FAQ
Hooks
What does "manufactured barbless" mean? Isn't a barbless hook just a de-barbed hook?
No. A de-barbed hook starts life as a barbed hook, and the tyer pinches the barb down with pliers at the vise. The metal is still there. It has been folded over.
Firehole hooks are drawn and pointed barbless from the first step. Nothing gets crimped, so nothing gets deformed. The point geometry you get is the geometry the hook was designed with.
The difference is small on a #10. It is not small on a #22.
Will I lose more fish?
Keep tension and you will not notice. Go slack and you will.
That is true of a barbed hook too. A barb just hides a moment of slack line in a way a barbless point does not. Most tyers who switch describe a week of adjustment and then stop thinking about it.
It runs the other way as well. A barbless point buried to the bend penetrates further on the same hookset, which matters most on light tippet where you cannot drive the hook hard.
How many hooks are in a pack?
It depends on the model, and it is printed next to the price on every product page.
- Most models: 36
- 511, 811, and all three shanks: 28
- 801P, 802P, 803P: 15
- 826: 28 at #1/0, 36 in every other size
What are the hooks made of?
High-carbon steel, chemically sharpened, black nickel finish.
How do the series numbers work?
Six series, organized by what you are tying rather than by wire weight or size.
- 300: continuous curve. Scuds, pupae, klinkhammers.
- 400: dry fly.
- 500: jig.
- 600: nymph and wet.
- 700: specialty and all-purpose.
- 800: streamer and predator.
Twenty-eight models across the six, from #26 up to 5/0, plus three shank lengths. Wire, length and gap for every model and size are on the hook specifications page.
What is the Firehole equivalent of the hook I already use?
Some of the common ones:
- Standard dry: 419, where a Mustad R50 or TMC 100 sits.
- Short-shank dry: 413, against a Mustad R30 or TMC 2487.
- Curved nymph and emerger: 316, against a Mustad C49S or TMC 206BL. Lighter wire: 317.
- Standard nymph: 609, against an Ahrex FW580 or TMC 3769.
- Hoppers, foam and big nymphs: 618, against a Mustad R43 (94831) or TMC 5212.
- Euro jig: 516, against a Fulling Mill FM5045 or TMC 403BLJ.
- Buggers and long streamers: 839 and 811, against a Mustad R74 (9672) or R73 (9671).
- Bulky streamers: 860, against a TMC 8089.
Some models have no clean equivalent. The 520 is the first and only continuous bend jig hook. The 523 and 570 have no close equivalent either.
Tell us the hook and what you tie on it and we will tell you which model is closest, including when the honest answer is that we do not have one. info@fireholeoutdoors.com
Beads
Slotted or round?
Slotted for jig hooks, including jig streamers like the 511, where the bead has to clear a bent shank. Round for standard nymph and wet hooks, and for the curved 300 series.
Dry fly hooks, foam hooks and shanks are not bead hooks.
What size bead for what size hook?
Slotted and round have their own columns. Painted slotted Stones have a tighter hole, so each slotted size stops one hook size short of round on the larger hook.
| Bead | Slotted | Round |
|---|---|---|
| 1.5mm | #22 to #24 | not made |
| 2.0mm | #20 to #22 | #18 to #22 |
| 2.5mm | #16 to #18 | #14 to #18 |
| 3.0mm | #14 to #16 | #12 to #16 |
| 3.5mm | #12 to #14 | #10 to #14 |
| 4.0mm | #10 to #12 | #8 to #12 |
| 4.5mm | #6 to #8 | #4 to #8 |
Caught between two sizes, size down. Tungsten runs about twice the density of brass, so a bead that looks right by eye is often heavier than the fly wants. The exception is a slotted Stone on a jig hook: painted slotted beads run tight on the wire, so when in doubt there, take the larger bead.
4.5mm is our largest Stone. It tops out at a #4 for round and a #6 for slotted. Streamer hooks above that fall outside the bead range.
Slotted runs 1.5mm to 4.5mm. Round starts at 2.0mm. Below 2.0mm, only five colors exist: Birthday Suit, Black Nickel, Copper, Gold and Sterling Silver.
Are the beads pure tungsten?
No, and nobody's are. Tungsten on its own is too brittle to machine into a bead, so every tungsten bead on the market is an alloy. Firehole Stones are 95% tungsten, which is where the density and the consistent bore come from.
If you see a bead advertised as 100% tungsten, it is not.
What is the difference between Stones, Bug Bands and Tear Drops?
They share a bore, so they stack. A Stone carries the weight. A Bug Band adds a band of color and profile without adding much of either. A Tear Drop changes the body shape.
Running one bead means trading weight against profile every time. Stacking lets you set them separately.
What color is Birthday Suit?
Bare, un-plated tungsten. It reads as gunmetal grey. When a recipe calls for gunmetal, Birthday Suit is the match, not Black Nickel, which is a darker plated finish.
Orders and shipping
When does my order ship?
Same day or the next business day. Your tracking number arrives by email when the box leaves us.
Is there free shipping?
Yes, on US orders of $75 or more. Under $75, shipping is calculated at checkout based on your address and the service you pick. Free shipping does not apply to dealer, professional tyer or ambassador orders.
Do you ship internationally?
Yes. Shipping is calculated at checkout. For most countries, duties and import taxes are already included in the price you see, so there is nothing extra to pay when the package arrives. In a few countries they are added at checkout instead. In a small number of destinations where they cannot be calculated in advance, the carrier may collect them on delivery.
Full detail is in our shipping policy.
What is your return policy?
30 days from the day your order arrives, unopened and in original packaging. Email info@fireholeoutdoors.com to start one and we will send a return label.
Full detail is in our refund policy.
Can I change or cancel an order?
Email us as fast as you can. Orders that go out same day close quickly, and once there is a tracking number we cannot pull it back.
Where else to find us
Is there a shop near me that carries Firehole?
Check Find a Dealer. If your shop is not on it and you would like it to be, tell them to get in touch.
Do you sell wholesale?
Yes. Details on the dealer program page.
I tie commercially, guide, or work in a shop.
The Professional Tyer Program is built for that. Preferred pricing, no minimum order.
How do I become an ambassador?
Applications are reviewed monthly. Details on the ambassador program page.
My question is not here.
info@fireholeoutdoors.com, or 406-571-8009.