Garren WoodFishing Hook Reference
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The Mustad 94836 is a short-shank, extra-fine-wire fly hook manufactured in Norway and sold under the Mustad-Viking name. Its original package identifies the pattern as forged and straight, with a turned-down tapered eye, hollow point, and bronzed finish.
The defining combination is a compact shank and a deep, smoothly rounded bend. These proportions allow a tier to build a short-bodied fly while retaining useful hook gap. The extra-fine wire makes the pattern most appropriate for dry flies, traditional spiders, hackled attractors, and other lightly dressed trout flies.
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“Hollow Point” is Mustad’s own description and is printed prominently on the package. The close-up photograph shows an elongated point with the concave grinding associated with this profile. The term describes the manufactured shape of the point; it does not mean that the hook is hollow internally.
The formed eye is turned down, and the terminal wire tapers as it completes the eye. The package’s phrase “Forged Straight” indicates a forged hook made without a reversed or offset point. It should not be interpreted as the name of the bend or as a description of shank length.
The specimen has a deep, smoothly rounded bend consistent with the round/Kendal family. The “Viking Hooks” wording on the package is a product-line name rather than a bend designation.
Physical measurement with calipers
Physical measurement with calipers
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Sources: this specimen and its packaging.
“Mustad-Viking Hooks” is the product-line designation printed on the 94836 package. Mustad used the Viking name on hooks with several different bends, eye styles, wire weights, and intended applications. It should therefore be understood as a brand or product-family name rather than a specific bend classification.
The designation “Qual. 94836” identifies this particular pattern. On Mustad packaging, “Qual.” introduces the model or pattern number; it does not indicate a quality grade. The photographed package documents the 94836 in size 6 with a short shank, extra-fine wire, turned-down tapered eye, bronzed finish, and hollow point.
The label reads “OSLO – NORWAY,” establishing manufacture after the city adopted the name Oslo in 1925. The Key Brand artwork, typography, paper label, and absence of later retail markings are consistent with mid-twentieth-century production. A date of approximately 1950–1970 is reasonable but remains provisional until confirmed against dated Mustad catalogs.
The surviving package provides direct evidence that Mustad produced the 94836 in size 6. This substantially expands the model’s confirmed size range beyond the smaller sizes most often documented in modern hook references.
The 94836 belongs to Mustad’s large family of numbered fly-hook patterns. Its design combines features used for lightly dressed trout flies: a short shank, extra-fine wire, a formed down eye, and a deep rounded bend.
Related 94xxx patterns may share individual characteristics, but they should not be described as direct predecessors, replacements, or shank-length variants without dated catalog evidence. Differences in eye orientation, wire weight, finish, and shank length must be checked separately for each model.
| Silhouette | Hook Model | Match | Analysis | Compare |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 77820 — Mustad-Round Hooks | 79% | Compare | ||
|
2x Fine Wire TDE No. 16 — Red Label | 76% | Compare | |
|
K2B No. 12, 14, 16 — Yorkshire Caddis Hooks | 76% | Compare | |
|
4xFF — 4x Fine Forged | 74% | Compare | |
|
Gold Label — Gold Label Super Fine, Forged | 74% | Compare |
| Silhouette | Hook Model | Match | Compare |
|---|---|---|---|
|
94840 No. 10 — Mustad 94840 | 89% | Compare |
|
B175 No. 6 — Trout Heavy Traditional | 84% | Compare |
|
1530 — Heavy Wet Fly Hook | 81% | Compare |
|
FW501 No. 12 — Dry Fly Trad. Barbless | 79% | Compare |
|
W 205 No. 12 — Sproat Hook | 76% | Compare |
The 94836 is best suited to compact dry flies and other lightly dressed trout patterns. Its short shank permits a condensed body while the deep rounded bend preserves a comparatively useful gap. The extra-fine wire reduces the amount of metal that must be supported at the water’s surface.
Appropriate patterns include traditional spiders, heavily hackled dry flies, compact attractors, and short-bodied terrestrials. It may also be used for lightly dressed emergers or soft-hackle flies, although its extra-fine wire does not make it a general-purpose heavy wet-fly or nymph hook.
Lightly dressed soft-hackle flies and emergers when an extra-fine-wire hook is appropriate
Traditional spiders, compact dry flies, heavily hackled dries, short-bodied terrestrials, and light emergers
| Hook | Match Quality | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Tiemco 921 | Very Good | A useful functional comparison because of its short shank and fine wire, but not an exact reproduction of the 94836’s bend, point, or eye construction. |
| Daiichi 1680 | Good | Retain only after its shank length, wire weight, eye orientation, and bend have been checked against the 94836. It should not be presented as an exact equivalent. |
| Mustad Heritage 94836 | Moderate | Modern re-issue of the 94836, intended to replicate vintage specifications but manufactured in Philippines with modern steel and finishing techniques — not as highly regarded by purists |
Industry cross-reference
Short shank down eye fine wire
| Ahrex | FW504Spec record FW505Spec record |
|---|---|
| Daiichi | 1310Chart only |
| Firehole | 413Chart only |
| Fulling Mill | FM5025Chart only |
| Mustad | R30Chart only |
| Orvis | JA1509Chart only |
| Tiemco | 112YSpec record |
Green entries are full records; amber entries are spec records. Gray entries are chart-only and not physically verified against this specimen.
Rated 4.5/10. The Mustad 94836 is uncommon rather than genuinely rare. Collector interest centers on its short-shank proportions, extra-fine wire, Norwegian manufacture, and clearly labeled original packaging. The documented size 6 example is especially useful because this size is not consistently recorded in modern reference lists.
Collector appeal: The 94836 combines a recognizable Mustad model number with distinctive short-shank proportions and extra-fine wire. Original Norwegian packaging adds historical and display value, while the documented size 6 example contributes useful evidence about the model’s production range.
Limiting factors: Mustad manufactured hooks on a very large scale, and packaged examples continue to appear. The 94836 is therefore better described as uncommon than rare. Value depends heavily on package condition, confirmed hook count, size, and whether the hooks remain associated with their correctly labeled original box.
Small paper-covered Key Brand box with a cream label printed in gold and red. The label reads: “O. MUSTAD & SON / Manufacturers / OSLO – NORWAY / Qual. 94836 / Hollow Point / Mustad-Viking Hooks / Forged Straight / T.d. tapered eye Bronzed / Short shank · Ex. fine wire / Made in Norway.” The package documents an original quantity of 100 hooks in size No. 6. The repeating border is composed of floral or starburst motifs. The printing method and current hook count have not been independently established.
Observed online sales from April 13, 2023 through April 12, 2026 averaged $10.60 and ranged from $4.40 to $17.99. A practical value range is approximately $7–$14 for an ordinary packaged example, depending on hook count, package condition, size, and completeness. This is a time-specific market estimate rather than a fixed appraisal.
eBay (both.com and.co.uk), occasional vintage tackle dealers specializing in fly tying supplies, fly fishing swap meets and regional tackle fairs (particularly in Northeast US), online vintage fishing forums and dedicated Facebook groups for classic fly fishing tackle
eBay market reference. Researcher-curated. Prices in USD.
The 94836’s short-shank, standard-gap design reflects a sophisticated understanding of dry fly mechanics that developed during the mid-twentieth century. Traditional logic dictated that smaller insects required smaller hooks in all dimensions. However, American and British fly tyers discovered that reducing shank length while maintaining gap width dramatically improved hook-up performance on selective trout—because the gap-to-body ratio created more effective engagement with the jaw angle, while the short profile reduced overall fly weight and improved flotation.
This principle was not universal but rather regional and application-specific. Catskill tiers (Harry Darbee, Art Flick) developed this concept independently of British counterparts, and Mustad responded by manufacturing dedicated short-shank tools. The 94836 represents this insight embodied in production steel—evidence that manufacturers were actively listening to fly tying traditions and engineering hooks to match evolved techniques rather than merely copying earlier designs.
The combination of short shank with extra-fine wire is critical: short shank alone would result in a chunky, poorly balanced fly; but short shank plus extra-fine wire creates a fly that appears one or two sizes smaller than its actual gap, deceiving selective fish while maintaining solid hooking geometry. This is why the 94836 remains sought by traditional tiers who value this specific proportion and cannot easily replicate it with modern, heavier-wire alternatives.
| P | Photographically verified — Directly observable in the photograph(s) on this page. |
| V | Verified by documentation — Confirmed by manufacturer catalog, spec sheet, or published reference. |
| I | Inferred — A logical deduction from observable or documented evidence, not directly stated. |
| E | Estimated — An approximation based on visual comparison, proportional analysis, or limited data. |
| S | Speculative — A reasoned hypothesis that cannot be confirmed from available evidence. |
Unnotated claims are the compiler’s synthesis; see Sources. All photographs on garrenwood.com are taken on a measurement grid where each square equals 1/10 inch (0.1″ / 2.54 mm).
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