[Iain Goolager]

Not a case of Persisting Londsae as I had accepted that I just canna work them?!

But the close season makes you forget your failures and convince yourself that you are actually a bit of a fishing legend, so I'm gonna try them again.

Iain

[Loxiafan]

Not a case of Persisting Londsae as I had accepted that I just canna work them?!

That is surprising for a man of your tenacity and talents ! May The Force be with you, tis a good flee methinks.

Right, fits wrang wi these Partridge Classic Spider hooks ? Aye, they look a bit weird and take a few ties to get the proportions right but are they really so poorly made ?  He who is Most Holy Mr. PP rates them most decently and is even tying his dry flies on them, and he is no mug ! He may even have been consulted on their design, but not sure ?

I have loads of Wat Bloas and Hare Lug and Plover on them so will hopefully put them to good test myself soon. Still like me Mustads though, spiders on black hooks and the silk takes on a different hue than on bronze ??

Lindsay

[Hamish Young]

 He who is Most Holy Mr. PP rates them most decently and is even tying his dry flies on them, and he is no mug ! He may even have been consulted on their design, but not sure ?

I'll ask him.........

[Eddie Sinclair]

I've got 'em Eddie, took them in for the autistic bloke that started the thread 

Cheers

Ben

Ben,
see you tomorrow when I take the French bloke in to get a rod.

Eddie.

[Jim Eddie]

I thinks it's a cry for a life less boring Jim  
I don't know what's gone wrong with the picture quality though?  

You gonna get on the river when you are home?

Iain

Iain

I will have a week on the Ericht in a couple of weeks, home this week but work is getting in the way 

[Iain Goolager]

That's right, I forgot about the Ericht.

Hope your season gets of to a good start Jimbo 

Iain

[Sandy Nelson]

I don't know lindz

I've had issue with them bending in the vice and they are barbed so i have to squash it .
But at the end of the day , i think its aesthetics again, i'm just not keen on the way the fly looks when its tied on them.
And I'm not a fan of Straight eyes, even though in theory they should be better, unless of course they are for Saltwater flies when i don't want them twisting. Its all B/S i suppose but its those things that help you catch fish

I love the SLD's and have had double figure Bows on them so i know they are strong, plus they are gunmetal and not black like the 103BL's and they are designed as barbless. Almost all my river flies are tied on either SLD's, 206BL's, 2487's, K1A's or B160's so i'm not a brand fetishist

Sandy

[Loxiafan]

Hi Sandy,

Know what you mean, the wide gape is out of proportion and the micro barb is there but I find easily squashed down. Time will tell. I have never had any real probs with any hooks 103BL or SLD, some have straightened a bit but in one case that was a Salmon taking my CdC and Elk - not landed I hasten to add ! One Varivas 2200BL-B opened a bit last year but fish landed. Not had any hooks break in the ole Dynaking.

I have now gotten used to the Classic Spiders from a tying perspective so hope they deliver on the fishing front....must have 200 in various sizes, so an expensive mistake if not !

Lindsay

[Loxiafan]

I'll ask him.........

Please do and report back ! He certainly punts them a fair bit and clearly 'endorses' them  Bob Smith told me he was consulted 

L

[Rob Brownfield]

Right, fits wrang wi these Partridge Classic Spider hooks ?

I bought sizes 20 through to 14 and tied up lots and lots of spiders last year.

In the vice they proved to be very easy to bend out of shape which was my first indicator that I was not going to get on with these.

I used them on the Don at Kemney, hooking fish to around a poond in weight on a 4 weight 10 foot rod, so not powerful gear. I lost probably 50 percent of the fish I hooked, which resulted in very obviously bent hooks.

Comparing them to some "maggot" hooks I have that are almost like for like in shape and wire, the Partridges are not as strong.

[Loxiafan]

Grim Stuff indeed Rob     I have not had any bend in the vice though. Perhaps this 'wide gape' is more trouble than it is worth but it is one of the reasons PP recommends the Classic Spider !   Perhaps line tension on the straight eye is putting direct strain on the bend of the hook, something any of you engineers could answer I am sure !

L

[Rob Brownfield]

Perhaps this 'wide gape' is more trouble than it is worth but it is one of the reasons PP recommends the Classic Spider !  

I have used the now defunked Drennen Wide Gape Maggot Hook for years, landing tench to 7 pounds on a size 20 barbless, so I am a fan of wide gapes. If I can find any more of these hooks I will buy them as they are spot on for spiders.

Here is an image of Specimen version, thicker wire but the same shape.



I wonder if I have a bad batch of Partridge hooks, it would not be the first time in a long way. I work with the sister in law of MArk Hamnett of Partridge, perhaps I should send him some examples for his opinion