I recommend not using a Mustad 3407. It is a nasty hook. The 3407 is cheap and easy to sharpen but its cadmium plating (tinning) is toxic. When the 3407 hook is left in the fish, it poisons the fish. Like mercury, cadmium is an extremely toxic metal. It is so toxic that industrial plating involving cadmium takes place offshore because our environmental laws will not allow it to happen domestically.
In a study done by the Maryland DNR stripped bass where deep hooked with a variety of hooks. 20% of the fish hooked with a cadmium "tinned" hook, died of cadmium poisoning within the 120 day study period. For a synopsis of the report go to: http://www.nesportsman.com/articles/article11.shtml Despite this study, the 3407 is still recommended. The Kaufmann catalog claims that their saltwater flies are tied with the 3407 because it will "rust out of a fish's mouth". The July 2003 edition of "Saltwater Fly Fishing" has an article on the fly fishing for sharks. Again the 3407 is recommended because it "will quickly rust out". Science says different. Not only does the hook not effectively rust out, it poisons as well. Mike -----Original Message----- From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] On Behalf Of Richard Embry Sent: Monday, June 02, 2003 10:24 PM To: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Subject: Re: Saltwater flies for Sea Run Cutts Mustad 3906? Don't those rust pretty quickly when exposed to salt water? To the extent you don't care for stainless hooks, maybe the 3407 (cadmium hook) might be a better choice for salt . . . ? I'm not a big fan of Mustad 340007 (stainless) hooks, primarily because I think they are more challenging to sharpen than are the 3407.
