Tying spade end hooks

I struggled to tie spade end hooks when I first took up fishing a couple of years ago. Being in my late (very) fifties then, my dexterity and eyesight were not what they used to be. I bought a Matchman tyer and a couple of others. With the help of some 'magnification' and good light I found that I could get by. Funnily enough I found that tying hooks on the bank became easier as I could see better!

I then started looking at some of the hook tying machines and they just seemed to be a jig to put my existing hand tyer in. Some raved about them and others dismissed them as being just gimmicks. Some people made their own and I was tempted, but there seemed very little advantage to me in doing so.

That is where I left it until a week or so ago when I heard about a machine that did not just use an existing tyer but was a completely new design. It sounded interesting and then I saw the price - HOW MUCH! That was it I was not going to by one of those...

A few days went buy and I started to hear other good things about it, again, I dismissed it. But then I thought about it some more and decided I could not in all honesty say I needed it but something kept my attention. I decided that I wanted it. So I forked out the money and bought it.

Have you ever let your heart rule your head?

I am not regretting I bought it, I think it is a great piece of kit and it does the job far quicker and much easier than I can achieve, by hand, even using a hand held tyer.

I do admit to liking nice tools and gadgets and I will get as much pleasure from owning and using the machine as I do from using the hook lengths. So maybe it is okay to own a piece of fishing kit for its own sake and not have to justify it.

Am I a lone nut-case, or do others like all the tackle, bait and rig making nearly as much as the fishing itself?

Ralph

fishplate42 said:

Have you ever let your heart rule your head?

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Oh yes, oooh yes!

I tried the Matchman Hook Tyer with a view to paving the way for times when I might be unable to tie a small spade end freehand but it was a hopeless loss in my experience.

My spirits were revived once again today when I managed to tie a size 22 with fingers so numb I couldn't feel that I had picked it up off my knee when I pressed a fingertip onto it to pick it up.

I gave it one chuck with single dead red without a bite and reverted to the maggot clip filled with chopped worm to a hair rigged size 12 mg:

If it gives you pleasure, Ralph then what business is it of anybody elses ? It's an impressive looking bit of kit. Enjoy !

I like fiddling about tying rigs too but there's only so many you can tie. One reason why I rarely get my fly tying vice out now having filled every box I own and quite a few other people's too.

I've been thinking about getting one. I've sorted braid and eyed hooks with a pair of +3 reading glasses from Poundland.
Ive never got on with the matchman type hook tyer, others find it simple but it does require a certain amount of dexterity, I spend most of my time searching for dropped hooks on the carpet.
As for preparation, every angler relishes getting the tackle box out surely? I've spent nights happily cutting up rig tubing to make anti tangle links for feeders, float rubbers, widening holes in feeders, shotting floats in a spaghetti jar, the list is endless.
If it's something you enjoy where's the harm in it? As for heart and head I'm not too bad, I do have a soft spot for a nice torch though, the only problem being I haven't been night fishing for years.

I find my fly vice comes in very handy, for tying carp rigs.

For Petes sake Ralph what is it as the villain said in Dirty Harry" I needs to know"":wh

I looked further and found it. I will give your blog a good read!

I am lucky I suppose.I can still tie a hook down to a 22 in me hands on the bank.
Glasses are a help. If you need to use one and it helps I would use lt mate no point in struggling on IMO.

trotter2 said:

I am lucky I suppose.I can still tie a hook down to a 22 in me hands on the bank.
Glasses are a help. If you need to use one and it helps I would use lt mate no point in struggling on IMO.

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I have no idea how you guys tie tie size 22 spade ends with your hands! I struggle with a 16 and a matchman.

mikench said:

For Petes sake Ralph what is it as the villain said in Dirty Harry" I needs to know"":wh

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I was talking generally, but if "you needs to know" I have reviewed the tyer I bought HERE. I did post a link to my review in the Tackle Review forum.

I hope Pete is okay now...

Ralph.

I think I will be able to resist The presenters, clearly filmed at Partridge lakes, put me off. They were utterly unconvincing.

One can buy a lot of pretied hooks for that kind of money. Good luck with it Ralph:w

mikench said:

I think I will be able to resist The presenters, clearly filmed at Partridge lakes, put me off. They were utterly unconvincing.

One can buy a lot of pretied hooks for that kind of money. Good luck with it Ralph:w

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I must admit I thought that video was awful, that is one reason I posted a review of my own. Don't you find that nearly all reviews posted on line and in the magazines are just advertorials - a description of something the reviewer has been given or they are talking about a sponsor's product?

I intend to add some more 'independent' reviews to my blog as time goes on, see the last paragraph HERE.

Ralph.

I agree Ralph. Not one review I have seen whether in a magazine or on a website has been even remotely impartial. I cannot recall any review slating a product Every new rod, reel or whatever is always marvellous. The two Andy's were diabolical. The Chuckle brothers would have done better!

That video does neither the product nor the manufacturer any credit and ,as I said, it is off putting.

Your reviews will have credibility!

Looks a well engineered piece of equipment but £120 for something to tie hooks will never be for me, tying rigs is not something I enjoy doing its just something that has to be done as far as I am concerned but I know others do and its all a personal choice and I wouldn't criticise anyone for investing in something that gives them enjoyment.

I have always tied my own hooks. Started in the 50s, my next door neighbour was an angler and I pestered him to take me with him. He said he would take me BUT every fisherman has to tie his own hooks.
Took a while but I got there. So the only hooks I use are the hooks I tie.
After health issues I had to make a jig to hold my hook tier.
I would never trust hooks not tied by me.
With the help of my jig I can easily tie hooks with one hand, any size.
Sight had been an issue for a number of years with the dreaded cataracts, both eyes have been rectified and now I can see perfectly.
Even with poor eye sight I never had a hook fail through bad tying.
I guess I'm just a genius hook tyer.:beer: The only spades I tie now are for roach everything else knotless eyes are just as good.
Yes I have bought some ridiculous items in my youth.

thecrow said:

Looks a well engineered piece of equipment but £120 for something to tie hooks will never be for me, tying rigs is not something I enjoy doing its just something that has to be done as far as I am concerned but I know others do and its all a personal choice and I wouldn't criticise anyone for investing in something that gives them enjoyment.

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I think that is why this hobby has so many devotees. It can be all sorts of things to all people. I gave up trying to justify expense of things I bought to others decades ago. Not only fishing, but anything. Why do we buy a particular car or a brand of confectionery over any other that may be cheaper? My M.O. is to look at something I have bought, regardless of cost, and if it makes me feel good, it stays. If on the other hand I look at it and I feel bad of apathetic towards it, for what ever reason, it goes.

To be honest, there is very little fishing tackle I really need to go fishing. I think I get almost as much pleasure out of owning nice tackle as I do using it, if that makes any sense.

There is lots of stuff out there aimed at this end of the market. Some of it I can dial into, other stuff leaves me cold and I am sure the converse is true for others. I am not one for brand name clothing or luggage but others will change the lot just because their latest preferred brand has redesigned it. That is not for me but I understand why others may feel that way.

Life would be vary boring if we all thought, or for that matter fished, in the same way.

Ralph.

I've gone back to tying hooks by hand, finding the pencil-style tyers more fiddly than the manual method. Fine-wire spades are often fairly long in the shank, so the ultra-small sizes aren't that much more difficult to tie than those that are merely small. That said, if I need to go below a 20 it's probably time to go home.

Having a right hand that shakes when I try to do anything with it I was doubtful that I could still tie the spade end hooks again, I tried the matchman type and couldn't get on with it I also purchased an electric hook tier that I was able to use after spending a while practising and after all this I found that if I had something to keep the line tight I could still tie them by hand shaky hand an all

This is a subject close to my heart. When I first began "proper fishing" with my Grand Dad, at the age of 8 or 9, the first thing he taught me was how to tie spade end hooks. In my prime I tied hooks, for the trade and friends, by the 1000 and could tie at least 100 an hour. The most popular hook in those days (1970/80s) was a Mustad 90340 size 20/22 on Bayer 1.1 or 1.7 lbs BS. Today I am not that quick, but can still tie down to a 26, if needs be, although I now need glasses. I have tried various hook tyers and whilst they are quite satisfactory for some, I can't be pratting about with them. These days when I fish the river I use size 22s and 20s for maggot and size 16 for caster. Most people can look at a diagram for a knot to attach a spade end hook to nylon and understand the mechanics of how it is formed but what they need to know is how to manipulate their fingers to tie it. Some years ago I put a not too professional video on YouTube explaining how I did it (apologises to those who have been round this bouy before). Here is the link:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XSWu0-oSO20 .
I hope this helps someone. Pete.

I for myself, personally, in my opinion, I have yet to be convinced there is any need for a spade end hook, I fish exclusively with eyed hooks tied on with a palomar or knotless knot for hair rigs. I have read all the reasons why a spade is better but I see no empirical proof that spades rule and I cannot see that they present the bait any better.

I admit to reading a very long thread on another forum about the ZT Pro and I did think "Ooooh, very shiney".

It is interesting how many anglers who have been fishing for decades devlope the skill-set to hand tie small spade end hooks even though the body is getting less cooperative. My problem is I am now in my 60s and did not start fishing until a couple (and a bit!) years ago. At that time in my life I did not even know spade end hooks existed, let alone think about how they are tied.

I found it very frustrating trying to get my eyes and fingers coordinated to perform this task, even on a relatively large size hook, let alone the size 20s and smaller.

Instead of Fishing, I spent my early days woodworking alongside my cabinetmaker uncle. I have been woodworking my entire life, one way or another, and I can sharpen chisels and plan irons by hand to a perfect edge just by feel, like I can plane a piece of stock flat and square, again by feel. It is a sort of 'muscle memory' that the body adopts over many years of doing the same thing. I think it must also apply to tying ridiculously small knots in fine line to ridiculously small hooks.

I can now tie all the hooks I need with a Matcman/Stonfo hand held tyer, at least well enough to stay together and be 'fit for purpose'. I did not need to by a hook tying machine/jig at all. I still did because it does tie them quicker and with less 'stress' than tying them by hand, but if I am being honest, I bought it because I liked the idea of owning a nice shiny piece of kit in the same way I own expensive woodworking hand tools.



Ralph.