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