# Hooks



## Panfisher1 (Mar 17, 2019)

Just curious - What style (Kind of hook ) do you prefer for your flies; ie. Jig etc.
Also what was used as floatant before Gink etc.?


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## TheCream (Mar 19, 2009)

The floatant question is the quickest for me to answer, I prefer powdered floatants like Doc's Dry Dust and Frog's Fanny. Last year I bought a generic form of it in bulk from Amazon, and it works pretty well. It's labeled as "fumed silica." The only tricky part is getting it in the dang bottle. I have resorted to holding the floatant bottle with hemostats, dunking the bottle into the jug, and swishing it around until it's full.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00BPWGXRG/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o08_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Hooks? Good lord I'm not the person to answer this because I use too many different brands/models. My hook drawer is out of control. I use jig hooks a lot for weighted nymphs and I like the Hanak 400BL for those. I have a lot of DaiRiki hooks I use for dry flies and emergers, I'm not sure of all the model numbers without looking. They are barbed hooks so I tend to mash them. I use a lot of Firehole Sticks barbless hooks in their standard nymph models for bluegill flies and some trout bugs. Bass streamers that are weightless I tie a lot on Gamakatsu B10S and Firehole 811's, which are a slightly longer barbless version of a B10S. I use some odd jig hooks for weighted streamers. Most of my bass bugs go on Firehole 811's and Gama SP113L3H saltwater hooks.


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## meisjedog (Oct 4, 2010)

The floatants like Gink are typically paraffin wax and possibly silicon oil dissolved in a solvent like acetone which is also why you don't want to put it on your line. I've made my own, but it's a good idea to stay away from mixing flammable liquids near your stovetop.

You can buy Albolene in the beauty department at Walgreens which is essentially the same thing. A 12oz jar will run about $12 and contains mineral oil, petroleum, paraffin, ceresin, beta carotene. You also don't want to put this on your line. 

Other than RIO, most line dressings btw are silicone oil. Slippery stuff, don't get it on your wood floors!


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## goatfly (Jun 21, 2013)

Most of my hooks are Mustad, because I am old and that's what all the fly patterns called for 30 years ago. Now most of them call for a Tiemco or other brands. Honestly if you buy a quality hook, doesn't matter much who makes them and you can find cross reference charts on the internet. I should point out that 70% of my flies are small trout flies.


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## 18inchBrown (May 1, 2016)

Tiemco, Diiachi and some Gamakatsu. I use alot of size 10 and 12 Tiemco 3x heavy and 3x long for nymphs. Tiemco is Umpqua I think. Orvis sells hooks that are Diiachi because they are made in Japan. I have size 10, 12,14,16,18,20 & 22 dry fly hooks:Tiemco 100's. I also have size 10,12,14, 16 & 18 scud hooks, Tiemco I think. I bough a plastic box from a craft store with maybe 20 or 24 slots and I put each size hook into its own slot. I keep the hooks in the bags they came in. There is an outfit, The Fly Shop in Redding, Ca.that had a bunch of common hooks made and you can get deals from them. They are online. I have been acquiring my hooks since 2000. It can get expensive but what the heck.
Oh yeah, I just use Gink if I fish dries. It will last for years unless you fish everyday.


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