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Mustad Hooks – 3906 B

Mustad 3906B hook silhouette
Hook Reference › O. Mustad & Son Hooks › Mustad Hooks – 3906 B

O. Mustad & Son 3906B

Mustad 3906B1925 or later (Key Brand box); later boxes undated

Evidence reviewed October 7, 2026. Marks: P photographically · V verified · I inferred · E estimated · S speculative What they mean

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Summary

The Mustad 3906B is a Sproat-bend fly hook made in Norway by O. Mustad & Sön. Its shank is one step longer than that of the standard-length 3906 V.

The Key Brand box describes the hook as having an extra-long shank P. Later descriptions class the 3906B as 1X long V.

Photographic record

10 photographs

Mustad 3906B size No. 1 — vintage box label and packaging — showing eight-line label format with Key Brand logo, Oslo designation, quality code, and hook specifications — bronzed finish on grid background
IMG-1Mustad 3906B Box Label — Oslo Era — Size 1 Key Brand box of 100 Mustad-Sproat hooks, Qual. 3906 B, from O. MUSTAD & SÖN, Oslo. The size 1 is written by hand in violet after the printed No.

How to identify it

The Key Brand box shows an upright skeleton key with Key above and Brand below, inside a border of asterisk ornaments P. Its label reads Qual. 3906 B, Mustad-Sproat Hooks, and T. d. tap. eye Bronzed, Ex. long shank P. T. d. tap. eye stands for a turned-down tapered eye.

Plastic boxes carry either a white M device over MUSTAD on a blue band or a white Mustad® wordmark over two yellow swoosh lines P.

Technical profile and measurements

Features of the model, as recorded
FeatureRecordedEvidence
EyeTapered Eye, Turned Down
Show noteHide note

Turned-down eye, closed with the wire end against the shank P. The Key Brand label reads T. d. tap. eye; the taper cannot be seen in side view.

OBS-1OBS-8OBS-15LBL-2
WireFine (1X Fine), Round, est. ~0.4 mm (size 18) to ~1.0 mm (size 1), grid estimates (E)CMP-3SRC-2MEA-5MEA-8MEA-11CMP-3 compared with 124 catalogued hooks classified Fine (1X Fine)
Shank1X Long — PlainCMP-1LBL-2SRC-2SRC-3CMP-1 compared with 107 catalogued hooks classified 1X Long
BendSproat, Standard gap
Show noteHide note

Smooth bend with a nearly upright back, its tightest curve at the bottom, and the point returning roughly parallel to the shank P. The label names it Mustad-Sproat.

OBS-2OBS-9OBS-16LBL-2
PointHollow Point
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Small cut barb raised from the inner face of the point, leaving an open slot; its tip points back toward the bend P.

OBS-4OBS-11OBS-17
FinishBronzed — stated on packaging
Show noteHide note

Bronzed, as the Key Brand label states. Color in the photographs ranges from dark brown-bronze to bright gold-bronze, partly because lighting differs between shots P.

LBL-2OBS-6OBS-13OBS-19

The Key Brand box names the point a hollow point P. In the size 4 close-up, the inner edge runs nearly straight from barb root to tip, and a facet line on the side of the point meets the barb root in a V P. The concave inner face the term describes is not pronounced on that hook.

A forum source lists the 3906B in 1X heavy wire V, but measured proportions place the photographed hooks with fine-wire hooks E. The size 18 hook has a narrower gap relative to its length than sizes 1 and 4 P.

Measurements

Per size, with how each dimension was taken
SizeOverall lengthShank lengthGap widthBend depthWire diameterWeightShank:gap
1Specimen S141.2 mm EcaliperMEA-137.7 mm Pcaliper11.4 mm EcaliperMEA-29.6 mm Pcaliper1 mm Egrid photoMEA-5—~3.1-3.4 : 1
12Catalog record14.5 mm V9.5 mm V—5.7 mm V0.6 mm V——
14Catalog record12.6 mm V8.1 mm V—5 mm V0.6 mm V——
Calibrated SVG True-scale preview

How hook dimensions are measuredA hook outline with dimension lines for overall length, shank length, gap, bend depth, and wire diameter.Overall lengthShank lengthGapBend depthWire diameter
Overall length
Eye to the farthest point of the bend.
Shank length
Eye to the start of the bend.
Gap
Point to shank, at right angles to the shank.
Bend depth
Shank to the bottom of the bend.
Wire diameter
Across the wire, measured by caliper where possible.

Specimens, packaging, and label

This record documents 3 specimens. Each describes itself only; none stands for every example of the model.

Lid of a Key Brand box of Mustad 3906B size 1 hooks with a pasted label, on blue grid paper.
Open full size

S1 · Key Brand box, size 1

Size
1 (printed on the label)
Container
Box
Hook condition
Small pale patch where the eye wire meets the shank; a few debris specks on the bend (P).
Packaging condition
Good — moderate wear, legible
Wear
lid label, inside key bow and just right of it: Small green fibrous mark inside the key bow; small black dot to the right of the bow. LBL-5
Wear
box lid top edge and label top edge: Tan tide-line staining along the top of the lid and the upper border of the label. LBL-6
Wear
lid label, right of 'SÖN' and right of '3906 B': Pale tan stains or foxing spots; general light toning of label and lid. LBL-7
Wear
box left and right side edges: Paper covering abraded or torn along both side edges, exposing tan board. LBL-8
Measured
size 1
Photographs
IMG-1IMG-3

Tide-line staining along the top of the lid and label; pale tan spots right of SÖN and 3906 B; a small green fibrous mark inside the key bow with a black dot beside it; paper covering worn through to tan board along both side edges. Contents not shown. The loose hook photographed is assigned to this box by file name and size.

What the label says

LBL-1 trademark · lid label, upper left column, above and below key device from IMG-1
Key
Brand
LBL-2 printed · lid label, main text block, center and right from IMG-1
O. MUSTAD & SÖN
Manufacturers
OSLO - NORWAY
Qual. 3906 B
Hollow Point
Mustad-Sproat Hooks
T. d. tap. eye Bronzed
Ex. long shank
Made in Norway
LBL-3 printed · lid label, lower left from IMG-1
100
No.
LBL-4 handwritten · lid label, lower left, right of '100 / No.' from IMG-1
1 (violet, hand-drawn with uneven fibrous strokes spanning both printed lines; medium uncertain: indelible pencil, crayon or ink)
Trademark
Upright skeleton key, bow at top and bit at lower right, with Key above and Brand below. Printed in gold-colored ink inside a border of eight-spoked asterisk ornaments around the whole label.
As entered on the specimen record
Key
Brand
O. MUSTAD & SÖN
Manufacturers
OSLO - NORWAY
Qual. 3906 B
Hollow Point
Mustad-Sproat Hooks
T. d. tap. eye Bronzed
Ex. long shank
Made in Norway
100
No.
Layout
Pasted paper label on the box lid. Key and Brand sit above and below a key device in the upper left column; the nine-line main block runs center and right; 100 and No. sit at lower left. An ornamental border surrounds the label.
Later marks
Size 1 written by hand in violet after the printed No., with uneven fibrous strokes spanning both printed lines. Medium uncertain: indelible pencil, crayon or ink.
Mustad 3906B size 4 plastic box with a blue and white MUSTAD label band and loose hooks inside.
Open full size

S2 · Mustad plastic box, size 4

Size
4 (printed on the label)
Container
Box
Hook condition
No visible rust on the three hooks photographed; loose hooks in the box show no corrosion through the plastic. The count was not checked (P).
Packaging condition
Fair — significant wear, partially legible
Wear
label band, right edge and lower right: Label torn away at the right edge, removing part of the QTY value and exposing the plastic box. LBL-12
Wear
label band, left edge and top right corner: Ragged, frayed torn edges; the band wraps onto the box's left side. LBL-13
Wear
label band, white panel: Small orange-brown speck below the '9' of 3906B, another between SIZE and QTY. with a curled fiber, and a tiny blue speck. LBL-14
Wear
plastic box above and below the label: Amber-yellow discoloration of the transparent plastic. LBL-15
Photographs
IMG-5IMG-6IMG-7IMG-8

Label torn away at the right edge, removing part of the QTY value; frayed at the left edge and top right corner. Small orange-brown specks and a tiny blue speck on the white panel. Plastic yellowed. The loose hooks photographed are assigned to this box by file name and size.

What the label says

LBL-9 trademark · label band, upper blue panel from IMG-5
MUSTAD
LBL-10 printed · label band, white panel, blue heading row from IMG-5
QUAL.    SIZE    QTY.
LBL-11 printed · label band, white panel, black machine-printed data row from IMG-5
3906B    4    10[?]
Trademark
Two white peaked shapes forming a stylized M above white block capitals MUSTAD, reversed out of a blue band.
As entered on the specimen record
MUSTAD
QUAL.    SIZE    QTY.
3906B    4    10[?]
Layout
Paper label band around a hinged transparent plastic box. A white M device and MUSTAD sit on the upper blue panel; blue headings QUAL., SIZE and QTY. sit on the white panel with values machine-printed in black below. The third QTY character is lost at a tear and may read 0 (100).
Later marks
None recorded.
Mustad 3906B size 18 plastic box with a blue, white and yellow Mustad sleeve.
Open full size

S3 · Mustad sleeved box, size 18

Size
18 (printed on the label)
Container
Box
Hook condition
A thin white fiber lies across the shank just behind the eye bend (P).
Packaging condition
Very Good — light wear, fully legible
Wear
sleeve, blue panel: Fine scratches and scuffs across the blue panel and white lettering. LBL-18
Wear
sleeve, white panel upper left and lower left corner: Faint blue specks or smudges near the top of the white panel; light soiling; lower left corner lightly worn. LBL-19
Photographs
IMG-9IMG-10

Fine scratches across the blue panel and white lettering; faint blue specks near the top of the white panel; light soiling; lower left corner lightly worn. Contents only faintly visible. The loose hook photographed is assigned to this box by file name and size.

What the label says

LBL-16 trademark · sleeve, upper blue panel from IMG-9
Mustad®
LBL-17 printed · sleeve, lower white panel from IMG-9
REF    SIZE    QTY
3906B    18    50
WET NYMPH FLY HOOK
Trademark
White Mustad wordmark with registered sign on a dark blue band, underlined by two yellow swoosh lines outlined in black.
As entered on the specimen record
Mustad®
REF    SIZE    QTY
3906B    18    50
WET NYMPH FLY HOOK
Layout
Paper sleeve around a transparent plastic box. The Mustad® wordmark and two yellow swoosh lines sit on the upper blue panel; the reference, size, quantity and description sit on the lower white panel.
Later marks
None recorded.

Condition

No visible rust or pitting on any hook photographed P.

Storage and Preservation

Keep each box closed, dry and out of direct sunlight. Handle boxes and paper sleeves by their edges, since the paper labels wear and tear at the edges.

Store hooks taken out of a box in a dry, closed container, apart from loose metal.

Pattern history and manufacturer context

Series

Mustad printed the number as Qual. 3906 B on the Key Brand box and as 3906B on two plastic boxes of later design I. On the plastic boxes the number sits under a QUAL. or REF heading, beside the size and quantity P.

Design lineage

A fly-tying dealer sells a Mustad Signature hook under the name S82-3906B V. Mustad lists the S82NP as a 2X long Sproat hook in forged 3X strong wire, with a needle point, in sizes 4 to 18 V.

Those specifications differ from the 3906B’s, so the S82 name probably marks a successor rather than the same hook I. No source dates the change.

Dating

The Key Brand box prints OSLO - NORWAY. The city took the name Oslo on 1 January 1925 V, so that box dates from 1925 or later.
The plastic box with the M device and the box with the Mustad® swoosh sleeve carry no date. A stylized M MUSTAD mark for fish hooks was registered in the US in 1973 V, but its design is not shown, so it does not date the M device label.
No source gives an end date for the 3906B number.

O. Mustad & Son — Mustad began in Gjøvik, Norway, in 1832 V. Read the maker’s history →
Machinery from English Hookmakers. Mustad's own company history credits the growth of its fish hook production to new machinery built with engineers hired from English hook makers V. The history gives no date for it.

Use

  • Wet fly
  • Nymph

Primary application

Mustad labeled the 3906B a wet nymph fly hook P. In sizes 1 and 4 it takes large wet flies and nymphs; in size 18 it takes small nymphs I. A sold listing shows the model also made in size 20 V.

Collecting and buying

2.5 / 10CollectabilityRarity: Common

Rated 2.5/10. Boxed 3906B hooks survive in quantity and the number continues in dealer stock under the S82-3906B name, which keeps the rating low; the Key Brand box adds some period appeal.

Basis: A single listing sold 25 boxes of old stock V. A fly-tying dealer sells hooks under the S82-3906B name V. No source records scarcity for any size or packaging.

Interest rests mainly on the packaging. The Key Brand box with its Oslo address is the oldest form recorded here, and the two plastic boxes are of later design I.

No source records how often any of these packagings appears for sale, so the rating does not separate them.

Market value

Insufficient recorded sales data to estimate a reliable value.

1 sold observation recorded; 2 are needed, with the basis and date of the range, before a value is shown. Asking prices are shown as asking prices only.

One sold result is recorded: a box of 100 size 20 hooks sold as old stock at US $11.49, with 25 units sold; the sale year is not shown V. One result is not enough to set a value range.

Where to find

Boxed 3906B hooks appear in online listings of old stock V.

Modern equivalents and related hooks

Modern equivalents
HookMatchNotes
Tiemco 5263GoodRound-bend, standard-weight, 3X-long tapered-eye streamer hook. Similar niche and functional profile, though lighter wire than 3906B.
Partridge SUD (Single-Strand Upstream Daddy)GoodClassic UK alternative with Sproat-like bend, tapered eye, long shank. Represents the living Redditch tradition parallel to Mustad production.
Daiichi 2720ModerateModern Japanese Sproat-style bend, extra-long shank, tapered eye. Good functional equivalent but with contemporary manufacturing standards.
Mustad S82NP Signature Nymph/Wet, 2X LongModerateSold by a fly-tying dealer under the name S82-3906B. Sproat bend and turned-down tapered ring eye, but 2X long, forged 3X strong wire and a needle point V.

Best matchRelated by Attribute

Computed automatically from catalog data — updated as new hooks are added.

SilhouetteHook ModelMatchAnalysisCompare
38933 No. 8, 10 — Mustad 38933 silhouette38933 No. 8, 10 — Mustad 3893381%Matches: Bend, Wire, Eye, Point, Finish +2 moreDiffers: Eye Orient.: Turned Down vs Turned Up; Offset: Straight vs Offset / Kirbed; Gap ratio: 27.8% vs 24.7%Compare
3051 No. 7 — Chathundeley Sproat silhouette3051 No. 7 — Chathundeley Sproat78%Matches: Bend, Shank, Wire, Gap, Eye +8 moreDiffers: Shank ratio: 91.6% vs 68.2%; Gap ratio: 27.8% vs 37.4%Compare
3913 A No. 3 — Mustad 3913 A silhouette3913 A No. 3 — Mustad 3913 A75%Matches: Bend, Wire, Eye, Point, Finish +3 moreDiffers: Shank: 1X Long vs 2X Long; Gap: Standard vs Wide; Eye Orient.: Turned Down vs Turned Up +2 moreCompare
W175 No. 10 — W175 Tapered Eye Model Perfect silhouetteW175 No. 10 — W175 Tapered Eye Model Perfect74%Matches: Shank, Wire, Gap, Eye, Eye Orient. +6 moreDiffers: Bend: Sproat vs Perfect; Application: Wet Fly, Nymph vs Dry Fly, Wet Fly, Nymph; Shank ratio: 91.6% vs 73.9% +1 moreCompare
S 3008 No. 1–12 — S 300873%Matches: Bend, Gap, Eye, Eye Orient., Point +5 moreDiffers: Shank: 1X Long vs Standard; Wire: Fine (1X Fine) vs Standard; Application: Wet Fly, Nymph vs Wet Fly +2 moreCompare

ExploratoryRelated by Shape (SVG)

Ranked purely by silhouette geometry — attribute labels are ignored.

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4341 No. 2/0 — Mustad 4341 silhouette4341 No. 2/0 — Mustad 434178%Compare
180 F No. 4/0, (unspecified) — No. 180 F Kirby silhouette180 F No. 4/0, (unspecified) — No. 180 F Kirby77%Compare
3136 No. 4/0 — Best Kirby Hooks silhouette3136 No. 4/0 — Best Kirby Hooks77%Compare
3959 No. 4 — Mustad-American Trout Hooks silhouette3959 No. 4 — Mustad-American Trout Hooks75%Compare

Sources, open questions, and record notes

Sources & Documentation

This specimen and its packaging — photographed, 8 images
Supports: shankwirehook type applicationconstructionis snelledsize documentedquantity per packageeyebendbarbfinishcondition notesoverall lengthgap widthmeasurement notesdating rangepackaging format codepackagingcollectability ratingcollectability summaryfly patternsmeta descriptionprimary search termssummarytechnical notesseries historyprimary applicationidentificationcollectability detail

Entry last updated July 21, 2026. Entries are updated as new specimens, measurements, or documents come to light.