Who sharpens their hooks

[Volitan]

I’ve been looking at some hooks under a microscope.

 

makes me think, who sharpens their hooks before use, and if so how ?

 

cheers

[Berleyguts]

I touch up hooks with a stone as needed. I don’t think you need to sharpen chemically sharpened hooks.

[recurve]

I have a hook file in my box. Use it for large hooks, lure hooks and jig heads and I can resurect old smaller hooks if I need to. 

Works well. 

[wazatherfisherman]

As I mainly use 'old style' hooks, mainly old Mustads in a couple of dozen different types, I always sharpen them with either a small tungsten rod sharpener or one of various hook files. I've always got a sharpener in my pocket and two more in my bag. I've found with larger hooks, particularly on trolling lures, Jew and live-bait rigs, if you colour-in the hook point with a permanent marker after sharpening, it helps prevent oxidation and keeps unused hooks sharp whilst in storage saving you sharpening as often.

[Volitan]

Thanks for the tip about the marker

cheers

[Nolongeramember]

8 hours ago, Volitan said:

I’ve been looking at some hooks under a microscope.

 

makes me think, who sharpens their hooks before use, and if so how ?

 

cheers

 

I check every hook before use to make sure it's sharp. If not I use a sharpening stone. Takes time but it's worth it. You get the best hook up's with a sharp hook point.

[wazatherfisherman]

11 hours ago, Volitan said:

Thanks for the tip about the marker

cheers

I use a black marker so you can see if any marker is missing you need to touch-up just that edge. Probably helps re rust as well. Cheers

[Smasher]

I do the old run it over the thumbnail test. ie: If it scratches and digs in it's sharp, if it's slides over it's blunt & goes in the bin. I've never thought of re-sharpening them before!

[wazatherfisherman]

3 minutes ago, Smasher said:

I do the old run it over the thumbnail test. ie: If it scratches and digs in it's sharp, if it's slides over it's blunt & goes in the bin. I've never thought of re-sharpening them before!

If you look for one of those small tungsten sharpeners(I got mine $6 at a tackle shop at Pottsville Far Nth Coast while on holidays, so impressed I went back before leaving and bought last 3 he had!) they cut the hook in about 4-5 strokes, only takes 30 seconds. The tungsten rods in sharpener rust really easily but still work well just don't use them on knives as they'd wreck the edge, so radically they cut!

[raging]

I made a simple sharpener. 

Get two chainsaw files, tape or head shrink together. You have a hook sharpener.

im definitely not the first to do this 

 

[Little_Flatty]

Just bumping this thread as it's a great activity for the rainy and windy weekends that we are facing! Get the netflix on, find all of your bung hooks and get sharpening!

I have a few lures that have rather average quality hooks on them. Provided they are strong enough (in most cases for me, they are), I touch them up until they pass the fingernail test and when they rust away (which can take a while if I look after them), I replace them. Better than consigning them to landfill when they are brand new.

It really doesn't take much as @wazatherfishermansays.

[big Neil]

I have to admit that I never give the sharpness of my hooks any thought. I probably should do as the hooks on Cod lures get a fair workout as they plough their way through the submerged tree stumps. That's a nice easy way to make a useable hook sharpener, thanks for the video @raging.

bn

[Little_Flatty]

Here's another similar post:

 

[slothparade]

I have found the spider co sharperner great. for my shark hooks, I go diamond, then the gray one then the white to put the final edge on it. 

For normal hooks, I just use the gray one and then the white one to finish off. 

Keeps my hooks razor sharp

[Green Hornet]

I like the EZE-LAP, flat diamond hone files and use either the medium, fine or extra fine grade, depending on the hook/hooks I’m sharpening.

When throwing lures on the beach, hooks go blunt quickly from dragging through the sand and I might sharpen them multiple times during a session.

All hooks including trebles, plain or chemically sharpened, get a touch up after every trip and a light smear of tuna oil (the stuff you add to berley) to protect from rusting. The good thing about tuna oil is it semi sets and doesn’t smear through your tackle boxes, plus solves the age old argument whether other concoctions like WD40 put the fish off or not.

[Fab1]

I just cast my leader line into the water with no hook attached to get the same result as when I use chemically sharpened hooks.Zilch!

in regards to testing hook sharpness I pass the hook to my son with line attached then suddenly give the rod a good rap.

  If I hear him whinge to turn around and see him holding the hook complaining I nearly hooked him I know it is blunt and could do with a touch up.

  I know when it’s sharp as when I do the same thing as above  but this time he squeals like a pig with a hook through his finger  I tell him to stop whinging and pass me a prawn.

[Yowie]

The chemically sharpened hooks are usually made of a harder steel, so do not need sharpening very often. I only sharpen them when I notice the point is a little dull, or if I use them on another fishing outing and the points have a little bit of rust.

The Mustad long shanks I use for deep water river fishing are never completely sharp, so I always sharpen then before tying on, or for the next trip out. Also includes the Mustad hooks for ganging for pilchard baits.

I use a small sharpening stone, just a few swipes is enough.

Edited July 10, 2022 by Yowie

[61 crusher]

On 7/10/2022 at 4:11 AM, Fab1 said:

n regards to testing hook sharpness I pass the hook to my son with line attached then suddenly give the rod a good rap.

  If I hear him whinge to turn around and see him holding the hook complaining I nearly hooked him I know it is blunt and could do with a touch up.

  I know when it’s sharp as when I do the same thing as above  but this time he squeals like a pig with a hook through his finger  I tell him to stop whinging and pass me a prawn.

I’ve changed my mind I don’t want to be part of your family, I’d hate to know what you’d do to your son Inlaw if that’s how you treat your son 😂

[Restyle]

i only really sharpen the larger hooks i use for Jew with a small wetstone 

[Fab1]

6 hours ago, 61 crusher said:

I’ve changed my mind I don’t want to be part of your family, I’d hate to know what you’d do to your son Inlaw if that’s how you treat your son 😂

I tell my son in-law to hold the gaff.😜

[61 crusher]

20 hours ago, Fab1 said:

tell my son in-law to hold the gaff.😜

You’ve definitely confirmed it for me I do not want to be related to you, I can only imagine how you test your anchor prongs out 😂

[61 crusher]

If I’m fishing land based which is quite frequent these days running the hook once or twice across sandstone, rock or even concrete is usually enough to sharpen them up enough to pass the finger nail test unless of course if the tip has broken off