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Peterjay

Big Fish Fly

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Another big black snack for large predators. Hook: Eagle Claw LO67. Tail support: 50-pound mono. Wing: long, thin blue grizzly saddle hackles, black Angel Hair, two black marabou plumes. Body: black thread. Collar: webby black schlappen hackles. Head: black thread. Eyes: acrylic paint. Head cement: two coats of Liquid Fusion. Bon appetit, fishies.

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Nice one Peterjay.
What size hook...guessing 2/0 or 3/0?
How do these hooks compare to EC 253 & 254's?

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Thanks, Bro; glad you like it. Yep, that's a 3/0. I don't know how the LO67 compares to other Eagle Claw hooks. The only EC hooks I've used in any amount are the 254SS and their circle hooks for albacore flies. I didn't like the 254SS because they were too soft for the New England rocks and required constant sharpening. The circles were OK, but they weren't particularly strong or sharp; at the time, (20 years ago) they were the only circles available in our area, so it was either use them or go back to J-hooks. I really like the LO67 BP for the kind of fishing I do. (no rocks down this way, thank God) They're plenty strong enough, they're inexpensive, and they're sharp right out of the box. About the only drawbacks I've found are that they can be a bit hard to find, (I get mine from Bass Pro Shop) and they don't carry a prestigious label. (boo hoo) I bought up a big supply in various sizes in case they disappear, and they've never once let me down.

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No prestigious label? The BP designation on that hook style stands for Billy Pate and supposedly he collaborated on it all those years ago (maybe even before Andy Mill?) with Eagle Claw.... All of this was before the super-sharp premium hooks came along and all of us were supposed to know how to file a hook into dangerous condition...

 

When I remember tidbits like this I start feeling like a geezer... I still do have a few boxes of those Billy Pate hooks though (and the specific tarpon master patterns for a fellow named Catino that I stored away long before I came back to guiding full time so we're talking maybe 25 to 30 years ago... ). At his request I filled his order with those Pate tarpon hooks way back then and each of his masters is on that hook.

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Bob, I meant no disrespect to the legendary Billy Pate; I was referring to the Eagle Claw label, which a lot of tyers would sneer at these days. The only place I've been able to find those hooks in recent years is at Bass Pro Shop, and occasionally on eBay. I've never yet had to sharpen one, and I use them for all kinds of flies. Eagle Claw doesn't list them any more, or at least I haven't been able to find them. I suppose when the current supply runs out, that's gonna be it. I think I'll order a few hundred more before they disappear entirely. As far as bang for the buck goes, they're hard to beat.

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Dick Catino, Satellite Beach?

A long while back he even had some custom fly reels made too. VERY rare to find one of those and they look quite similar to the Billy Pate reels. A good friend of mine Troy Perez introduced me to him back in the 80's and he has a Catino reel as well.

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Frank Catino also owned a rod building business back in the late 70s, early 80s. He tied flies in the shop but I don't remember if he just tied for personal use or for sale. I bought some materials from him when I first got into tying and always admired his custom rods but never had the spare dinero to partake.

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