LoneRider

Well this store is my favourite.. Its probably an unknown but if you're not in the continental US then he's a great place to get stuff from. Not a huge variety but $3.50 flat rate for international shipping is great in my books. Last order was received in less than a week and no restrictions on product type as long as its materials. Bought a vise which he shipped for $10 when no one else would accept less than $15. I guess this applies more to international orders though.. Doc's fly box.. Regards Azad

I know this is an old thread but if you're interested and in the off chance ypu've yet to buy one this may be a good substitute.. $5.62 plus shipping.. powered by 3AAA batteries. there are more powerful ones available but the strongest will set you bak about $18+.. PM me if you need a link to the store.

Thanks Al, You guys are a great bunch. That's really good info. Especially considering that in the mid 80's when that book was published I was still a wee lad. Azad

Thanks utyer.. Glad to know offset hooks are ok. I've had good experiences using Gamas too. My favourite is their Iseama twist pattern. If you're ever in Bangkok Thailand and have the chance to tango with the giant mekong cats you'll find that all the guides swear by these hooks. My biggest was a 40kg brute on a size 1/0 Gama hook and 60lbs GSP leader. I used that same hook on 3 cats and there was no hint of wear. Super sharp.. I test for sharpness by checking if they're sharp enough to scratch my nails (thought to me by an old timer). Check out Mega Fishing Thailand online.. Always wondered if anyone ever tried catching one of these on fly. Should be a loooong fight.

Flytire Thanks for the link, that chart is sure useful... Thanks arkfisher and utyer.. I've the same thoughts too, at times I can't fathom any reason to use an expensive fly hook when a bait hook costs so much less, the Pioneer hook costs SGD$2.50 per pack as compared to the Mustads that costs SGD$5.50. Some hooks would probably have no substitutes, dry fly, natural bends.. I agree on the importance of fly hooks being more sharp though but I think that can be easily fixed with a nice diamond file.. A sharp hook will penetrate really well, especially if the fish has bony jaws like the peacock bass. One alternative is to use a thinner gauge hook, though changes have to be made in hook setting and drag setting. I've had opened hooks on Daiichi thin gauge (barramundi) but that hook cuts through bones and scales like a hot knife through butter. Now, one more question, if you guys think bait hooks are ok, how about hooks with offsets (not offset eyes), suicide hooks? To Philly.. Theres no need for permits for both fresh and saltwater fishing in Singapore. There are however some regulation with where you can fish (some areas are off limits, mostly military bases and some water catchment areas) and no use of organic bait. Have to warn you though, the fishes here are far and few but once you get used to the conditions here you should be hooking up in no time.. PM me if you need anymore info. Azad

Hi guys, I know this has probably been discussed before but typing "hook" into the search function threw up a gazillion results. I'm a newbie from Singapore who tie flies but don't fly fish (hope to change that soon). Anyway, fly tying (for that matter flyfishing) isn't that common around here so as you can guess materials are difficult and expensive to come by. While browsing at a tackle shop last month I saw some fly hooks on sale so grabbed a couple of packs. I need some info on Mustad no. 7948A, what hooks are they? are they dry hooks or better off for streamers? I'm thinking of using them for foam flies to target peacock bass and other cichlids (even the occasional arowanas). The one hook I use often are the C70S D, the're great for tying Charlies and Clousers for saltwater and they last a long time as long as wash and dry them out well but they're quite expensive here, I picked out what seems to be a close match (size and gauge) to it, cost less than half of the Mustads). they're bait hooks but I know from experience the brand is reliable, having landed a 10kg stingray on their hooks. Are there any problems with using baithooks for tying flies? Will there be any issues during hookups cos of the different bend and barb shape? Hope to hear your comments.. Regards Azad

Thank you for the great reply... Now I know! Great forum we have and really helpful bunch of people.

Hi guys, Hope it's ok for me to add a question, me being a noob and all. Is GSP and kevlar the same? I know Kevlar is the stuff they use to make ballistics vest (which I figure makes them pretty tough) but are they one and the same? Thanks

This is what I use to keep hooks and beads. They're modular so you can add and remove more/less to your liking. A 10pack costs $2.54. They do the job fine enough, especially for beads and hooks. I also use them to store my electronic parts such as screws, LEDs and resistors. Great bargain I guess. I glue rare earth magnets ($1.99/20pcs) to the bottom for storing hooks, picking out what i need with tweezers as I think handling hooks too often may lead to premature corrosion from the moisture and oils on our fingers (heard that somewhere). Regards Azad

I'm new here and never got to know the guy but I know what it's like to lose someone dear to me to cancer. As a child my dad passed to cancer.. I believe almost everyone has had someone they know/ love taken away by this disease. My condolences to the family.. I checked out the links to his designs, I have to say the man was a real artist. Beautiful ties..

Hi, sorry I'm new at tying.. Any idea where I can get a step by step or even better a video showing how to spin a wool head like the one you made? Other thaan wool are there any other alternatives (synthetic)? Thanks LoneRider

Thanks for the warm welcome Steve and no worries, after a 14hour day at school I'll let any typos pass me by. Anyway, like most guys here your spelling is ok by any standards (an A+ in my books!). Thanks for the tip on the DanVise, I've read most of the glowing reviews on them. One thing I'd like to know though is wether the jaw extension is necessary and what is it's function. I've seen the photos of the DanVise, is it that bit that holds the jaws at an angle? One more thing, that's a great looking avatar you have there. I'm not sure what fish that is but we do have something similar here in Singapore, a type of bream/snapper that's usually caught on prawns in our surf and estuaries. Usually on prawn (shrimps for the US folks) and on occasions they've been caught on small diving lures. Thanks again LoneRider

Hi guys, Recently picked up fly tying to fill my quiet hours.. I served with the police force for almost 10 yrs till I got injured on duty. I messed up my right arm pretty bad (loss of some motor functions and partial loss of sensation) and recently became a primary school teacher (elementary for those in the US). The injury meant re-learning how to write, work and fish using my left hand. It took a while before I could handle spinning and eventually baitcasting setups. After seeing a few fly tying videos on youtube; some of which were from contributors here, I decided to give it a try. So far I've been tying crazy charlies and closers mostly and giving them away. I doubt I'll ever be able to cast and strip a fly rod as it is tying can be a pain (literally) and it takes me half an hour to complete a tie but I treat it as good form of therapy. Fly fishing isn't very popular here and we have only one flyshop for a population that is nearing the 5million mark. Materials are expensive and I've resorted to buying online as every dollar counts (teachers earn pennies here). I know JS is the sponsor here but overseas shipping does come up to quite a bit. Anyone knows any online stores that offers great international shipping rate? I've been buying my stuff here Doc's flybox, where overseas shipping for materials are $3.50 flat. Doesn't have the range that JS has but beggars can't be choosers I guess and so far the owner has been giving me great service. Has anyone had experienced shopping at Thornes Manufacturing and Service? They seem to have a better range and shipping is still affordable. Has anyone had experience using the Anvil Atlas? I've noticed that it does not come with a bobbin holder, can that be bought or do I have to make do without one? My second choice will probably be the Danvise though I have some reservations using a vise with plastic parts.. Last choice will be the Terra Silverado. Please give some comments on my choices. I'm tying size 8-1/0 flies if thats any help...Thanks in advance and hope to hear from you guys soon. Regards LoneRider