The Board

Hey folks...

Does anyone have experience with this brand?

I saw some nice looking tarpon hooks at a show a while back and just recently stumbled upon my notes.

They seem a bit difficult to obtain in the USA, and I heard an interesting story as to why but it was just conjecture.

Internet searches all seem to lead to the UK, but the hook is a Japanese product.

Any info?

It looks to be a UK brand. I’ve never tried them!

Cheers, Paul

I understand Sakuma 410 and 420 are rebranded Varivas.

Manta and Manta extra are very similar to Partridge Predators.

Strong, sharp, nice shape. They work for me.

Thanks Rudy!

At the Atlanta show I picked up a fly and immediately asked about the hook. It was a Sakuma but the professional fly tier was not forthcoming. Luckily I saw the label on the hook package. I knew I had seen them before but the Sakuma name was unfamiliar.

Later, the story I got was the US distributor did something that pissed off the overseas manufacturer and they decided the US market was not worth the hassle... and the hooks were gone.

Varivas was the name of the hook back then. They were highly thought of for tarpon flies.

I'll search for Varivas. Maybe they are more easily obtainable?

I’ve used Vativas as trout hooks and they are excellent. I haven’t tried or even seen their Tarpon hooks. Curiously, perhaps, I found their leaders to be the best I’ve used. They have two different Tapers, a long thick butt and a shorter thick butt. The longer one was the good one (for me 20ft+ Leaders).

Cheers, Paul

I know this is a super late post but I use Sakuma a lot for tying predator flies and they are super strong and stay sharp for a long time.