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Hook Prices WTH

3K views 41 replies 24 participants last post by  Flyborg 
#1 ·
I just spent over $9 for a pack of 25, size 8 Tiemco hooks at the local fly-shop.
Are teenage girls starting to put hooks in their hair now and causing hook prices to rise?
 
#20 ·
Lot of places you can get high quality cheaper priced hooks, Allen, JS house brand, The Fly Shop house brand, Cabelas house brand. Most of these are less than 1/2 to a 1/3 the price and very good quality.
Define"quality"

I'm always amazed at how much time and money is spent on going fishing, then to scrimp on the part that attaches to the fish, in terms of leaders and hooks that "are just as good as the good stuff".
 
#8 ·
The hooks were Tiemco 300 (which are x long).

I know I can get cheaper hooks online, but I like supporting the local shop.

For what ever reason I like the Tiemco's more than the Daiichi's, which are considerably less in price.
 
#9 ·
Tiemco sucks! Seriously. Most other brands you get twice as many hooks for half the price. I've purposely avoided Tiemco for over two years, after getting several packs where the eyes would fall off while tying on the fly. And several packs were apparently made from lead. Even a minnow would straighten them. So I switched almost exclusively to Dai-Riki(50 for around five bucks), mustad(fifty for the price of 25 Tiemco), gamakatsu, and Allen.... to name a few that I consider higher quality hooks.
 
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#10 ·
Tiemco sucks! Seriously. Most other brands you get twice as many hooks for half the price. I've purposely avoided Tiemco for over two years, after getting several packs where the eyes would fall off while tying on the fly. And several packs were apparently made from lead. Even a minnow would straighten them.
I've experienced the exact opposite.

I should add, you catch a lot bigger fish on the eastside. Maybe our small westside fish haven't put a big stress on the hooks:)
 
#13 ·
I was going to try and get back into tying up a few flies. The price of hooks didn't scare me away. It was the price of tools. I think I gave away all but my vise. It was a Christmas present from my wife a few years ago. So I will have to hang on to it.

The price of a thread holder was 21 bucks for a name brand. A little cheaper for an off name brand. I went to look at Cabela's and found the prices to my liking. Now all I need to do is go through the shed and see if I can find what I have left.
 
#14 ·
What really pissed me off is I tied up alot of flies and mixed them in with all the others. I don't know which ones are the bad batches, but find out quickly. Usually when the eye falls of tying it on my tippet.
 
#16 ·
You should always buy the best you can afford when it comes to tools. Hooks are no different than a hammer. You can get anything you want for a given price. I have found less expensive hooks can be had if you look for them. If a shop doesn't carry them, get them somewhere else. The idea that you have to serve a shop is misguided in that they carry what they can afford to sell. They don't mind if you find something else, for the most part. The key is that when you find something you like, take it to your local shop and suggest that they try it. You might be surprised.
 
#17 ·
You are right, hook prices are crazy high IMO. Certainly reflective of increase price for steel, but still seems awfully inflated. Makes me glad I went on a hook buying spree about 10 years ago, getting great deals on Tiemco from eBay, and on Taurus hooks at the fly shop in Munroe (really liked those hooks btw). Most recently, 70% off on hooks when Sportsman Warehouse closed up.

The dang things are getting like ammo. Keep your eyes peeled for good buys and maintain some stock to avoid having to pay full retail.
 
#18 ·
No disrespect intended, but I'm always slightly amused by these 'amazing high prices these days' threads...reminds me of gasoline prices, butter prices...or whatever. Corrected for inflation, and the 'low wages' of the past, things ain't too bad; I well remember listening to old farts bitching about the prices of hooks 50 years ago.

Hell, we've got it good in terms of products; plenty to choose from, much better materials, easy availability. Back then you took what little you could find locally, or waited to see what kind of shitty quality item a mail order catalogue outfit felt like sending you. There certainly wasn't any kind of ability to bitch about a greedy/bad vendor like you can nowadays via the internet.
 
#21 ·
I hear you on this Paul! I have 1000's of hooks from years ago - 80's But still have to buy hooks like scud hooks or 2 x strong or specialty hooks I just have to have for a pattern. For number 10 through say 4 I have a ton. sending a PM' for possible 100 lot hooks from me but we might have to meet for a fishing trip to keep your gas bill down! I'll give you a call!
 
#22 ·
For the price of something to double, raw material double, manufacturing double, tax doubles, shipping doubles, profit doubles and then retails doubles. Not always, but raw material is just a small fraction of the cost to manufacture and retail a product usually. Sure, raw material will raise the cost to manufacture, but I believe it's an excuse to put a little extra in the profit end.
 
#27 ·
For the price of something to double, raw material double, manufacturing double, tax doubles, shipping doubles, profit doubles and then retails doubles. Not always, but raw material is just a small fraction of the cost to manufacture and retail a product usually. Sure, raw material will raise the cost to manufacture, but I believe it's an excuse to put a little extra in the profit end.
Makes you think huh? 7 years ago, oil was around $145 a barrel - and gas was around $4.25 a gallon.

Now, oil is around $95 a barrel, and gas hit as high as $3.89 a gallon. Hmm... That ratio seems off doesn't it?

One has to understand the economic "buying power" of the US Dollar, when it comes to these things.

When you print more money (US Dollars), the buying power of that dollar goes down. When the buying power goes down, it takes more to buy the same product.

http://www.usinflationcalculator.com/ These numbers are a bit on the conservative side, but it's the simplest calculator I could find.

What this chart does not take into consideration, is the cost of raw materials going up, labor, shipping, etc. - and they are felling the affect of the devaluing of the dollar as well. Thus, passing their loss/cost on to the consumer.

I'm with Sg (although probably not as... "seasoned"), I can remember $3.87 for a pack that is $8 or $9 now.
 
#25 ·
For those that might want to accuse this fly shop with ripping off their customers might want to do some research about how much this model/brand/size costs elsewhere. The average is $9 a pack in this size and this fly shop has very comparable market prices. Given the intent of use, I would have chosen a 5262 or 5263 and adjusted my size accordingly due to the different shank length. These are generally a bit cheaper at $6 a pack.
 
#26 ·
I'm starting to buy the higher quality hooks.

However I seem to be grabbing barbless competition hooks from a company called Hanak.
A 25 pack is $8 but what I like is there is no chance of breaking a hook when I debard them.

They are also super sharp out of the box and made with a nice heavy wire. I had a set of barbless allen pupa hooks, bought Hanak ones and I have way more confidence in the Hanak to hold a fish. The Allen ones were way to flimsy for my liking.
 
#28 ·
What really gets me is how much we all spend on rods, reels, and line to fish with and then just put the fish you catch back into the water for somebody else to catch down the road. So why bitch about the price of hooks when all you are doing is catch and release.

Edit: I used to fish with gear. When I lost a set up to the bottom or the other side of the river I just tied on another setup. Or when fishing with spinners, I'd lose one and then just put another one on. I never worried about the price of fishing gear or gas. When I need something I usually just went out and bought it. If I didn't have the money I didn't get it. But buying hooks for the tying of flies is a bargain at almost any price.. Try buying 25 flies at 6 bucks a pack. It ain't happening.
 
#33 ·
I'm always browsing the bargain basket for useful hooks at any shop.
 
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