I suppose some might consider it  “the fun’s back in fly tying” – but while I’m here sucking a forefinger, I don’t see it that way…

The Skalka and Knapek competition barbless hooks arrived yesterday, and with less than 24 hours before my march northward, I had to bang out as many flies as possible to have something to test.

I tested my coagulation rate thoroughly, that and my blood type…

Knapek dry fly and streamer hooks are a “squarish” bend with a wicked kirbed, barbless needle for a point that seeks human flesh with neither guilt nor remorse. Lacking a barb to slow its progress through your palm or forefinger – it’s added a new dimension to fly tying…

… and that’s what I’d expect of a hook that costs nearly $0.30 each – whose attributes might separate you from kissing “Miss Colorado Flyfish” and a five digit payday.

For the first time I found myself commiserating with the prey – as I alternately nursed one fingertip after another. Materials that obscure the hook point yet need to be coaxed backwards on the shank – like hackle or chenille, invariably put those precious highly-trained, coaxing fingers into Harm’s Way. 

The pain starts to register after it’s a quarter inch in – giving you a hint you should stop applying pressure – but the follow-through is still enroute, so the second quarter inch is just a bonus. Once the point encounters the back of your fingernail it slows down some …

I’m thinking that a standard hook set would drive a #14 Humpy clean through the trout’s skull – and with a bend designed to keep the corpse attached – telling the warden, “I didn’t do it” will be a bit of a dance – what with the lifeless parr-marked corpse bobbing nearby.

Tying on these requires the vise to grip the bend of the shank and none of the point, or just the point and none of the bend. With a 10 degree offset, grabbing both point and bend will bend the wire, removing the kirbed portion and possibly weakening the wire.

The points are fiendish, much longer and sharper than what I’m used to – and beaked, turned up to hold onto the flesh its just violated.

They adhere to traditional Redditch sizing – which I like much better than the Tiemco / Mustad standards. Both the Tiemco 100 series and the Mustad 94840 / 3906B are about 1X longer than they should be – and the Knapek are sized true like the older and shorter Partridge, “Captain Hamilton” style.

In short, I’m in love – not the sappy “chick flick” kind, more of the sinister sado-masochistic thing – and with piercing all the rage, I can wait till “Mr BB-Lip” finishes wowing the girls with his fourteen piercings, then I can recount the last thousand I endured …

I’m not so sure the Masai might not induct me as a full blood brother…