Ahrex FW500 — Dry Fly Traditional

Dry Fly Traditional hook silhouette
Ahrex FW500 — Dry Fly Traditional

Ahrex FW500

Dry Fly Traditional

Evidence reviewed October 26, 2026. Marks: P photographically · V verified · I inferred · E estimated · S speculative What they mean

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Summary

The Ahrex FW500, sold as the Dry Fly Traditional, is a dry fly hook with a black nickel finish V. The page documents size 12 from one packet and one photographed hook. Caliper measurements are recorded for that size only.

Photographic record

3 photographs

Side view of a dark single hook with a closed ring eye turned down, a round bend, a straight point and a small barb.
IMG-1Ahrex — New entry — image 1 Ahrex FW500 Dry Fly Traditional, size 12, side view. Closed ring eye turned down, round bend, straight point with small barb, plain shank.

How to identify it

On the documented size 12 packet, the model code FW500 prints at top left of the front, the size at top center and the count at top right. Three centered lines read FRESHWATER SERIES, DRY FLY TRADITIONAL and BLACK NICKEL FINISH. The AHREX logo sits on a dark blue band above a red band.

The back carries a barcode, a handling warning and the address WWW.AHREXHOOKS.COM. The packet is flat paper printed on both faces.

Technical profile and measurements

Features of the model, as recorded
FeatureRecordedEvidence
EyeTapered Eye, Turned Down
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Closed ring eye, turned down PV, with a visible seam on top P. The ring wire looks slightly thinner than the shank, consistent with a tapered eye I.

OBS-1OBS-2SRC-2SRC-3
WireHeavy (1X Heavy), RoundCMP-3SRC-2CMP-3 compared with 139 catalogued hooks classified Heavy (1X Heavy)
ShankStandard — Plain
BendPerfect, Standard gap
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Smooth, continuous round bend with no kink or flat spot PV. The short point leg angles slightly back toward the shank line P.

OBS-3SRC-2
PointStandard / Spear
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Small barb cut on the point leg a short way behind the tip P. Listings describe it as a small or micro barb V.

OBS-5SRC-1SRC-2SRC-3SRC-4
Finishstated on packaging
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Black nickel finish, as printed on the packet and stated in the manufacturer's listing V. The photographed hook is dark, near-black and glossy P.

LBL-8OBS-7SRC-1

The hook is single, with a plain, straight shank. The shank shows no ridges, kinks, curves or bait-holder cuts P. Dealers list a standard-length shank V, and the photographed outline also falls nearest the standard-length group in the site catalog I.

The point is straight and slender and tapers to a fine tip. It is not reversed and not offset in the photographed flat view P. The maker states that its hooks are chemically sharpened V.

Against the site catalog, the shank wire is closest to the heavy group (1X heavy, one step above standard wire) I. The manufacturer lists sizes 8 to 18 V. Only size 12 is documented here.

Measurements

Per size, with how each dimension was taken
SizeOverall lengthShank lengthGap widthBend depthWire diameterWeight
12Specimen S114.1 mm PcaliperMEA-110.8 mm PcaliperMEA-24.8 mm PcaliperMEA-3—0.6 mm PcaliperMEA-4—
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 one specimen. It describes that specimen only, not every example of the model.

Front of a flat paper packet with a white AHREX logo on a dark blue band above a red band, and three lines of centered text.
Open full size
Back of a flat paper packet with two text blocks, a barcode, a yellow warning triangle and a dark blue band at the bottom.
Open full size

S1 · Packet of size 12

Size
12 (printed on the label)
Container
Packet
Hook condition
Small notch or scratch on the top edge of the shank, about a third of the way from the bend. Fine surface speckling. No bending, rust or lifting finish seen at this resolution (P).
Packaging condition
Good — moderate wear, legible
Wear
front, top edge: Top edge is ragged with white paper fibres showing along its length, as if torn or pulled open; a small dark mark sits at the extreme top-right corner. LBL-19
Wear
back, top edge: Top edge is ragged with white paper fibres showing, matching the front. LBL-20
Wear
front, top row, centre: First letter of SIZE prints faint and partly dropped out; the other letters and the 12 are clear. LBL-21
Wear
back, barcode: Barcode bars and digits print speckled with ink dropouts; the leading digit at far left is small and partly clipped. LBL-22
Measured
size 12
Photographs
IMG-1IMG-2IMG-3

The top edge of the packet is ragged with white paper fibers showing on both faces, as if torn or pulled open. A small dark mark sits at the top-right corner of the front. The first letter of SIZE prints faint and partly dropped out. The barcode prints speckled with ink dropouts, and its leading digit is small and partly clipped. The photographed hook is probably from this packet; its photograph carries no size mark.

What the label says

LBL-1 printed · front, top row, left (black ink) from IMG-3
FW500
LBL-2 printed · front, top row, centre (black ink) from IMG-3
SIZE 12
LBL-3 printed · front, top row, right (black ink) from IMG-3
24 PCS.
LBL-4 trademark · front, dark blue band, logo from IMG-3
AHREX
LBL-5 printed · front, red band, white lettering from IMG-3
CHEMICALLY SHARPENED FLY HOOKS
LBL-6 printed · front, centre, first line (grey ink) from IMG-3
FRESHWATER SERIES
LBL-7 printed · front, centre, second line (black ink) from IMG-3
DRY FLY TRADITIONAL
LBL-8 printed · front, centre, third line (grey ink, smaller) from IMG-3
BLACK NICKEL FINISH
LBL-9 printed · front, bottom dark blue band, white lettering from IMG-3
WWW.AHREXHOOKS.COM
LBL-10 printed · back, top text block, heading (bold) from IMG-2
Fly tying hooks without compromise
LBL-11 printed · back, top text block, paragraph from IMG-2
Ahrex fly hooks are designed by Scandi-
navian anglers for flyfishing all over the
world. Ahrex hooks are made with cutting
edge technology and the best materials
available for each specific hook.
All hooks are chemically sharpened.
LBL-12 printed · back, second text block, heading (bold) from IMG-2
Share your flies with us
LBL-13 printed · back, second text block, paragraph from IMG-2
We would like to see your flies.
Please upload your masterpieces at our
Facebook page or share them on Instagram.
LBL-14 printed · back, sign-off line (The Ahrex team in italic) from IMG-2
Happy fly tying The Ahrex team
LBL-15 printed · back, digits under barcode (leading digit small at far left, last digit small at far right) from IMG-2
[?] 23534 43735 7
LBL-16 printed · back, lower left, yellow warning triangle (symbol) from IMG-2
!
LBL-17 printed · back, warning block under rule, four language lines (language code and first sentence in bold) from IMG-2
DK Advarsel: Ekstremt skarpe! Håndter med omhu.
ENG Warning: Extremely sharp! Handle with care.
FR Attention: Extrêmement forte ! Manipuler avec soin.
DE Achtung: Extrem scharf ! Mit Vorsicht behandeln.
LBL-18 printed · back, bottom dark blue band, white lettering from IMG-2
WWW.AHREXHOOKS.COM
Trademark
AHREX logo: angular white stencil-style capitals with a thin light blue outline, centered on a dark blue halftone band above a red band.
As entered on the specimen record
FW500
SIZE 12
24 PCS.
AHREX
CHEMICALLY SHARPENED FLY HOOKS
FRESHWATER SERIES
DRY FLY TRADITIONAL
BLACK NICKEL FINISH
WWW.AHREXHOOKS.COM

Fly tying hooks without compromise
Ahrex fly hooks are designed by Scandi-
navian anglers for flyfishing all over the
world. Ahrex hooks are made with cutting
edge technology and the best materials
available for each specific hook.
All hooks are chemically sharpened.
Share your flies with us
We would like to see your flies.
Please upload your masterpieces at our
Facebook page or share them on Instagram.
Happy fly tying The Ahrex team
[?] 23534 43735 7
!
DK Advarsel: Ekstremt skarpe! Håndter med omhu.
ENG Warning: Extremely sharp! Handle with care.
FR Attention: Extrêmement forte ! Manipuler avec soin.
DE Achtung: Extrem scharf ! Mit Vorsicht behandeln.
WWW.AHREXHOOKS.COM
Layout
The transcription lists the front first, then the back, with a blank line between them. Front: the model code, size and count share one row across the top. The logo sits on a dark blue band above a red band. Three lines of text are centered, and a dark blue band with the web address sits at the bottom. Back: two text blocks and a sign-off line, a barcode with its number row, a yellow warning triangle at lower left, a four-line warning block under a rule, and a dark blue band with the web address at the bottom.
Typeface
Front text is capitals in black and gray ink. On the back, the headings are bold, the sign-off "The Ahrex team" is italic, and the language code and first sentence of each warning line are bold.
Printed marks
No stamps or other printed marks seen beyond the label text.
Later marks
None seen.

Pattern history and manufacturer context

Series

The packet places the model in the Ahrex Freshwater Series. Its back text states that Ahrex hooks are designed by Scandinavian anglers for fly fishing around the world V.

Ahrex Read the maker’s history →

Use

  • Dry fly

Primary application

Ahrex sells the FW500 as a dry fly hook under the name Dry Fly Traditional V.

Collecting and buying

1 / 10CollectabilityRarity: Common

The manufacturer and three dealers list the model V. No source records collector demand for it.

Basis: Listed on the manufacturer's product page and by three dealers; no sold results are recorded.

The manufacturer’s product page and three dealer pages list the FW500, which fits the common band I. The rating describes the model as usually found, not the photographed specimen.

No sold results are recorded for this model, so the page gives no value range. Readers with recorded sales can submit them.

Where to find

Listed on the manufacturer's product page and by dealers V.

Modern equivalents and related hooks

Best matchRelated by Attribute

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

SilhouetteHook ModelMatchAnalysisCompare
FW501 No. 12 — Dry Fly Trad. Barbless silhouetteFW501 No. 12 — Dry Fly Trad. Barbless89%Matches: Bend, Shank, Gap, Eye, Eye Orient. +6 moreDiffers: Wire: Heavy (1X Heavy) vs Standard; Barb: Barbed vs Barbless; Gap ratio: 34.0% vs 36.8% +1 moreCompare
FW503 No. 12 — Dry Fly Light Barbless silhouetteFW503 No. 12 — Dry Fly Light Barbless81%Matches: Shank, Gap, Eye, Eye Orient., Point +4 moreDiffers: Bend: Perfect vs Round / Kendal; Wire: Heavy (1X Heavy) vs Standard; Barb: Barbed vs Barbless +3 moreCompare
W172 No. 14 — Allcocks W172 silhouetteW172 No. 14 — Allcocks W17280%Matches: Bend, Shank, Gap, Eye, Point +4 moreDiffers: Wire: Heavy (1X Heavy) vs Standard; Eye Orient.: Turned Down vs Turned Up; Finish: Other vs Bronzed +4 moreCompare
FW502 No. 12 — Dry Fly Light Barbed silhouetteFW502 No. 12 — Dry Fly Light Barbed79%Matches: Shank, Gap, Eye, Eye Orient., Point +4 moreDiffers: Bend: Perfect vs Round / Kendal; Wire: Heavy (1X Heavy) vs Standard; Barb: Barbed vs Barbless +3 moreCompare
R50-94840 No. 14 — Signature Fly Hook silhouetteR50-94840 No. 14 — Signature Fly Hook78%Matches: Bend, Shank, Gap, Eye Orient., Offset +3 moreDiffers: Wire: Heavy (1X Heavy) vs Standard; Eye: Tapered Eye vs Ball Eye; Point: Standard / Spear vs Needle +5 moreCompare

ExploratoryRelated by Shape (SVG)

Ranked purely by silhouette geometry — attribute labels are ignored.

SilhouetteHook ModelMatchCompare
FW501 No. 12 — Dry Fly Trad. Barbless silhouetteFW501 No. 12 — Dry Fly Trad. Barbless88%Compare
B175 No. 6 — Trout Heavy Traditional silhouetteB175 No. 6 — Trout Heavy Traditional82%Compare
94840 No. 10 — Mustad 94840 silhouette94840 No. 10 — Mustad 9484078%Compare
Blue Label 2x Fine TDE No. 14 — Blue Label silhouetteBlue Label 2x Fine TDE No. 14 — Blue Label77%Compare
94836 No. 6 — Mustad 94836 Viking Hook silhouette94836 No. 6 — Mustad 94836 Viking Hook76%Compare

Sources, open questions, and record notes

Sources & Documentation

This specimen and its packaging — photographed, 3 images
Supports: eyebendbarbfinishquantity per packagesize documentedmeasurements availablemeasurement notesfun fact titlefun factmeta titlemeta descriptionprimary search termssummarytechnical notesidentificationseries historyprimary application

Entry last updated October 26, 2026. Entries are updated as new specimens, measurements, or documents come to light.