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Umpqua Competition Hooks

May 22, 20122 CommentsFly TyingBy Jason Klass

I swung by Angler’s Covey in Colorado Springs on Sunday and they had a sale on Umpqua Comepetition hooks.  They looked like they might be good for sakasa kebari so I picked up a couple of packages in size #10 and #12.  

I got the C500BL model, which is a short shank heavier wire model.  I generally prefer heavier wire hooks to help my sakasa kebari sink better and these have a nice medium diameter with a gorgeous black nickel finish.  I also really like the wide gap and barbless, turned up needle point.

 

Umpqua Competition Hooks 2

 

Those who struggle with threading their flies will also appreciate the large, straight eyes of these hooks.  Threading them with even the largest tippets one would use in tenkara is like throwing a rope down a hallway compared to other hooks I’ve used.

 

Umpqua Competition Hooks 4

 

Sakasa Kebari on an Umpqua competition hook

 

The more I explore, the more hooks I discover that have the features I like for sakasa kebari.  And now, I’m going to go ahead and add the Umpqua Competition C500BLs to my list of favorites.  If the TMC 2499SPBLs  are my standard workhorses, these Umpqua Competition hooks are the sleek sports model.

About the author

Jason Klass

Jason is an avid fly angler and backpacker. As a former fly fishing guide originally from Western New York, he moved to Colorado and became an early adopter of tenkara which perfectly suited the small, high altitude streams and lakes there. He has not fished a Western-style fly rod for trout since.

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2 Comments
  1. May 23, 2012 at 3:38 am
    karl kortemeier

    Great looking hook. I have not heard of these before. I will have to look for them. Why do they call them “competition”?

  2. May 23, 2012 at 7:10 am
    Jason Klass

    Hi Karl,
    They just meet the regulations for hooks required by a lot of national and international fly fishing competitions. Plus, they’re the right bend for the style of fly many competition anglers like to use like Czech nymphs.

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About Me

Jason Klass is a former fly fishing guide & casting instructor based in Colorado. He was an early adopter of tenkara in the West and has been fishing the method for a variety of species since 2009. Read more >>

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