Forged or tempered

[Fishnkilts]

I'm not saying I know what I'm talking about, and in this case I really don't know what I'm talking about or even asking. I don't know a lot about forged and tempered hooks except that personally I like forged hooks for their strength. I will admit that with a certain big name brand of forged hooks, I have had hooks in the pack where the tips have been broken off. I understand that forged hooks can be brittle, so I excepted the loss and threw them away, but kept the good ones to tie with.

Some brands that are forged I really like and have had absolutely no issues with and will continue to tie and fish them. But like many fly tyers, I want to explore with hooks.

My local fly shop is replacing some of their hook brands and one of the brands the owner is switching to I had concerns about because they are tempered hooks. He is getting other brands that are tempered as well, but this one brand I had to ask him if he ever tied or fished with these hooks and he said he had and that he liked them very much and that's the reason he's starting to sell them. Ok then.

That leads to a question about tempered hooks that I have had for awhile. I have tied with tempered hooks and I just can't get over how easily the hooks I have used bend so easily with just thread pressure. I constantly have to bend the shank back in place and that just gets to me. I don't have that problem with forged hooks. But if these tempered hooks bend under thread pressure, how in the world will they stand up to a fish in fast current?
Am I missing something?

I watched a video of a well known fisherman who was tying on a tempered hook and I kept seeing the hook bend downward while he wrapped thread on it, so I know it's not just me having this issue. I emailed him and told him what I noticed about the hook bending in his vise and asked if he ever had those hooks bend while fishing causing him to lose fish. His reply was he had no problems with the hooks bending while fishing them.
I hate to say it, but I'm having a very difficult time believing him or the owner of my local fly shop. And what's sad is, I went to High School with him. I know him, so I don't think he'd be giving me a bunch of bovine scatology.

So I ask all of you because if there is one thing I know, you all have much more experience and knowledge in this subject than I do.
What type, forged or tempered do you prefer and why? Maybe both for different applications, maybe? Please share your thoughts on this with me so I can hopefully see what I can't see because of my ignorance.

I will say the brand I was looking at that the fly shop has is a well known and has a good reputation in quality, and I would like to try these tempered hooks, but the thing is, if they bend in the vise, I'm not going to be happy and will be able to rely on these hooks while fishing. I live where our creeks and rivers are very rocky with rocks that are very large, and they get hooked often while fishing sub surface.

I don't make a lot of money, so I don't want to waste my money. I guess I can buy just one pack and try them out for myself and see for myself if they hold up to the hype the reviews give them.

So again, the question is forged or tempered? Which do you prefer and why?

Discuss.

[Theroe]

Ok-
In my limited knowledge, forging is a mechanical process which aligns steel molecules to add strength - think a big burly guy hammering a piece of red hot steel on an anvil.
Tempering is a heating process which if done correctly alters the chemical properties of said steel, enabling it to spring back instead of bending(too soft) or breaking(too brittle).
I believe most all hooks are tempered, only some are forged(those with a flattened bend).

I happen to be fond of hooks - pm me your address, and I will send you enough samples to keep you perking right along…..

Dana

[Mike62]

I happen to be fond of hooks

Dana

Lol, that's like saying Alexander was fond of adding to his real estate portfolio.

[Theroe]

[nfrechet]

Which do you prefer and why?

mustad heritage.

theyre usually on sale