Mustad: barb size was rediculously inconsistant, some just right, some 3-5x larger, some almost not there.
Danielson: 1:10 hook had screwed up eyes, barbs were pretty good but shape was off in 1:20
Eagle Claw: barb shape inconsistant, 3 semi-open eyes in 50, finish on 5:50 was rough.

What is happening to QC in hooks? Not to mention all 3 were octopus hooks in the same size and they were all different sizes with Danielson being the largest gap and EC being the smallest. I realize that these numbers are not that high for errors but still a lot higher than I ever remember seeing. Even with VMC, I only found 4 problem hooks out of 1,000 but that was 8 years ago. I imagine the same error rate is probably in VMC as any other anymore.

I use a Dremel to grind the barbs now but with some of them the hook was so thin at the barb throat the hook broke, 3 Dan, 2 Mustad and 2 EC. Not to mention that huge barbs take forever to grind and with some of the hard as*** fish cops out there would never pass their sweater snag test. (I know, not the law but tell them that).

It is just so damn annoying to see prices go up and up and Quality go down more and more. Still better than seeing entire batches of hooks being bad but won't be long until we see that in all our hooks, not just Matzuo.

Ever heard of Gamagatsu?

When it comes to catching I am willing to spend a little more

All three hooks you listed are on the cheap side... You pay for what you get.

Slab said:

"Ever heard of Gamagatsu?

When it comes to catching I am willing to spend a little more "


I agree!

Gamagatsu is what I use.

Quality matters.

No, I have heard of Gamakatsu though!

Yep.
There are good premium hooks like Gami and Owner.
Even Mustad has their premium UltraPoint but I haven't tried them.
Used a bunch of 92553's back in the day, though...they worked.....just not sticky sharp out of the box.

Used to get like 50 - 100 hooks in a box.....now it's like 8 ct., 12 ct., 25 ct.
I spend too much on hooks

Owner...no issues...period.

Cutting Point: $$$ if moneys no issue, the ultimate. Heavy shank, sharp point. I use em when I'm trying to catch a fish of a lifetime (jumbo nooks, wild steelhead)
Needlepoint: $$ same price as Gami's, Good quality, sharp, a great all around option.
Mosquito: $$ a super sharp, super lightweight hook. Great for side-drifting hatchery fish...kind of under the radar and hard to find...but awesome!

Hooks are one of the only pieces of tackle I always want to be good quality.

owners are a little heavy for driftfishing but are all I use on jigs and bait under a float. For sidedrifting and driftfishing I only use Gami's

0

Have you actually took a Owner 1/0 and weighed it against a Gamakatsu 1/0?

Is there really a noticeable difference?

I've fished all said hooks above in the original post... They all work, but I'd rather fish an Owner Cutting Point.....

Keith

I havent but they feel heavier and seem to get hung up a little more often, Too bad V Hawk wasnt still around, he could probably give us the exact weights on all hooks.

GAMI ..........I have fished with a lot of hooks, including Owner........everytime I have problems.........go back to Gami, problem fixed, I think I'm convinced now.

Maybe it's because I began fishing before the botique lazer sharpened hooks came on the market. I learned early on to expect to sharpen every hook as I took it out of the box and before tying a leader or fly on it, so I still have a collection of files I take to my hooks before using them. I count on other fishermen being discriminating in regards to the hooks they use because I get mine for free by picking up snagged gear I find while wade fishing. I bring 'em home, cut the leaders and stuff off them, clean them up, check for rust, and if they're OK, I take my file to them and get 'em ready to re-use. Only problem is that I don't always have exactly the size selection I'd prefer, but scavengers can't be too choosy.

Sg

There is no perfect hook, every hook has problems... I've straightened Gami's on a handful of occassions. I've had a few Owners break over the years...

Keith

I use Gamis and VMC's matter of fact I just received a pile of VMC hooks, Rapala has bought VMC so if those are what you want check the rapala web site.
Rivers here are froze so I am stuck her bloging.......waaaaaaa

It just cracks me up that guys will drive a $40,000 dollar rig to the river and then bitch about the cost of good hooks.

Seriously, take a look at Vision hooks for a lighter option. I've never had a problem with them.

For salmon, it's Owner needle points all the way!

Octopus hooks, Gami or Owner like said above. You get what you pay for.

Fixed.

It's like it's an inconvenience.....in a perfect world this would be a no-cost item