Chemically Sharpened Hooks - The Process & How They Work
Many anglers in South Africa are very fond of chemically sharpened
hooks, as you know the sharper your hook, the better! Many anglers are
shocked at the prices of name brand chemically sharpened hooks; the
price is due to the quality of the material used to manufacture the
hook. This will be discussed in length in the article
below...
The process of how a hook is chemically sharpened is much longer.
After the hook is made it is heat treated and then the hook goes through
a process where a chemical “attacks” the surface of the hook. The point
of the hook, as it is thinner, is affected heavily, thus sharpening the
point. The chemical process improves the point of the hook, as it eats
away at the metal. This part of the process is very important, because
if the chemically treatment goes on for too long, it will actually blunt
the point end of the hook. This will weaken the barb and even the shank
of the hook, causing it to break on your fish of a lifetime! Chemically
sharpening a hook will not make a weak point into a stronger point; in
fact it will make it weaker. This is why, if you decide to purchase
chemically sharpened hooks, spend the extra money to get brands such as
Owner, VMC, Diachii, Gamakatsu and Mustad; you cannot go wrong with these
hooks. The cheaper brands of hooks are more likely to break after the
chemical sharpening process. The better quality the hook, the better the
hook will be for you. I have used Penn hooks recently that have been
chemically sharpened and I have found they are great. Very strong shank,
barb and point, and they are about half the price of Gamakatsu. Give
them a try if you are not willing to pay the amount the other brands ask
for.
The process of sharpening hooks using chemicals leaves you with a better opportunity to hook fish, and once the fish is hooked, for it to stay hooked until you release it.
If you are targeting larger edibles such as
Musselcracker,
Kob,
Garrick and other game fish species from the shore, I would advise you
to use the Gamakatsu Octopus hooks, or the Owner circle hooks. Superb
quality and they will not let you down. When targeting sharks and other
non edibles I would say that Mustad and Diachii are personally the
brands I would use every time. The smaller Diachii’s and Penn hooks are
great for targeting small edibles and reef fish, and the smaller hooks
are very affordable and worth the money!
Keep those hooks sharp!
