Streamer · Sizes #4–12
The Gamakatsu B11 is a barbed streamer hook available in sizes #4–12. It's built around a shank one size longer than standard, leaving extra room for a dubbed body or a slightly extended abdomen, paired with standard wire — a balance of strength and weight that works across most freshwater applications. Tyers reach for it most often when working on streamers, baitfish, lures. The sections below break down what each specification actually means at the vice, which patterns suit it, and which hooks from other manufacturers you can substitute when it's out of stock.
Shank length (1XL). This hook has a shank one size longer than standard, leaving extra room for a dubbed body or a slightly extended abdomen.
Wire strength (Std.). It's made from standard wire — a balance of strength and weight that works across most freshwater applications.
Bend and gape (Std.). The B11 uses a standard gape, which keeps the fly's proportions traditional.
Eye type (Up). It's finished with an up eye, a classic on wet flies and short-shank patterns where it opens up the effective gape.
Barbed. This is a barbed hook. Many competition rules and an increasing number of catch-and-release fisheries require barbless, so check local regulations — the barb can be pinched down with flat-jawed pliers before you dress the hook.
The Gamakatsu B11 is tagged in the Woolly Bug database for streamers, baitfish, lures. Patterns that sit naturally on this hook include Woolly Bugger, Zonker, Clouser Minnow, Deceiver, Cat's Whisker, Damsel Lure. Because the hook's proportions drive the finished fly's silhouette, it's worth matching the pattern's intended shape to the shank rather than forcing a recipe onto the wrong blank.
The B11 runs from size 4 through 12. This is a larger-size range, better suited to attractor patterns, streamers and bigger quarry than to delicate imitative work. If you're buying this hook for the first time, the mid-range sizes see the most use at the vice, and tracking exactly which sizes you own is where an inventory app earns its keep — it's the detail most tyers forget at the fly shop counter.
These hooks match closely on the specifications that determine a fly's proportions and behaviour, so they work as substitutes.
If the Gamakatsu B11 is out of stock, the closest match in the database is the Ahrex NS 115. When substituting, the specifications that matter most are gape and shank length — these determine whether the finished fly keeps its intended proportions. Wire strength is the next consideration, since it changes how the fly sits in the water: a heavier wire will sink a pattern that was designed to float. Eye type is usually the most forgiving difference, though switching to or from a jig eye changes how the hook rides entirely.
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Download FreeThe Gamakatsu B11 is a streamer hook used for Streamers, Baitfish, Lures. It's available in sizes #4–12 with a 1XL shank and Std. wire.
The closest equivalents are: Ahrex NS 115, Ahrex SA220, Partridge CS51/SE, Partridge CS51/SEP, Partridge CS56. These match on the specifications that matter most — shank length (1XL), wire strength (Std.) and bend (Std.).
The Gamakatsu B11 is barbed. Barbed hooks can be pinched down with pliers where barbless is required by competition rules or fishery regulations.
It's available in sizes #4–12.
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