Getting To The "Point"

I've been doing some research on the different types of hooks there are so many styles available and for years I kinda just grab whatever I'd been using or what I heard promoted the most without really knowing the "why" behind the reason for it's shape, style or size.
There is actually a lot to learn if your interested in that sort of thing but most of us just want a good affordable sharp hook that will catch fish and excluding the affordable part all of them will do that.
Below I thought I would share some information from some of the articles that I have found regarding who has the sharpest hooks and who and where there made.
I have never given much thought to the name brand/manufacturer before but for me personally since I've always tried to be a big "Buy U.S.A." person I have now totally change as far as what brand of hooks I will purchase in the future. Doesn't mean I'm throwing away what I've got but with attrition I will be switching exclusively back to the only brand name I remember as a child while fishing the pond banks; and that would be Eagle Claw since they have every style and size that I would ever need and they are the only company that makes there hooks here in the USA and exclusively with USA forged steel.

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Who makes the World’s Sharpest Hook? Mustad, Gamakatsu, Eagle Claw, or VMC?

Here's how to make sure your hooks are the sharpest in the world.
By Lenny Rudow
Which fishing hook is the world's sharpest? The answer is really, really simple and has nothing, actually, to do with brand:
Answer: A new one.

Today’s high-end hooks (I’m talking about the ones that cost $5 for a pack of two, not the ones that are $2 for a pack of five) are chemically and/or laser-sharpened. All of the top-shelf models from quality brands like Mustad, Gamakatsu, Eagle Claw, and VMC, come out of the package so sharp you’ll start bleeding if you look at them wrong. Unfortunately, within a couple of uses that razor-sharp hook point dulls down. And here’s the catch (pun intended). No matter how hard you try to re-sharpen the hook with a stone or a file, you’ll never, ever manage to attain the same level of sharpness that hook had when it first came out of the package. The solution? Throw it away and tie on a new one. If you want to out-catch the rest of the crowd and fish with the sharpest hooks in the world, you’ll worry a lot less about the hook’s brand, and a lot more about the hook’s age.




10 BEST FISHING HOOK BRANDS

Posted by Eric Pickhartz

It's a question that has been asked countless times, both by first-time anglers hoping to break into the fishing sport and by seasoned veterans looking for a change of pace, and it almost never gets any easier to answer. Different fishermen will have different preferences on fishing hooks based on sharpness, durability, saltwater versus freshwater capability, price, variety, and many other factors.
For that reason, there is no one "best fishing hook," but there are brands that consistently deliver great fishhook products, and we've listed 10 of them for you below.

1. Eagle Claw:

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Photo via Bass Pro Shops1. Eagle Claw: A proven brand name with a slew of different hook styles available, it's no surprise that many anglers begin their fishing careers with Eagle Claw hooks and simply never make the decision to switch. Eagle Claw hooks perform well across the board without breaking the bank, whether you are looking for a simple worm hook for catching bass or a durable treble hook for all different types of baitfish. Buyers who want only "American made" fishing gear often go for Eagle Claw.

2. Gamakatsu

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Photo via Bass Pro ShopsIf you are not terribly concerned with buying American-made fishing gear, however, than the Japan-based Gamakatsu is another extraordinarily well-regarded fishing hook brand. While you can hardly go wrong with Eagle Claw hooks for fishing in the many freshwater lakes scattered throughout the United States, Gamakatsu hooks are often thought to be the standard for deep-sea saltwater fishing. Since Japan has been a capital for saltwater fishing for centuries, it's no surprising that one of the finest deep-sea fishing brands on the planet hails from there.

3. Daiichi

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Photo via Bass Pro ShopsAnother Japan-based fishing hook brand, Daiichi hooks are widely considered to be the sharpest in the sport of fishing, and are often used by professional anglers as a result. Tempered by using harder, more carbon-rich steel than virtually any competitor, Daiichi hooks offer superior penetration without risking hook slips or breaks. Hooks from this legendary Japanese brand are also recognized as terrific solutions for fly fishermen.

4. Lazer TroKar

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Photo via Bass Pro ShopsA division of Eagle Claw, TroKar hooks are among the only products in the fishing industry that can rival Daiichi hooks for sharpness and durability. If you want to engage with the Eagle Claw brand, but want a saltwater hook, then the Lazer TroKar is the hook for you. Manufactured in partnership with a company that makes surgical equipment, Lazer TroKar hooks proudly calls themselves "the first surgically sharpened hook(s) in the world." With hook names like the "Legendary," the "Ultimate," and the "Dominate," you know that Lazer TroKar isn't a brand that would kid around about the sharpness, penetration, strength, or overall quality of its products.

5. Mustad

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Photo via Bass Pro ShopsIf you want to get beyond the borders of the United States and Japan as you search for your ultimate fishing hook, then Mustad - a Norway-based fishing company - may well be your next best bet. Mustad hooks, like Eagle Claw, come in a wide variety of styles. Whether your fishing needs involve freshwater or saltwater, sport use or commercial use, Mustad makes hooks that will satisfy and succeed no matter what. This brand may not be able to claim the sharpest hooks on the market, but Mustad has been around since the 1800s, and that fact proves one thing above all else: every hook the company produces is a high quality piece of fishing ingenuity.

6. VMC

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Photo via Bass Pro ShopsOwned today by Rapala - one of the most notable, recognizable, and widely trusted brands in the fishing world - VMC is a French company that has been building beautiful and effective fishing hooks for over two centuries. Over those 200-plus years, VMC has worked hard to perfect its fishing hooks, morphing strong, carbon-rich steel into hooks that fish can rarely beat. Treble hooks are what the company is best known for, but VMC is also notable for its single hooks, which have been improved and enhanced over the years in accordance with input from professional anglers around the globe. In other words, when you fish with a VMC hook, you are fishing with the expertise of hundreds of professional anglers dangling on the end of your line.

7. Tiemco/TMC

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Photo via Bass Pro ShopsNot to be confused with VMC, Tiemco TMC hooks are a dependable brand of fly fishing hooks manufactured in Japan. The company's dry fly hook is probably its most well-known product among fly fishing anglers, but its arsenal - which includes wet fly hooks, streamer hooks, bass bug hooks, and nymph hooks, is dense, deep, and well-rounded enough to fill any fly fishing tackle box.

8. Owner

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Photo via Bass Pro ShopsYet another fishing hook brand based in the fishing hook Mecca of Japan, and yet another company that specializes in manufacturing incredibly sharp hooks for superior penetration, Owner is also another brand with which you can't go wrong, whether your primary needs revolve around freshwater or saltwater fishing. Perhaps Owner's greatest contribution to the fishing world is the "Cutting Point" hook, a patented design that provides for triple-edged, razor-sharp fishing hooks. However, while Owner's Cutting Point hooks can't be beaten, the company also produces lures, baits, clothing, and other fishing accessories and gear.

9. Partridge of Redditch:

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Photo via Partridge of RedditchBased in England, Partridge of Redditch have evolved over their long history from making needles to manufacturing high-quality fishing hooks. Like Tiemco's TMC hooks, the fishing hooks made by Partridge are primarily for fly fishing.

10. BasStar

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Photo via BasStarLiked Eagle Claw and TroKar, BasStar is an excellent fishing brand based right here in the United States of America. Unlike Eagle Claw, however, BasStar's fishing hook arsenal largely begins and ends with a single innovative product: the SpinTech treble hook. This remarkable hook, dubbed by BasStar as "the world's first rotating treble hook," allows for unprecedented freedom and movement with treble hook game fishing. Where fish often escape lesser treble hooks by fighting them, getting them to lock up in a certain position, and using the leverage of a stuck hook to wrench themselves free, the SpinTech hook will spin on endlessly without giving a fish any form of leverage, in turn making it a better took for getting that fish out of the water.

Great info! Very nice. :ThumbsUp

A lot of effort and research went into this. Great job and very informative. Thanks for sharing.

Sent from my LML212VL using Crappie.com Fishing mobile app

WOW very detailed, thanks for the info.

Good stuff! :highfive

Good article. I submit this one by Gamakatsu is a fantastic jig head. We use them in 1/16th and 1/8th and they hold their sharpness for a significant period of time. And, yes, the solution to a sharp hook is to pitch the one you have used a lot and grab a new one. These really work well with all the popular plastics.
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I remember Eagle Claw was about the only hooks around. All this global-ness has really hurt a lot of American companies. I don't know what hooks I'm buying anymore! I digress... I like gold hooks and jigheads made with gold hooks for crappie fishing. I'll research Eagle Claw to see if they make any.
Oh as a footnote, after going around the world I have returned to using Stren like I did as a kid. Nice thread and thanks for the info!