E6A 4X Fine Short Length Down Eye HooksBox date not established. A catalog transcription lists the code, and its page appears to date from about 1999 I.
Evidence reviewed October 13, 2026.Marks: P photographically · V verified · I inferred · E estimated · S speculative What they mean
The Partridge E6A is a dry fly hook V. A catalog transcription lists it V, and the transcription appears to date from about 1999 I. The printed box is the main physical record of the model.
Photographed boxes and hooks are described separately in the specimen notes. The box and catalog establish the model’s name and main features. They do not date the box or show how many examples survive, so dates and value remain unsettled until dated sources or recorded sales are found.
Photographic record
5 photographs · Hold Ctrl and scroll to zoom · drag to pan · double-click for 100%
IMG-1Partridge E6A Original Redditch Factory Box Size 10 Front panel of the size 10 box.
2How to identify it
Check the front panel for the blue printed legend, the boxed code, and the size cell with its split quantity. The side panel may carry a typewritten label with the same code and description.
The size numeral is handwritten in the size cell, so it can differ from box to box. A stylized bird mark sits at the upper left of the front panel, with no printed name beside it.
Check the back and base for further printing; none is documented here.
The catalog lists the E6A as a 4X fine dry fly hook with a shorter shank, a forged Redditch bend and a bronze finish V. The box legend also prints flat forged and down eye P.
The shank is short, per the legend and the catalog (P, V). Photographed hooks show a plain, straight shank with no ridges, kinks or bait-holder barbs P.
The eye is turned down P. The wire narrows where it meets the eye, which suggests a tapered eye I.
The bend is rounded, with a broad lower curve, and the point turns in toward the shank line P. The point is a sharp spear point P. A single barb sits inside the bend, just behind the point P.
The box legend and catalog both describe fine wire, and the catalog lists 4X fine (P, V). A silhouette comparison against the catalog places the wire in the standard category. Wire diameter is not measured.
Across the wire, measured by caliper where possible.
Size Nomenclature and 4X Fine Designation
In this catalog system, the number before an X can describe shank length, wire diameter or gape V. The legend pairs 4 X FINE with SHORT LENGTH P, and the catalog names the code 1X short 4X fine V.
Fine describes thinner wire than standard, so the fine designation refers to wire diameter V. No cited source gives the size of one X step, so none is given here.
Own this hook? Help us measure it.
We don't have measured sizes for this hook yet. Own one? Submit calipered measurements and we'll review and add them. Thank you!
4Specimens, packaging, and label
This record documents 5 specimens. Each describes itself only; none stands for every example of the model.
LBL-8 printed · side panel, typewritten label fromIMG-5
E6A
4XFine Short
Length Down
Eye Hooks 10
LBL-9 handwritten · front panel, size cell fromIMG-1
10
LBL-10 handwritten · front panel, size cell of upper box fromIMG-2
12
LBL-11 handwritten · front panel, size cell of lower-left box fromIMG-2
8
LBL-12 handwritten · front panel, size cell of lower-right box fromIMG-2
10
Trademark
Stylized bird figure in a blue-bordered square at the upper left of the front panel. No printed name sits beside it.
As entered on the specimen record
4 X FINE
( SHORT LENGTH )
DOWN / EYE HOOKS
BRONZE
DOWN / EYE
FLAT FORGED
REDDITCH BEND
EXTRA FINE WIRE
CODE E6A
SIZE
100
25
MADE BY PARTRIDGE OF REDDITCH, ENGLAND
E6A
4XFine Short
Length Down
Eye Hooks 10
Layout
Front panel: legend at left and top right, boxed code above the size cell, and a size and quantity cell split diagonally with 100 above and 25 below. The side label is a separate typewritten label.
Typeface
Front panel printed; side label typewritten.
Printed marks
No barcode on the front or side photographed.
Later marks
10, in the size cell of the front panel.
Care of this specimen: Keep the box flat and dry. Open it along the existing seams so the yellowed tape bands stay intact.
LBL-8 printed · side panel, typewritten label fromIMG-5
E6A
4XFine Short
Length Down
Eye Hooks 10
LBL-9 handwritten · front panel, size cell fromIMG-1
10
LBL-10 handwritten · front panel, size cell of upper box fromIMG-2
12
LBL-11 handwritten · front panel, size cell of lower-left box fromIMG-2
8
LBL-12 handwritten · front panel, size cell of lower-right box fromIMG-2
10
Trademark
Stylized bird figure in a blue-bordered square at the upper left of the front panel. No printed name sits beside it.
As entered on the specimen record
4 X FINE
( SHORT LENGTH )
DOWN / EYE HOOKS
BRONZE
DOWN / EYE
FLAT FORGED
REDDITCH BEND
EXTRA FINE WIRE
CODE E6A
SIZE
100
25
MADE BY PARTRIDGE OF REDDITCH, ENGLAND
LBL-8 printed · side panel, typewritten label fromIMG-5
E6A
4XFine Short
Length Down
Eye Hooks 10
LBL-9 handwritten · front panel, size cell fromIMG-1
10
LBL-10 handwritten · front panel, size cell of upper box fromIMG-2
12
LBL-11 handwritten · front panel, size cell of lower-left box fromIMG-2
8
LBL-12 handwritten · front panel, size cell of lower-right box fromIMG-2
10
Trademark
Stylized bird figure in a blue-bordered square at the upper left of the front panel. No printed name sits beside it.
As entered on the specimen record
4 X FINE
( SHORT LENGTH )
DOWN / EYE HOOKS
BRONZE
DOWN / EYE
FLAT FORGED
REDDITCH BEND
EXTRA FINE WIRE
CODE E6A
SIZE
100
25
MADE BY PARTRIDGE OF REDDITCH, ENGLAND
One of three boxes photographed together. Whether this box is the same as the size 10 box shown separately is not established. Edge wear and scrapes mark the box edges in places.
LBL-8 printed · side panel, typewritten label fromIMG-5
E6A
4XFine Short
Length Down
Eye Hooks 10
LBL-9 handwritten · front panel, size cell fromIMG-1
10
LBL-10 handwritten · front panel, size cell of upper box fromIMG-2
12
LBL-11 handwritten · front panel, size cell of lower-left box fromIMG-2
8
LBL-12 handwritten · front panel, size cell of lower-right box fromIMG-2
10
Trademark
Stylized bird figure in a blue-bordered square at the upper left of the front panel. No printed name sits beside it.
As entered on the specimen record
4 X FINE
( SHORT LENGTH )
DOWN / EYE HOOKS
BRONZE
DOWN / EYE
FLAT FORGED
REDDITCH BEND
EXTRA FINE WIRE
CODE E6A
SIZE
100
25
MADE BY PARTRIDGE OF REDDITCH, ENGLAND
Single and paired hooks are shown on grid paper. No box is documented as their source. Caliper figures are carried forward E.
Care of this specimen: Keep dry. No corrosion is visible in these photographs P.
Condition
No rust or pitting is visible on the hooks shown P. The hook count is not visible, so missing hooks cannot be assessed.
5Pattern history and manufacturer context
Series
The catalog groups E1A, E4A and E6A under a Hooper series heading, and all three are listed as 4X fine dry fly codes V. The E6A title reads Hooper 1X short 4X fine V. No cited source explains the digit or the letter suffix.
The maker’s current trout range does not list E6A V. The catalog listing is a transcription whose page appears to date from about 1999, so it documents the code only at that time I.
Design lineage
The Sproat bend is named after W. H. Sproat of Ambleside, England V. The catalog calls the E6A bend a Redditch bend and does not link it to Sproat V.
The cited sources name no designer for the model. They do not say whether the Hooper heading names a person.
Dating
No photographed feature dates the box, and no cited source gives a production date P. The photographed boxes share one printed design with handwritten size numerals P. The catalog listing places the code at about 1999 without dating its production V.
Partridge of Redditch — A.E. Partridge & Sons was founded in 1910 V. A 1970 sale to a syndicate was followed by Mustad ownership V. FishingMatters acquired the brand in 2009 V. Read the maker’s history →
6Use
Dry fly
Primary application
The catalog lists the E6A among dry fly hooks, in sizes 8, 10, 12, 14, 16 and 18 V. No pattern dressed on these hooks is documented.
7Collecting and buying
The model appears in a Partridge dry fly catalog listing V. The maker’s current trout range does not list it V. No recorded sales are available for the model.
In the photographs, the printed box is what identifies the model P. Condition is described with each specimen rather than for the model as a whole.
No collector rating is shown, because sales and availability data for the model are not on file.
Market value
Insufficient recorded sales data to estimate a reliable value.
0 sold observations 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.
The value range shown is an estimate E. It is not based on recorded sales, because no sold results are on file for this model.
Where to find
The maker's current trout range does not list E6A V. The maker's website has a stockist finder for current stock V.
8Label and source analysis
Packaging Handwriting and Markings
The size cell on the front panel has no printed number. Each photographed box carries a handwritten numeral there: 8, 10, 10 or 12 P.
The side label is typewritten and reads the code, the description and a size numeral P. The quantity 100 over 25 appears only on the front panel P.
9Modern equivalents and related hooks
Modern equivalents
Hook
Match
Notes
Tiemco TMC 101 (Extra-Fine Dry Fly)
Very good
Japanese equivalent in ultra-fine wire with tapered eye and sproat-like bend; widely available and functionally similar for small dry-fly work.
Partridge L3A 'The Dry' (Captain Hamilton Bend)
Good
Later Partridge design; slightly heavier wire but same manufacturer heritage; represents the E6A's successor within Partridge's own evolution of small dry-fly patterns.
Daiichi 1180 (Ultra-Fine Dry Fly)
Moderate
Similar wire gauge and overall geometry; looped eye rather than tapered down-eye; less historical connection but functionally analogous.
Best matchRelated by Attribute
Computed automatically from catalog data — updated as new hooks are added.
Matches: Bend, Eye, Eye Orient., Point, Finish +5 moreDiffers: Shank: Short (1X–2X Short) vs Standard; Wire: Standard vs Fine (1X Fine); Gap: Standard vs Wide +1 more
Matches: Bend, Wire, Gap, Eye, Eye Orient. +4 moreDiffers: Shank: Short (1X–2X Short) vs Standard; Finish: Bronzed vs Other; Forging: Forged vs Round +2 more
Matches: Bend, Wire, Gap, Eye, Eye Orient. +4 moreDiffers: Shank: Short (1X–2X Short) vs Standard; Finish: Bronzed vs Other; Forging: Forged vs Round +2 more
