After the Question in the other thread I went out and did some field testing on coho. The water in the river is getting low and clear and the strikes happen in a blink of an eye right now and are more of a nip than much of a hit.
..so you gotta be quick on the trigger.
Results:
Matzou- 5:7
Gami-1:4
Bent Gami(like in Zogs Spoon book)-2:3

From my experiance this year with the Matzous compaired to the Gamis I've used for all the preveous year I think they hold fish alot better.

Damn, that looks like a fine spot to fish!

I'm assuming the hooks that rvrfshr sells are Matzou's?

wtF,

They are, and while I don't have much of a problem keeping steelhead hooked on siwashes on spoons or plugs, or keeping them hooked on octopus hooks when drifting, single barbless siwashes are a real pisser for me on spinners...and in the last three months I have lost a grand total of two summer runs using the Matzuo Sickle Siwashes...one that came unpinned, and one that broke me off.

The rest got stuck, and stayed stuck.

edit: I never use a regular Siwash without the bend.

Fish on...

Todd

OP & Todd are you 2 fishing the hooks with the barbs down?? I whoud think the Matzuo sickle whould out fish the gami by 5 to 1 barbless due to the hook shape....

I'm gonna have my own little hook-off tomorrow, barbless bent-gami vs barbless stock-sickle siwash. Will chime back in if I get some action

C/22

Chrome- I've had my barbs unpinched just cause you dont have to up here and even though 99% of what I catch is released even with the bard they pop really easy.
Todd- you ever thought about bending the sickles?

I switched over to them this season in the salt using big 6/0 Matzuo octopus sickles. Didn't lose any of the big Kings this year due to barbless hooks. I was very impressed by the sickle bend hooks.

CF

What local retailers stock Matzuo's?

I don't know if anyone does. I think Joe of Riverfisher fame has them sent in bulk from Japan


C/22

Ah,Oh,
Justin do we have to have a hardware smackdown!
Don't make me come up there, where the fish are just stupid plenty! They don't even know the difference between a pixie spoon from a XYZ brand! Heck, in the Situck River I've hooked them on an old Acme "steelie" spoon that was orange and gold, and had the hook that came with it, dull, not bent, bone stock!
I think you and I have to organize a fish in somewhere in the lower 48 possibly, Forks get a bunch of hardware tossin' beer drinkin' M(*^@rs and have at it!
Anyway thanks Justin, gives me something to do today at work. It's not like I don't look at hooks all day long.
Joe
Give me a shout when you get back into town, the zipper is coming back into shape!!!

No comment but ... Joe I am waiting to see those new Gami prototypes you were talking about a couple of weeks ago ?

"OP & Todd are you 2 fishing the hooks with the barbs down??"

Yes...pretty much everywhere I've fished this summer is under selective gear regulations.

"Todd- you ever thought about bending the sickles?"

Haven't felt the need to...like I said, I've only had one fish come unpinned all summer when hooked with a sickle hook.

I'm thinking that the leverage created by the sharp bend in the sickle siwash is what keeps the hook in there, and that bending it out like a regular siwash might actually reduce that leverage...but I'm just guessing about that.

I will be rigging some of my pink worms with sickle siwash, rather than octopus hooks...but just a few. I have no problem keeping steelhead hooked on barbless Owner cutting points, but I'm going to give the Matzuo's a shot, anyway, to see how they work.

I'd say I really pin about 75% of the fish hooked on the Owners, and I doubt you could improve that too much on big nates and barbless hooks.

Fish on...

Todd

ok then... i was going to post a few questions regarding this topic today, so i'll just hijack!! (not really) i'll be fishing the hump next week, single barbless. i'll be fishing bait, using owner or gami octopus hooks. i'll also fish spinners, in sizes 3&4. i recently bought a few spinners from wyldedge (site sponsor) and they came stock with gami octopus hooks attached with a split ring.

question #1: should i switch them out to a sickle siwash? what size do you recommend? i really like the sickles and plan on getting some from rvrfshr, but i'm not sure of sizes. the spinners in question are 3/8 oz with a #3 or 4 blade.


thanks,
willy

If you're using a size 3 spinner, I'd fer sher go with a #1 hook...for the size 4 spinners, you could use the #1 or a 1/0, and for size 5's, the 1/0 or 2/0...kinda depends on what you're fishing for.

For kings, chums and big steelhead in the spring, I'd go with the larger hook preference, and for summer runs, hatchery winter runs, and coho I'd go with the smaller ones.

After a few days of using the Rvrfshr spinners with Matzuo's this summer, I got bulk packs of all three sizes and now they are on all of my spinners and spoons, regardless of brand or size.

Fish on...

Todd

thanks, todd. joe, my order is on the way!!


willy

Joe- Ya the first ten fish in a hole at one of the boat out rivers will hit a bottle cap with a hook or a pixie, but that's about the time that everyone else stops catching fish and for some reason the only guys on the river hooking anything is me and my buddy I've given some "real" spooon to. Im not saying we're better fishermen, Im just saying that fishing the same color rules of spoons and flash amounts is the only way to get the insane numbers we've been getting. I dont know how what Im fishing compairs to the situk, cause I havent fished there.....Yet :p
As for a hardwear smack down in forks, I'd be more than will to go out with you, throw some back.

Have a good day looking at hooks

Justin,
It's just cool you like to fish hardware! No matter what type, brand, or hook!!!
I'm just jealous 'cause your catching fish, and "I AM" looking at hooks at my desk!!!
Hey, I'm heading to Anchorage for a show at the end of this month. Any suggestions for wetting a line close?
Joe

Joe, Take me with and I'll help ya find a place to go

Tom,
I would have to buy a "BIGGER" suitcase.

Besides isn't your arm still sore from your trip???

Joe-Just come to sitka on the way back?