Type “hook” into a large fishing-tackle catalogue and you learn very quickly that search engines are enthusiastic but literal. The results include hook covers, lures with side hooks, five-hookers, tied flies, and almost anything else with a sharp point in its description.
So I searched all three pages of “hook” results in The Angling Marketplace’s July 2026 Seller Timed Auction, then opened the candidates one by one. Out of 684 auction lots and 91 search matches, nine are genuine lots of loose, packeted, boxed, or display-worthy fishing hooks.
The sale runs from July 10 through July 20, 2026. Bid figures below were observed on July 17 and will change as the auction develops. They exclude shipping and any applicable fees.
The quick list
| Lot | What it contains | Bid observed July 17 |
|---|---|---|
| 398 | Full Pflueger Bull Dog box with twelve wooden barrels of Kirby 2/0 hooks | Current bid $10 |
| 566 | Three full boxes of salmon fly hooks plus two Orvis packets | Current bid $30 |
| 654 | Ten packets of fly-tying hooks in mixed styles and sizes | Starting bid $10 |
| 674 | Two very large marked Mustad hooks | Current bid $10 |
| 288 | Forty-eight spring-loaded or expandable hooks | Current bid $10 |
| 635 | Box of 36 bronzed size 4 Dolphin Doby treble hooks | Starting bid $10 |
| 730 | Early weedless treble hook from the Dudley Murphy collection | Starting bid $10 |
| 341 | Ten assorted new packets plus steel leaders | Starting bid $10 |
| 695 | Part-filled box of Frost Grip bait hooks | Starting bid $10 |
The best collector-display lot: Pflueger Bull Dog Kirby hooks
Lot 398 is the one I would open first if packaging and display appeal matter as much as the hooks themselves. The seller describes a vintage full box containing a dozen complete “wooden barrels” of Pflueger Bull Dog Brand Kirby hooks in size 2/0.
That combination of outer box, repeated inner containers, brand graphics, and original contents gives the lot much more presence than a loose handful of hooks. It was sitting at $10 when checked. Condition is everything with paper and wooden packaging, so this is a lot to inspect at full image size rather than admire only as a thumbnail.
Two strong fly-tying groups
Lot 654 contains ten new packets in mixed sizes and styles. The seller specifically calls out long 3/0 up-eye hooks for salmon flies, Shamrock up-eye Brown 14s, Eagle Claw 4s, and several unnamed packets. At a $10 opening bid, it is the sort of mixed group that rewards a close packet-by-packet photo review.
Lot 566 is more focused: three full boxes of salmon fly hooks and two Orvis packets. The seller describes them as being in perfect condition, and bidding had reached $30. For a tyer, the useful questions are hook size, wire, eye style, and exact count. For a collector, the boxes and labels may be the larger part of the appeal.
The giant Mustads
Lot 674 offers two identical hooks marked “O. Mustad & Son, Made in Norway.” The seller does not know the exact size but compares them with a 16/0 hook and suggests they could become oversized salmon flies, gaff-rig hooks, or simply a display pair.
At a $10 current bid, they are the auction’s most immediate conversation pieces. They are also described as sharp, which feels worth repeating before anyone decides the best place for them is loose in a desk drawer.
The mechanically curious group of 48
Lot 288 is the most research-heavy lot in the group. It contains 48 spring-loaded or expandable hooks, and the seller is candid about not being familiar with every example. That uncertainty is not necessarily a drawback; it is an invitation to identify mechanisms, variants, and makers from the photographs.
The current bid was $10, but the stated shipping cost is $25. This is a good reminder that the hammer is only half the arithmetic—and that a cheap, strange lot can still be the one that occupies your evening.
Three boxed and packeted sleepers
- Lot 635 is a new-in-box group of 36 bronzed size 4 Dolphin Doby “Dough Ball” treble hooks, opening at $10. The complete count and box make it the neatest compact package in the sale.
- Lot 341 combines ten new packets from Gamakatsu, Tru-Turn, Eagle Claw, and South Bend with steel leaders. It is more mixed terminal tackle than historical display piece, but still a genuine hook group at a $10 start.
- Lot 695 is simply described as a box “with some hooks.” The Frost Grip name and packaging are the attraction; the sparse description means the photos—and a question to the seller if needed—must do the rest.
The historical wild card
Lot 730 is catalogued as an early-1900s weedless treble hook, probably by South Bend, from the Dudley Murphy collection. The seller notes that one of the three points is cut or broken. That damage rules out pretending it is a pristine example, but the construction and provenance still make it one of the more interesting study pieces in the sale.
Its opening bid was $10. Before bidding, compare the mechanism and form with known catalogued examples and treat the maker attribution as the seller’s opinion rather than a settled fact.
How the timed ending works
According to the auction description, a lot receiving a bid between 6:50 p.m. and 7:00 p.m. on July 20 enters a ten-minute extension. Each later bid resets that lot’s countdown. In other words, this is not an auction where a last-second click necessarily settles the matter.
Check the live countdown, your local time, shipping terms, and the latest bid on each lot before taking part. This article is a catalogue guide, not a condition report or appraisal.
Final verdict
This is a pleasingly varied little hook auction hiding inside a much larger tackle sale. Lot 398 has the best display potential, Lot 654 and Lot 566 are the most immediately useful for fly tying, Lot 288 offers the deepest identification rabbit hole, and Lot 674 wins the highly competitive category of “hook most likely to alarm the postman.”
Nine real hook lots from 91 search results is not a bad catch. More importantly, they are nine genuinely different collecting propositions rather than nine versions of the same packet.
