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Dave Minyard

Has anyone tried open eye hooks?

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I've tied a few salt water flies on the smaller Gamakatsu siwash hooks. I used them mainly in making up off shore trolling lures I've always closed the eye before fishing them. The siwash hooks have a wide gape which makes them ideal for tying bunker or other wide body flies.

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I looked at the "Gateway" site. Watching the video, it looks like a neat system.

Scary, though.

I've had hooks that weren't quite closed at the eye, come off during a fight. It the hook is in the mouth just right, it can allow the line to move to that point. The flattened end on the Gateway hook MIGHT prevent the line from completely coming off, or not.

 

I don't think it would affect tying much ... you'd seriously have to avoid crowding the eye, though.

 

Never tried them, Dave ... didn't even know they existed until this thread. Thank you. I'm going to look for them next time I get close to a fly shop ... I'd like to see one up close.

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I'd be interested in the knot strength. Just academically. I wouldn't buy any hooks of that style, got too many hooks already, but knot strength always interests me.

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Here's my reply to a similar inquiry a few years ago on another board:

 

http://www.flyanglersonline.com/bb/showthread.php?42942-Has-anybody-tried-the-loopnlock-hooks&p=426872#post426872

 

I received the pictured hook at least 20 yrs ago, so the concept has been around pre-Gateway. I've since learned that TMC produced a couple other quick eye styles in addition to the dry fly model but have never handled any. Since the TMC quick eye was a standard shank hook modeled after their popular TMC100 hook, it felt too short in the shank. Gateway states they lengthened the shank a 1/2 size to accommodate the clearance requirement. I wish them well, but I don't believe Tiemco had enough takers to keep them in production.

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I also wasn't aware of those Gateway hooks until reading this thread. Have not tried them & most likely will not. I see no advantage to them, as anytime I change flies I want a fresh section of my tippet & a new knot. Both can get frayed or nicked while fishing, and it doesn't take a lot of time to retie. Even if I don't change flies, I retie often anyway. Same applies to both flies & lures. Tippet/line & knots are always the weak link, and they do get damaged, so the hook eye type makes llittle difference IMO.

 

IMO, it's highly likely, that if you can't see a tiny hook eye to thread your tippet through, you're not going to get the knot used for those Gateway hooks tied on properly either every time. So far, I can still see well enough, so will continue to take my chances with the hooks I have. I rarely use anything smaller than a size 8 for most fishing, and even when fishing for trout rarely have I ever used anything smaller than an 18. But, that's me!

 

However, like Philly, I have & do tie on open eye hooks. I have both Siwash & O'Shaughnessy styles with open eyes that are used to tie teasers or tail hooks. Tying is no different than any other hook, but the eye is closed afterwards as they're attached to various lures. They do require a little extra concentration sometimes to be sure I'm not crowding the hook eye, otherwise the thread can be damaged during the eye closing operation.

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I see no advantage to them, as anytime I change flies I want a fresh section of my tippet & a new knot. Both can get frayed or nicked while fishing, and it doesn't take a lot of time to retie.

I was thinking about this as I wrote my reply. I retie more often than I change flies, so changing a fly is always a new knot anyway. This is a good point to consider.

Also, setting the hook and fighting a fish to hand will probably tighten the knot. It most likely won't slide back as easily after that. I read somewhere, that knot strength greatly diminishes if the knot slips underload ... so Gene L.'s reply also comes to mind.

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