Geez, the blatant discrimination towards VMC and overwhelming approval of Gamakatsu is mindboggling. Every hook was designed with specific application(s) in mind. And even those hooks that are designed for salmonids aren't always good performers. Even within a single make of hook, one size might differ in performance from another size. For example, say Brand X markets a line of hooks designed for salmonid fishing. There are many possibilites but I will only name a few. It is possible that the hook is better for catching trout than it is for holding salmon. In this case it is a matter of hook size. In another case a hook might be touted for salmonid fishing but have a somewhat short point. Clearly a hook like this would have less holding power. Yet another hook could be of either a thin wire or slightly thicker wire. My point in all this ranting is that there is a hook for every application, no one brand can cover all the bases.