A pack of these appeared from Partridge with no details, no press release, no product sheet – which is slightly unusual.
Thing is, these hooks simply slotted straight in. The shape and proportions are near enough the same as the hooks I use as standard for many wets and most small lures; same sproat bend, same shank length, same gape. The eye is a bit bigger, the barb is a bit smaller than those on the hook this challenges on my tying table, so I’m not seeing the same hook offered by different brands.
The eye is very well shaped and, in this #14 example, significantly larger than the eye of the hook it challenges, at least one hook size larger. The larger eye threads more easily, and, depending on your taste, looks a little less delicate or a bit more ‘butch’ than the competition – sure looks stronger.
Partridge describes the wire as heavy and makes a point of the strength of this hook. The bend is forged (flattened) for rigidity without brittleness. In the vice this seems like a very strong hook. When tying that distinctive wide open eye makes it damned near impossible to crowd or tie onto the eye, flies are finished behind the eye like it or not … and, of course, I like that!
This looks to me like a very ‘ordinary’ hook; it has all the familiar dimensions I expect from a staple wet-fly hook with enough difference to make the hook Partridge – an exceptional ‘ordinary’ hook?