Fishing with Rod Discussion Forum
Fishing in British Columbia => General Discussion => Topic started by: Nicole on October 28, 2004, 10:05:32 AM
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Birdman, you don't need to use Gammies, too expensive!!
Try the 50 pack of Eagle Claw lazer sharps, normally around 12 dollars (could be more, it's been awhile since I've bought any).
(http://www.eagleclaw.com/images/L182B.jpg)
L182B
Size: 2-4 for coho, size 1-2 for steelhead and springs
Lazer Sharp®
Bronze
Barbless
Salmon/Steelhead
Extra Strong
Forged
Offset
Up Eye
Not sure if that's the exactl model number, but it's what most shops sell for salmon/steelhead.
Good luck! It's great to see you getting started on your own so young.
Cheers,
Nicole
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Gamakatsu are the best and worth the money. The hooks are the least bendable and sharpest. You want to catch more fish, use Gamakatsu. I trust them like I trust Maxima.
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But when you're 13, and losing a TON of gear because you are learning, why bother spending all that money?
I had 40 coho days when I was a teen, and I did not use Gammies (well they didn't exist back then either ;) )
I agree they are of superior quality, but not really necessary.
Cheers,
Nicole
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Well Nicole back in the "old days" you could sharpen a bone and catch a fish - not as many now so as best gear as you can afford it is worth it...I did not realize the thread was from a 13 yr old though. Best invest in a hook sharpening stone or file and LEARN how to use it properly then....btw, aren't those eagle claw hooks chemically sharpened thus making conventional sharpening with a stone/file very difficult?
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Yep, once they lose their edge, you have to dispose of them (preferably in the garbage at home and not in the river).
In most cases, you break off before the hook is too dull to continue fishing it. The biggest issue is snagging up on rocks, they do not fare too well with that, but shortening the float length so the presentation is not dragging bottom will take care of that.
It comes down to confidence I guess...
Cheers,
Nicole
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How much are Gammies? How many in a pack? Bear with me, I'm a flyfisher ;)
I never knew the eagle claw hooks have gone down in quality... The fact that they do become dull after a snag up on rocks is known though.
Cheers,
Nicole
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Bear with me, I'm a flyfisher ;)
Nicole, your avatar does not look like a fisher :)
(http://www.defenders.org/wildlife/new/meso/fisher.jpg)
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How much are gammies...let me put it this way...my wife bought me some for my stocking last christmas. She was shocked at the price. I believe in them and have used noithing else for 5-6 years. I hear that the "viking" (I hope I got that right) is also a good hook and cheeper. Anybody have experience with them?
Also, my hook file has paid for itself in spades. Push some surgical tubing over the pointy end and attach it to a lanyard on your vest. You'll use it every time you strike a rock. There's not hook like a sharp hook!
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I'm with you, Nicole. Gammies are a waste of money, as testified to by the fellow fisher beside me the other day. His gammies kept bending or breaking every time he hooked into a chum or a snag, while I kept fishing and catching fish with the same eagle claw. I have straightened out and sharpened eagle claws, and no problem. ;D
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$15 divided by 25 is 60 cents per for Gammies. That's a lot of money for a 13 year old to be spending on hooks. Gammies are not as good as they used to be as the hooks are now made with softer steel. Use the black finish Eagle Claws. You can buy 50 hooks (size 1 or 2) for $9, which works out to 18 cents per. They are plenty sharp for coho and steelhead.
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When it comes to smaller hooks size 2 and smaller I definitly an eagle claw guy. I used to use the gammies but I just bent far too many of them. I dunno about larger sizes but for small hooks, eagle claws just seem to bend less.
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For salt-water (2/0-5/0), Gammies can't be beat. I've never had a problem with them breaking or bending, I used to use eagle claws, but would get Gammies whenever I had enough cash. You can see and feel it in the hooks that they are better quality, and bloody sharp !!! I've impaled myself too many times, and don't even feel it sometimes (not due to dull nerves...), I'm not sure if that's a good thing though.
As for fresh water, I'm a spoon/spinner/fly guy, I don't like drift fishing as much, but have never had problems with Gammies breaking. Eagle claws are good hooks, but not as good as Gammies.
All in all, Gammies tend to maintain their sharpness more than any hooks I've ever used. I recently found a few pre-tied leaders I'd done up a few years ago, and they were still as sharp as the day I tied them 3 years before. I've been meaning to have a look at their circle hooks, apparently they make them now, anyone else seen them for sale ? Eagle claws have rusted on my over time (natural barb...hehe) and I've stopped buying them (dad still buys them because he doesn't believe me). The population of ECs in my box is starting to dwindle and I'm not going back.
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I've used mustad, I've used eagle claw, and gammies. I think gammies are overpriced. I have a diamond stone for sharpening, and it does the trick no matter which hook I use. I've only used "octopus" gammies, so I'm not sure about any other style they have, but have noticed the octopus have shorter points and larger gapes compared to their competitive counterparts of the same size. An eagle claw 3/0 has relatively the same gap as a 1/0 octupus. I find the longer point keeps the fish from spitting the hook better. But I must agree the octopus initially gets the fish hooked better, especially when you're not paying attention. Right now I'm a mustad guy.
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I have to agree with most of the people that gammies are by far the best. I've been using EC 4 ever they stay sharp for a long time but are hard to sharpen. Right now i am using vision hooks they are super sharp but dont start very sharp if u hooks snags they seem fairly easy to sharpen to. I got 2000 vision hook size 1 and 2 for around 140 bucks guess ill be using vision hooks for a while! :)
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For sockeye fishing in the Fraser, nothing could beat the sharpeness and sticky points of of Octopus Gammies. I think the wide gap and offset is the best design for this kind of fishing. I get quite a number of this hooks from some of the fish that I land. Sometimes fish are impaled on the body with this kind of hooks. The ones I collect, I use for next sockeye season. Octopus Gammies is the best flossing hooks I ever came to use. I do not use this for coho simply because of it potential to body snag the other salmon (chum and white chinook). When this happens --you loose expensive hooks. It is unethical to body snag a fish.
For river coho, I like to use Eagle Claw circle hooks. It does not catch and snag into the rock as much. It very seldom accidentally snag a fish. The hook point is quite well protected since it is bent inward. I do not have to worry about the point getting dull.
For salt water, I use Mustad for the strength. It is the strongest hook that I know. It will not straighten out even by the strongest running fish. Sometimes I have to sharpen them even when they are brand new, right out of the package.
For tying flies, I use Tiemco and Daiichi. They have the sharpest and most durable points.
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Personally, I prefer Gammies. I think that they are the sharpest hooks and seem to hold their points the longest. Read all the comments and the bottom line is still, buy the best you can afford. Recently, I purchased 25 packs of size 2 hooks for $8.99. That was a good price. Normally, I'm paying in the 12-13 range. Vision hooks are reasonably priced alternatives. They do seem to be one size smaller than conventional hooks (ie: #4 Vision = #6 every other type of hook in size). Birdman: you don't need to buy the most expensive to enjoy fishing. What's the point of going fishing if you're going to worry about how much each hook is going to cost you? That kills the enjoyment. Better to buy affordable hooks that won't break the bank and won't have you worrying about losing the odd one just because it's expensive. Listen kid: I've been driving a car for over 20 years and even though I don't own a Porsche...I still enjoy driving even if I'm driving a Chevy, a Ford, a Toyota or a Mazda. Get the point? (pardon the pun).
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For my hook of choices, i pick Owner- Cutting point for saltwater fishing (cut plugging), they are far better then Gammies. As for Fresh water drift fishing, Daiichi is the only hooks i use, make from high carbon steel, never had a single one bend. Fly fishing, i use Temico or Terry Comb depends on the patten.. Like i always said, if you willing to pay $400 for the rod, $400 for the reel and a pair of $600 wader, might as well spend the extra bucks to buy better hooks. Goodluck fishing
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Hey Marco, what are "Owner-Cutting points" ?
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Owner cutting points are the sharpest hooks on the market. Better than Gammies in term of sharpness, but they are prohibitively expensive....$35 to $40 for roughly 50 hooks. I use them for steelhead, but never in snaggy areas!
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Hey buddy, do your math...LOL $40 for 50 hooks its only $0.80/ hook. ;D ;D
i think babcock got them .
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You can get them at Berry's Bait and probably at Babcock's. Call around to find them. They also come in a small pack of 8 but it works out to 90 cents a hook.
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For tying flies, I use Tiemco and Daiichi. They have the sharpest and most durable points.
Agreed on the Tiemco. Haven't tried Daiichi yet.
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;) Chalk up another one for short floating... A pack of gammies last a long time. A float even longer cuze when it finally does get lost, it feels like you are losing a good friend.
Ah well, at least I know there is a good 90% chance CG will grab it someplace downstream and give it a home. ;D ;D
I used to use Eagle claws though. The black ones were brutal (cooked spagetti in stiff wind!! LOL!!) cuze their points would bend very easily.
I actually liked the bronze ones (#4 for coho, #1 steelhead/springs). They were stronger and made a bit differently too.
On hook size, I found I generally went up a size from eagle claw unless the water is very clean.
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Hook choices are determined by its cost for me. Fished Eagles for ages with satisfied results due to the low cost factor. Generally eagle hooks costs around 8 cents each. The cost did however increased to 11 cents/hook a couple of years back due to the high exchange rates. Gammies generally costs 6x more and therefor was not my choice. Lately we were able to secure gammies @ 25 cents/hook which made it more attractive. :o
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$40 for 50 gammies? That's a rip-off. I am still using this pack of 100 #2 gammies that I bought for $26 last year. :)
I use my gammies for coho, steelhead. I have black #2 EC as backups or when I am fishing for chum.
Lately I have been finding gammies on the river bank. :o People must be getting richer these days...
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Leave the gammies on the bank for me Rod. BTW the Vision hooks are supposedly made in the same factory as Gammies. They are a few dollars cheaper too.
Gammies = sharp and hard
Eagle Paw = bent points ( i only use them for high loss areas)
Doesn't make a difference to me since I have been very Coho poor as of late.
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I started with gammies way back, until those mighty chums of the Squamish straightened out most of my # 2 gammies. Then I realized I was making too much contribution to the fishing tackle economy. Nowadays my choice of hooks are based on the species of fish, the preciousness of each hook-up, in the order of:
steelhead - gammies (particularly for my home-made blades)
coho - visions and tiemco (they are very sharp too)
Fraser spring - visions (they have strong & sturdy shanks)
sockeye - eagle claws and what have you, even recycled hooks
trout - mustad fly hooks
I have used Owners but found it too pricy to be worth the benefits.