Salmon fly hooks

[petevicar]

Hi All,
I have decided this winter that I would try to get back into fly tying.
Most of my flies have been very simple for saltwater and some very simple salmon flies.

I would like to try tying some better salmon flies and who knows maybe after a few years I could get into some classics.

Simple starting question what hooks should I use?

I have all sorts of feathers etc. So I thought I would experiment.

Thanks in advance

Pete

 

[arkle]

Hi Pete, Drop me a p.m. with your contact details & if you could be online & have a notepad to hand,

John

 

[taffy1]

Mostly used Pardridge Salar but now they're a discontinued line. Check their range of Patriot hooks if it's not the "classic" flies you're intending to tie.

 

[arkle]

Pete, take a look at www.troutandsalmonhooks.com Ron Jeffies bought up several tons (yes, tons) of discontinued Partidge hooks

 

[ackroyd]

Hi Petevicar,
If you are thinking of tying long Dee and Spey flies eventually, you may wish to start accumulating Partridge HE2's now. They come in 1/0, 2/0 and 3/0. I understand your reservations regarding classic salmon flies at this early stage, but nonetheless I would make the point that if you were to start learning how to tie the simpler Dee and Spey patterns (most if not all of which do not involve married or built wings), you will find that your general tying will improve because, among other discoveries, you will learn a lot about thread management. If you can spare the cash, treat yourself to a copy of John Shewey's book on Dee and Spey Flies. It is a fascinating read and I learned a huge amount from it when it came out many years ago.

Just a final thought - addiction to fly-dressing is a disease for which there is no known cure, manifesting itself in the unnecessary accumulation of colossal quantities of materials over one's lifetime. If you want to be a fly-dresser, first buy yourself a shed or even a garage.

 

[petevicar]

Hi Petevicar,
If you are thinking of tying long Dee and Spey flies eventually, you may wish to start accumulating Partridge HE2's now. They come in 1/0, 2/0 and 3/0. I understand your reservations regarding classic salmon flies at this early stage, but nonetheless I would make the point that if you were to start learning how to tie the simpler Dee and Spey patterns (most if not all of which do not involve married or built wings), you will find that your general tying will improve because, among other discoveries, you will learn a lot about thread management. If you can spare the cash, treat yourself to a copy of John Shewey's book on Dee and Spey Flies. It is a fascinating read and I learned a huge amount from it when it came out many years ago.

Just a final thought - addiction to fly-dressing is a disease for which there is no known cure, manifesting itself in the unnecessary accumulation of colossal quantities of materials over one's lifetime. If you want to be a fly-dresser, first buy yourself a shed or even a garage.

Thanks for the advice.

I'll try very hard to not get too much stuff.
I really want to start with flies that I may use at sometime and then progress.

Pete