These curved pieces of metal serve as the fundamental tool of anglers the world over, yet fish hooks often suffer from the Rodney Dangerfield syndrome: Despite their importance, they get no respect because flashy new rods and reels grab the spotlight. But talking to hook manufacturers reveals a dynamic market dependent upon constantly evolving technology and closely guarded company secrets.
"Mustad is the only hook producer in the world that has its own wire-drawing mill, allowing for strict quality control from the very onset of the manufacturing process," says Jeff Pierce, sales coordinator for Mustad USA. "We start with steel wire about as big around as your pinky, then use our special machinery and expertise to draw it down to all the different diameters required to make anything from a tuna hook to a size-28 dry-fly hook."
Machines draw the wire to a specific diameter, cut and bend it into shape, then form the hook point. Pierce explains that, except for its stainless-steel models, "Mustad uses basically the same type of high-carbon steel when shaping all the different hooks because from that point on we can customize the products for any particular purpose."
Determining optimum carbon content presents a challenge because, as Pierce explains, "Too much carbon makes the steel brittle, causing it to snap rather than flex; too little carbon results in weak hooks." Most hook manufacturers employ very similar grades of high-carbon steel in their products, tweaking the formula (and guarding the recipe) to achieve specific results and differentiate themselves from competitors. Daiichi's saltwater products manager, TJ Stallings, explains why his company incorporates 80-carbon steel in its hooks: "High-carbon steel allows us to make hooks from smaller-diameter wire without sacrificing strength - and tests show diameter represents the single most important factor in hook penetration."
"I can put several hooks on the table, all made from the same-diameter wire yet presenting distinct characteristics," says Pierce. "One may bend under pressure and open up, another may flex then spring back to its original shape and a third may not bend or give at all. The difference lies in the tempering process."
Tempering involves a series of heating and cooling treatments that affect the metal's performance. Manufacturers maintain proprietary tempering processes as jealously guarded secrets because these procedures ultimately define hook qualities such as strength, flex and brittleness. Pierce identifies tempering as the most critical step in making reliable hooks: "You can have the best machines in the world for forming hooks, but if the product isn't properly tempered it will be useless."
Explaining the need for computers to precisely control the degree and duration of heating and cooling phases, Pierce says, "There's very little leeway in the tempering process. If you're off by a hair, it has a major impact on hook quality. Too much tempering leaves hooks brittle."
Forging hooks represents a traditional and widespread practice throughout the industry, yet manufacturers have never faced charges of counterfeit or fraud. In this case, the forgers are machines that apply pressure evenly to both sides of a hook, causing the wire to flatten slightly. Pierce compares the process to "running a rolling pin over cookie dough," - and the result is a tougher cookie. Forging imparts an additional measure of rigidity, making hooks stronger in a "straight-pull" situation (hence the popularity of forged hooks among big-game fishermen).
Knowing that strong steel becomes useless if it can't penetrate a fish's jaw, manufacturers strive to produce hooks that come out of the box treacherously sharp. Three basic methods exist for creating points: cutting, grinding and forging.
"Cutting the wire at an angle to form a hook point represents standard technology that's been around since the beginning," says Pierce. This process costs less than grinding and results in a stronger point because it removes less metal. On the downside, it's difficult to make cut-point hooks razor sharp when dealing with large-diameter wire.
Grinding away material to form a fine point (often referred to as "needle-point" technology) delivers improved sharpness at the expense of durability. Such hooks offer unsurpassed penetrating ability but may be ruined when collisions with rocks or coral bend the point back on itself.
VMC has developed a method of creating needle-sharp hooks without sacrificing point strength. Sales manager Zack Swanson explains, "Rather than removing material to form a point - like sharpening a pencil - our Needle Cone Point process maintains the steel's integrity by forging wire from many different angles to compress it into a point."
Mustad's new Ultra Point technology puts hooks through a three-step process that provides needle-point sharpness while removing less material than traditional methods.
Chemical sharpening refers to an additional step that can be applied to points formed by any of the above techniques. To phrase it delicately, hooks undergo an acid bath that removes a thin layer of metal to improve sharpness. This chemical treatment also increases a hook's ability to accept and hold metal plating.
When deciding which terminal tackle to use, remember that you can judge a hook by its cover. A hook's metal plating (also called finish or coating) determines its life expectancy in the brine.
The variety of coatings on the market today covers every type of angling situation. Conservation-minded anglers prefer to rig live and dead baits on bronze- or nickel-plated hooks that dissolve rather quickly if left in fish; aficionados of artificials hang lures with hooks protected by long-lasting finishes such as Eagle Claw's Sea Guard or Mustad's Duratin. Eagle Claw's nickel-Teflon finish is designed to help hooks slide into position and facilitate penetration.
"Stainless-steel hooks seem to last forever," says Pierce, "so I don't recommend them for bait fishing. They're perfect for saltwater fly tiers who don't want hooks to rust out from under complicated, time-consuming patterns."
Research continues to provide alternative metals for hook manufacturers. In addition to its complete line of high-carbon steel hooks, VMC offers hooks containing vanadium. Swanson says vanadium's combination of lightness and strength makes it perfect for live-bait and circle hooks.
Offset hooks feature a point that bends slightly to one side rather than lining up with the shank (kirbed points bend to the right and reversed points bend to the left). The angled point increases the likelihood of a solid hookup, especially when using live bait.
Pierce feels saltwater anglers sometimes exaggerate the importance of hook style when the crucial factor actually lies in hook strength. "A standard-wire hook won't do the job if you expect to be wrestling 20-pound black drum away from dock pilings," he says. "You're better off using double- or triple-strength hooks, no matter what the style."
The staggering variety of hook shapes, sizes and finishes can be overwhelming, yet it seems somebody always finds room for improvement. According to Pierce, Mustad produces over 100,000 different hook-size/style combinations, "and anglers still bring us new ideas for specific applications!"
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