Owner Fly Tying Hooks Quick Picks
- Best for Big Streamers: Owner 5170 AKI Hooks - Our best-selling Owner hook, a heavy forged long-shank hook in 1/0 through 8/0 that Owner builds for both bait and tying streamers for blue water game fish.
- Best Light-Wire Big Game: Owner 4170 AKI Light Hooks - The AKI shape in lighter wire, sizes 2 through 3/0, for baitfish flies that need to swim naturally on lighter tackle.
- Best All-Purpose Straight Eye: Owner 5180 SSW Straight-Eye Hooks - The straight-eye SSW with a black chrome finish and Cutting Point in sizes 1 through 4/0. Many tiers use short-shank SSW hooks as trailer and stinger hooks on tube flies and articulated patterns.
- Best Barbless: Owner 4106 Barbless No Escape Hooks - A factory barbless hook modeled on the SSW with a deep V bend that Owner designed to hold fish without a barb. Sizes 2 through 2/0 cover trout streamers up to small saltwater flies.
- Best Fine-Wire Option: Owner 5177 Mosquito Hooks - A fine-wire forged hook with an offset Super Needle Point in sizes 14 up to 3/0.
How to Choose Owner Fly Tying Hooks
The AKI family: which version for which fly
Owner makes a lot of conventional tackle, and the AKI is one of the few hooks that crossed fully into fly tying. It is a heavy forged hook with a long shank, straight eye, black chrome finish, and Owner's triple-edge Cutting Point.
Action: Buy the 5170 AKI in small packs to try sizes, then move to the Owner 5370 AKI Hooks pro pack once you settle on a size; it comes in 2/0 through 7/0 with 17 to 34 hooks per pack. Owner describes the 5370 as suited to tarpon, sea bass, and striper streamers.
SSW, No Escape, and Fly Liner: short-shank hooks for stinger duty
The SSW is Owner's all-purpose short-shank hook, and in fly tying its main job is as a trailer or stinger hook on intruders, tube flies, and articulated streamers. The 5180 is the straight-eye version, which Owner notes allows direct knot tying for in-line hooksets, and the Owner 5111 SSW Up-Eye Hooks are the up-eye version that salmon and steelhead anglers favor, in sizes 8 through 6/0.
Best for: Barbless water and swing fisheries with barbless rules, the 4106 Barbless No Escape. Owner states it is modeled on the SSW with adjustments for barbless use, so it slots into the same stinger rigs without a pinched barb.
Best for: Smaller trailer hooks and small shrimp or crab flies, the Owner 5106 Fly Liner Live Bait Hooks, a short-shank forged hook with the Cutting Point in sizes 8 through 2/0.
Mosquito and Mutu: specialty uses
Best for: Fine-wire needs, the Mosquito. Owner builds it for finesse bait rigs, but the forged light wire and offset Super Needle Point also make it a candidate for small flies and light trailer hooks. The 5177 is the retail pack and the 5377 is the bulk pack in sizes 10 through 3/0.
Tip: The Owner 5114 Mutu LT Hooks are light-wire circle hooks with an offset hangnail point that Owner says jaw-hooks fish about 90 percent of the time. If you fish a tarpon or billfish program where circle hooks are required, or want a trailer hook that pins in the corner of the mouth, this is the one.
Why Trident Carries Owner
Owner hooks are built in Japan to tolerances that saltwater fly anglers trust when a single hook has to hold a 100-pound tarpon or a 50-inch musky. The AKI and SSW have become default choices for big streamers and stinger rigs, and the Cutting Point gives you a hook that penetrates on a strip-set without heroics.
Materials & Durability
- Forged shanks: AKI, SSW, Fly Liner, and Mosquito hooks are forged, which flattens and strengthens the bend. That is why the AKI holds big fish without 3X wire.
- Black chrome finish: Owner's black chrome resists saltwater corrosion and keeps a low profile, but it is a finish over carbon steel. Rinse flies in fresh water and dry them after every saltwater trip.
- Cutting Point care: The triple-edge point is extremely sharp out of the pack and should not be filed. If a point rolls on rock or a boat deck, replace the hook.
- Stinger loops: Keep wire or braid loops snug to the eye so a trailer hook cannot rotate and foul.
Complete Your Setup
Related Gear
- Saltwater Fly Tying Hooks - Compare the AKI and SSW with other tarpon and striper hooks.
- Salmon & Steelhead Hooks - More stinger, up-eye, and swing-fly hooks to pair with SSW rigs.
- Tube Fly Tying Supplies - Tubes and cones for flies that take an Owner stinger hook.
- Fly Tying Synthetics - Baitfish fibers and flash for the big streamers that belong on an AKI.
Related Guides
- Best Tarpon Hooks: Fly Fishing Hook Shootout & Buyer's Guide
- How to Tie Lefty's Deceiver Fly
- How to Tie Bob Popovics' Bulkhead Deceiver Fly
- How to Tie the Rivet Fly: Classic Tarpon and Snook Pattern
- How to Tie the Marabou Tarpon Toad: A Saltwater Classic
Owner Fly Tying Hooks FAQs
Q: Are Owner AKI hooks good for fly tying?
A: Yes. Owner describes the AKI as both a saltwater bait hook and a fly hook for blue water streamer patterns, and it has a long record on tarpon, pike, and musky flies.
Q: What is the Owner Cutting Point?
A: Owner's triple-edge point, a needle-sharp tip with three cutting edges designed to penetrate with less pressure than a conical point. You will find it on the AKI, SSW, Fly Liner, and Mutu hooks here.
Q: Which Owner hook should I use as a stinger or trailer hook?
A: The SSW is the usual pick: the 5180 straight eye for in-line rigging or the 5111 up-eye for steelhead and salmon flies. The 4106 Barbless No Escape covers barbless water, and the 5106 Fly Liner is a smaller option.
Q: Are Owner hooks barbless?
A: Most are barbed. The 4106 Barbless No Escape is factory barbless and Owner states it complies with barbless regulations.
Q: What is the difference between the Owner 5177 and 5377 Mosquito hooks?
A: They are the same fine-wire forged hook with an offset Super Needle Point. The 5177 is the retail pack and the 5377 is the bulk pack, so the per-hook price drops if you tie in volume.
Q: Can I use Owner Mutu circle hooks on flies?
A: Some anglers do, especially where circle hooks are required for tarpon or billfish, or as a trailer hook that jaw-hooks fish. The 5114 Mutu LT is the light-wire version.
Owner Warranty & Resources
Owner's return policy states that returns and exchanges are accepted within 30 days of delivery for defective items or customer preference, that items must be unused and resalable, and that Owner covers shipping when merchandise arrives damaged from the manufacturer or the wrong item was sent. For a short or damaged pack bought from Trident, contact us first and we will replace it.
Learn More from Owner
- Owner AKI - Owner's own page on the AKI, including its use as a fly hook for blue water streamers.
- Owner SSW Straight Eye - Features of the straight-eye SSW and why it rigs in-line.
- Owner Barbless No Escape - How the deep V bend is meant to hold fish without a barb.
- Owner Return Policy - Return, exchange, and defect terms from the manufacturer.