Vicuña Dubbing
In my ongoing exploration of tying tenkara flies on eyeless hooks, I recently got a package of Gosen Torrents Ace GII hooks from Esoteric Tackle. These hooks have a very radical bend that makes them great for tying traditional looking tenkara flies, plus a couple of other features I really like.
The hooks feature a nice black finish and are barbless. Unlike many eyeless hooks, they lack a spade (a flattened part at the front of the hook) which makes for a “cleaner” looking loop eye in my opinion. The wire is a little lighter than I prefer, yet not springy like other light-wire hooks I’ve tried that were annoying to tie on.
At less than $12 for a package of 72 hooks, the Torrents Ace are an excellent value as well and anyone who wants to try tying on eyeless hooks should give them a try. They’re available at Esoteric Tackle in size 7.5 (about a size #12 in the western hook sizing system).
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Unfortunately there is only one pack left and my supplier says he can;t get any more. The Gamakatsu are still available and I am working on bringing over more hooks of a similar design but with a heavier wire.
Glad you liked them Jason. Now all you need to do is hook a fish to see just how well these hooks hold.
I now have a good supply of eyeless hooks made my Owner in a range of sizes from 5.5 to 7.5 and two different hook shapes. One is more radical than the other!
I just wanted to followup on these hooks.
They’ve worked fine for me for small fish.
But I’ve had a number of fish in the 18+” range pull the bends out on them. I’m disappointed in their strength, and IMO, the fine wire offers no distinct advantages.
I will concede that they are a beautiful looking hook that makes gorgeous and delicate tenkara flies, and I’ve been using them for shadowbox/display flies.
Thanks for the follow up Ryan. I haven’t hooked any large fish on these hooks yet so that’s good to know.