Mustad Keel Hook

[cornmuse 0]

I'm working on an article about the Blonde series of flies. One of the variations, the Stacked Blonde, is tied on a Mustad 79666 Keel Hook. I remember reading someplace that this hook had been discontinued. Can anyone confirm avialability? Are there any other manufacturers of this style hook? Thanks for the assistance.

 

Joe C.

[Alex C. 0]

Hi Joe,

 

Try a search here on FTF. Just recently someone mentioned a place to get them but I can't remember who or in what topic.

 

I was under the impression that all Blondes were supposed to be tied on a Keel Hook :dunno: Anyone know what funtion that bend serves?

[sandflyx 0]

the hook point rides up...the hook was used alot for bass flies to make them weedless.

[Guest]

http://www.belvoirdale.com/ heres the link referenced above how many hooks are you looking ???

 

 

 

[ashbourn 0]

This hook is one of the most requested hook from my customers. So far I have found a pack here and there on ebay or at a show. If anyone knows of a replacement hook that requires no bending I would love to know.

Joe

[flytyingscotsman 0]

 

I checked all of the hook equivalence charts I have - no luck.

 

The best chart I have lists the 79666 and shows empty boxes

in the cross reference versus Eagle Claw, Tiemco, Kamasan,

Partridge, Daiichi, VMC and Gamakatsu.

 

As far as bending goes, I saw Oliver Edwards bend a hook

while playing a flame from a lighter on it (I never tried this

myself). Maybe a mini-butane torch would be the way to

go if you have to resort to bending.

 

Fly-Tying Scotsman

[cornmuse 0]

I was under the impression that all Blondes were supposed to be tied on a Keel Hook Anyone know what funtion that bend serves?

 

Actually, the Blondes were originally tied on the Mustad 3407 saltwater hook. All the Blondes are tied on ordinary "J" irons - I like to use a loop-eye salmon hook because that's the way I tied them way back. It really doesn't matter.

 

The Stacked Blonde actually uses the Keel Hook point down - a very unusual application. This is done to create a fly with a very wide profile - likely to imitate a small sunfish or shad type body shape. It's tied as a trout fly. The one tutorial I've found online of this tie has it completely wrong.

 

I am under the belief that the Keel hook was discontinued. I've dropped an email to Steve at Mustad to confirm this - he's the North American rep. Nice guy, I spoke with him at length at the Fly Fishing Retailer trade show back in August.

 

Anyway, if the hook is discontinued I'm not going to go into a lot of depth on the Stacked Blonde simply because the average tier won't be able to get the irons to make it. If there is a hook that is similar I might include a bit more info on it in the article. I've gone to the extent of getting reprints of articles from Outdoor Life from 1963, 1965 and 1966 Field and Stream to research this. It looks like it might be the most in-depth artictile on this fly type published in quite a few year. I'm still working it.

 

If anyone out there has a handful of keel hooks, I'll happily tie a Stacked Blonde and post images and a step-by-step on this forum in exchange for two (2) size 2 Keel hooks. It's a creative and iteresting fly concept even if it isn't easy to get the hooks! Send me three hooks and I'll tie a Stacked Blonde and send it back to you as payment for the hooks!

 

Thanks.

 

Joe C.

[Alex C. 0]

The Stacked Blonde actually uses the Keel Hook point down - a very unusual application.

 

Maybe thats why it's called a blonde?

[ostfyn 0]

I dont know if the keel hook is discontinued from Mustad, but it looks that way. I think I saw another compagny producing them , but i dont remember who it was.

 

Maybe this link can help you: http://flyfishingnetwork.com/FlyBuy/FlyBuyMustadBass.html

 

God luck

 

Ostfyn

 

[cornmuse 0]

Steve Tagami of Mustad North America sent me this reply:

Hi Joe, As far as I know, that hook is out of production on a global basis.

 

It looks like Keel Flies are a thing of the past.

 

Joe C.

 

[Crotalus 0]

does the Gamakatsu C13U have enough of a keel bend to be an adequate substitute?

 

http://www.basspro.com/servlet/catalog.Tex...arTarget=search

 

 

edit: hmm i dont think they are made big enough, the largest size i have seen online so far is a 10, sorry

[billb 0]

I'm working on an article about the Blonde series of flies. One of the variations, the Stacked Blonde, is tied on a Mustad 79666 Keel Hook. I remember reading someplace that this hook had been discontinued. Can anyone confirm avialability? Are there any other manufacturers of this style hook? Thanks for the assistance.

 

Joe C.

 

 

Joe: I checked around here on the forum, elsewhere on the Net, and through my local shop earlier in the year for availability of the Mustad 79666 (more specifically, the 79666S, the stainless version), and came to the conclusion that nobody was making anything like it any more.

 

I ended up tying my Popovics Schoolies for the Joe Hard 2006 striper swap on 3/0 Mustad 34011s that I bent to the keel hook shape, scaling the proportions from the Schoolie illustrated in Stewart and Allen's "Flies for Saltwater." I didn't heat the hooks for bending, figuring that heat might draw out the temper. I painstakingly bent a couple dozen hooks and didn't break any -- haven't field tested them on fish yet. There's a good photo of one of my Schoolies in the thread of photos for the swap.

 

I found a kind soul willing to sell me a partial box of Gaelic Supreme "Hidden Bend Rudder Hooks, #70293XHBR, Forged Shank, Hollow Points, Double Bronzed, Perfect Round Bend, Ringed Eyes, Regular Wire, 3X Length" in size 4. They appear to be a good substitute for the bronzed Mustads. I've seen smaller Mustad keel hooks in on-line auctions from time to time, but haven't bid on them.

 

I can spare three of the Gaelic Supreme #4s if you can use them instead of #2s, and would be happy to send one of the #34011s I bent to keel shape. Just PM me your address if you want them.

 

Bill

 

[Joe Hard 0]

If I remember correctly in the Modern Streamers for Trophy Trout Linesman/Galloup mention the Stacked Blonde as a regular go to pattern that they use while guiding. Might want to give them guys a shout to see if the have a few of those hooks avaliable.

 

[cornmuse 0]

One of the forum members has kindly offered to send the hooks specified by Lidesman in the 2000 publication first describing the Stacked Blonde. As soon as I have the hooks I'll tie one up and add it to the pattern data base. I'll also work out a variation for a J iron that will work. I think a variation of an Ally's Shrimp might accomplish the same thing - provide a broad profile and maximum action.

 

Joe C.

[FKROW 0]

The Mustad Keel hooks were made in bronze for fresh water sizes and stainless steel for saltwater.

 

They were rather unreliable for hooking and lost favor with most FF. The last production run had the hook point offset vertically to open up the gape, this helped some. In the late 1960 or early 1970 there was a book published that had only keel fly designs.

 

The Keel hook was made obsolete with the Bend Back variation which is done by the fly tyer with longer hooks. The Bend Back is very slight,,,about 10-15 degrees is fine and has excellent hooking qualities.

 

A much better design for dedicated hooks today is the Eagle Claw 410 and 413 series, this hook rides with hook point upward and has a turned up eye similar to the jig hooks but is slanted forward.

 

Regards,

FK