Hook Sharpening - Whats The Point?

[PABASS]

Earlier this year one of our vendors sponsored a fly fishing guided learning day and boy was it fun, the guide pulls out his pocket sharpening stone and gets the fly to a nice sharp point. Light bulb, I have an old sharpen stone and have been doing the same since. I realize that a fly can be more expensive/time consuming but when you pay 6 bucks for two treble hooks to replace a popper well there has to be a better way. Now I am sharpening all my hooks and it seems to be paying off. Recently I fell in love with fishing my local river and it’s a rocky mess so each time I go out hooks get sharpened and it’s paying off. I kept missing a ton of fish on a zman chatter bait so not only did I sharpen the hook but made the hook smaller in diameter I understand that it could weaken the point but been landing lots more fish now.

Back to my point is this a lost art? Do people still sharpen hooks? I try to create a triangle and this seems to work better for me, I sharpen the hook the same count on each side and repeat. I have even tried to make round wire hooks more square in thinking that less material equals greater penetration, weaker hook maybe but when your catching 1-4# smallies what does it matter.

[retiredbosn]

I still sharpen hooks, jigs especially

[Bass Dude]

With hooks today, I don't think you need to sharpen them. Most of them have some sort of special edge or point that doesn't need sharpening. I use Owners and I think sharpening their 'cutting point' would do damage as opposed to making them better.

[jkarol24]

I am a very big stickler for a sharp hookpoint. That is, a RAZOR sharp hookpoint. The only hooks I dont sharpened are ones with very brittle metal (gammies, Trokar) because you will never be able to get them back to or better than new. Otherwise, sharpen away!

[Will Wetline]

With hooks today, I don't think you need to sharpen them. Most of them have some sort of special edge or point that doesn't need sharpening. I use Owners and I think sharpening their 'cutting point' would do damage as opposed to making them better.

The chemically sharpened hooks I don't mess with. I will touch up a 4/0 spinnerbait hook, some stock trebles and jig hooks.

[Darren.]

I will sharpen hooks if they need it. But in my experience, Gammies, Owners don't need it much.

BPS hooks need it a lot more, IMO.

[Blue Streak]

If my hooks are dull I replace them. Sharpening can make them weak and I would rather spend a buck or two than loose a trophy fish.

[cadman]

Like others, on the Gami's and Owners I never sharpen them. On jig hooks that get dull I will sharpen. However that is rare because I will usually lose a jig before that time.

[roadwarrior]

With hooks today, I don't think you need to sharpen them. Most of them have some sort of special edge or point that doesn't need sharpening. I use Owners and I think sharpening their 'cutting point' would do damage as opposed to making them better.

Most of the hooks I use cannot be sharpened.

I suggest replacing hooks.

However, my friend and Administrator, Keri, is

a HUGE fan of sharpening hooks. She tuned

a spinnerbait I would have thrown away.

I hope Keri sees this post and responds.

[K_Mac]

I check every hook I throw regularly while in use. If it needs a little touching up with a stone or file, that's what I do. This includes Gamakastsu and Owner. It is hard for me to imagine weakening a hook point resulting in failure. I have caught many fish on resharpened hooks and never seen it happen. I have damaged hook points on other objects, and if they require more than a little work they get tossed. This procedure works for me. I know I'm in the minority on this, but I can live with that.

[Glenn]

I always sharpen hooks, maybe not right out of the package (I ALWAYS check them though, even brand new!), but eventually all hooks become dull. At that point, it doesn't matter how sharp they once were, or how they were sharpened at the factory. That hook point is long gone, so it doesn't matter anymore. You can't "ruin" the factory point once it's dull, so sharpen away!

Yes, I sharpen even Trokar and Owner hooks once they get dull. I can always get them razor sharp again.

I'm totally mystified why people won't sharpen a dull hook because "it will ruin it". To that, I say, "How's that dull hook working for ya?"

Sharpen it!

[SirSnookalot]

When I'm no longer satisfied I replace the hook which I don't do too often, I don't sharpen. Many of my trebles get rusted as I'm using them in saltwater, but they mostly get bent, I use #4 and #2 and I always make sure to check the condition of the split ring.

I use #6 in freshwater, I buy 3x or 4x saltwater hooks and have very little problem with them.

[jeb2]

I agree with K_mac and Glenn. I have a sharpening stone on my retractable lanyard that is attached to my pocket anytime I'm fishing. Also has line nippers on there. I check the hooks out of the box on ALL brands of lures and hooks and sharpen as needed. I've never had a hookpoint break. As Glenn says, all the stuff these lures can run into dulls them up. Check and sharpen often!

[M-D]

All my hooks get checked right out of the package for sharpness and I will touch them up if needed then or anytime during use. Gammies and Owners always seem to roll the points just a bit so I am always checking them.

[fishking247]

i have never sharpened a hook in my life. when it's dull i throw it out and replace it with a new one.

[MichBassMan]

When hooks get even a little dull I sharpen them. Hooks or knifes makes no differance to me if I can sharpen them I do. I may toss a worm hook if it's badly damaged but everything else gets sharpened. Many spinnerbaits are dull when new, I sharpen them too.

[PABASS]

I am glad to see that the point is being taken sharply amongst the community.

I inspect every hook and with the gammies and owners it’s more of a round tapered point, chemical sharpening I believe? Trokars use a triangle point mechanically sharpened I believe which is what I am doing. The PA fishing commission has a pdf on sharpening hooks and recommends a triangle point and seems to work very well for me. If it has a hook and I can, it gets sharpened, it makes a noticeable difference. Personally I don’t think gammies are any sharper than an eagle claw which is allot cheaper, if you look at the point on a gammie it has less material to make a point and this equals easier penetration and not necessarily a sharper hook, I sharpened a gammie to a triangle and its crazy sharp best hook in this manner, except maybe Trokar which I refuse to buy simply because of costs. Right now I am under the belief of buy a “lower priced” hook and make it as good and maybe better then a “high priced” hooks and that equals something else to spend my coin on.

If I had time I would love to snap his rez before and after on all new hooks into my ecosystem that I call fishing, but I don't lol..

[Bass Dude]

I'm totally mystified why people won't sharpen a dull hook because "it will ruin it". To that, I say, "How's that dull hook working for ya?"

Sharpen it!

When mine get dull, I don't sharpen them...I toss it and use a new one!

[CWB]

I always sharpen hooks, maybe not right out of the package (I ALWAYS check them though, even brand new!), but eventually all hooks become dull. At that point, it doesn't matter how sharp they once were, or how they were sharpened at the factory. That hook point is long gone, so it doesn't matter anymore. You can't "ruin" the factory point once it's dull, so sharpen away!

Yes, I sharpen even Trokar and Owner hooks once they get dull. I can always get them razor sharp again.

I'm totally mystified why people won't sharpen a dull hook because "it will ruin it". To that, I say, "How's that dull hook working for ya?"

Sharpen it!

X2.

Just curioues RW.

What hooks cannot be sharpened? Owners do have a cutting point but there is a solid section from the point back to it that can be sharpened. My motto is if it doesn't stick in my thumbnail, it doesn't see the water. Got one so sharp once it actually went through the nail. Now all I do is make sure it penetrates it with minimum pressure.

[CWB]

I am glad to see that the point is being taken sharply amongst the community.

I inspect every hook and with the gammies and owners it’s more of a round tapered point, chemical sharpening I believe? Trokars use a triangle point mechanically sharpened I believe which is what I am doing. The PA fishing commission has a pdf on sharpening hooks and recommends a triangle point and seems to work very well for me. If it has a hook and I can, it gets sharpened, it makes a noticeable difference. Personally I don’t think gammies are any sharper than an eagle claw which is allot cheaper, if you look at the point on a gammie it has less material to make a point and this equals easier penetration and not necessarily a sharper hook, I sharpened a gammie to a triangle and its crazy sharp best hook in this manner, except maybe Trokar which I refuse to buy simply because of costs. Right now I am under the belief of buy a “lower priced” hook and make it as good and maybe better then a “high priced” hooks and that equals something else to spend my coin on.

If I had time I would love to snap his rez before and after on all new hooks into my ecosystem that I call fishing, but I don't lol..

Agree on just about all points. I don't buy Trokar either. I also don't buy Eagle Claw as I have had them break. Seem to be flimsier than Gammie or Owner or Mustad.

[OkobojiEagle]

To all of you that claim to replace your hooks "WHEN they GET dull" I say B*ll Cr*p... I'll get plenty rich betting each of you fish a LONG TIME after your hook point gets dull before you actually replace it. Carry a hook hone with you and use it after each retrieve you encounter a rock or log and after landing every decent sized fish. As many have said above, every hook can be sharpened... and should be.

oe

[retiredbosn]

I check mine out of the box, a hook should be sticky, if I can handle a lure and the hook doesn't grab at me then the hook isn't sharp. Typically its jigs, spinnerbaits, chatterbaits and buzzbaits. Most of the time jigs are lost before they need sharpened. .

[Hi Salenity]

I was tought long ago to check your hooks. If it will not "stick" in your thumbnail it's not sharp.