Barry, To the best of my knowledge neither the TMC 3769 nor the TMC 9300 are available in a black finish. (I have my own opinions on black trout hooks, which for the sake of forum harmony I will keep to myself! LOL!) The TMC 3769 is about as nice a hook for Spiders as I could want: good shape, stron...

Barry, I am surprised that you have found such defects in the old Capt. Hamilton hooks you are using. How old are they? Partridge hooks have been made in China for several years and the quality isn't what it was in the originals. As to your mention of a Jappaned finish on the Capt. Hamilton, I don't...

The use of knotless tapered leaders for most or part of a leader system to defeat weeds is certainly valid and I used it pretty extensively in the past. However, and this is just my opinion, I believe I can get better performance with a fully knotted leader, and I will sacrifice an occasional break-...

For what it's worth, the leader I tie for fishing Spiders is outlined below. I prefer Maxima Chameleon (Brown) for the larger diameters as it will straighten perfectly with a good strong pull and hold; no need for rubber leader straighteners, which, by the way, are detrimental to nylon. Trout Hunter...

William, I'd never seen that thread, must have been before I joined the Forum. The old flies are exquisite, just the way I like to see them. I believe that they may be from the early 20th century as evidenced by the eyed hooks. Somewhere in my things I have several labeled packets of spiders very si...

Raffia is a venerable body material. It was commonly used on the bodies of Mayflies (read; Green Drakes) and I have incorporated it into my French Partridge Mayflies for many years with excellent results. It is light, floats well, is fairly durable, especially if varnished, dyes easily, and doesn't ...

The "rod behind the legs" method of separation has accounted for a great deal of damage to fine rods over the years. I've seen it happen and I don't recommend using it. In order to have the least amount of trouble with metal ferrules first make sure they are clean before joining the rod. A...

A couple of weeks ago I made the following statement on this thread: I gave up on short shank hooks many years ago, based upon actual on-water experience and not "looks". Rereading this I realize that it may have sounded a bit terse; I did not mean it to. What I really meant to say is that...

ThirdMeadow wrote: "Everything anyone needs to know about fly tying period is in Datus Proper's What the Trout Said . Best fly tying book I know of, and there's not a single fly pattern in the book! Then again, I may have a Proper problem..." (TM, I only have one more copy than you do........

I gave up on short shank hooks many years ago, based upon actual on-water experience and not "looks".

Everything anyone needs to know about trout hook mechanics is in Datus Proper's, "What the Trout Said". It was profoundly influential and his conclusions are hard to refute.