustad prices(or better).

The is a review on http://wwwflyanglersonline.com that I think debunks some myths or at least explains a little better what you are looking for. Just go to the Fly Tying section and type in "mustad hooks" in the search bar at the bottom.

[Ouzel]

Certainly Mustads are the most popular brand, after all they have been around for about 172 years.
Other hooks that are now on the market cost as much as 66% more, (recently paid) for very little except to pay for the extra advertising.
Just how big a gun do you need to take a deer?
The claims of greater strength are mute since we are fishing mainly for trout and not permit, bonefish or tarpon.
But if a guy wants to drive a Cadilac to his fishing hole there is a salesman who will agree it is the right decision and just the thing he needs.

[Trout4x]

Daiichi, Tiemco as well as Mustad and probably a few other brands, I buy what I can locally and fish with them all. No favorite brand.

[carpman]

I like Tiemco for my flies. They are very consistent (look, feel, and tie the same) and are the sharpest that STAY sharp. I personally think Gamakatsu hooks are the sharpest of all but find some of the Gami's to have too fine a point and thus they tend to "roll" easily when ticking rocks or snags.

I'll stick my fish with Tiemco...........

[Mr. Loopy]

Okay, another question. If you could invest $ in any company that sells hooks FOR tying flies, which would you invest?

[Trout4x]

Invest in what you would buy.

[Jason]

I'm with Carpman, I like Tiemco's quality. They're a little more pricey but the quality and consistency is worth it. My second choice would be Dai-Riki and then Mustad. I like Tiemco because most of the hook styles I use are barbless and the black hooks they offer are sweet.

I just recently purchased some ABI hooks from Dennis at the FlyDesk.com and they seem to be a pretty good so far. For the price you can't beat ABI.

[Crosby]

I like the many others I like Tiemco- tied some parachute adams Thanksgiving night on some #20 531 Tiemco's- wide gap hook setting mothers. Sat. morning- never had a problem with a hook set, maybe seeing the fly on the flat light was a problem and me missing takes- but it wasn't the hooks fault. Larry- BC was very good. not another soul until about 1.

[Larry S.]

I still have a month left on my Idaho license!

[mcgx2]

This is a question that has as many answers as there are types of hooks. Tie with hooks you have confidence and in which you are comfortable with the price and quality.

As for me almost all the major brands fit the acceptable criteria....however I usually tie with Mustad for tradition if for nothing else.

mcg

[Fred]

I like the TMC because they come with that little magnet thing.

[Ouzel]

LOL. But there is more to life than little magnet thingies.

[Larry S.]

Tell that to my wife. There used to be a refrigerator somewhere in our kitchen.

[carpman]

Those magnets are handy..............