Sickle hooks

[fish_4_all]

Has anyone tried them for steelhead? I see a lot of them around now and they are supposed to be strong hooks. I have a bunch of jig heads with sickle hooks for crappie and other fish but I am not sure I would use them for steelhead, yet.

Anyone have any luck using them for steelhead?

 

[Jig'n]

There is a cheap flimsy Sickle hook and then there is the XXX strong Sickle hook. Most retailers sell the cheap version so watch out.

 

[meluvtrout]

All my bullet bodies have sickle hooks. I'm madly in love with them... and R&B Lures also has the sickle hooks(that's where I get them) Cheap-o sickles are matzuo ones. You can get them dirt cheap on ebay...

 

[youngbuck307]

Ummm just met a guy today (BobberDown) that uses them for steelhead, and he has them on his web site I think... Dont know if they are the XXX kind (i would hope so) but he was using them so they must work i know he catches quite a few fish and says he catches all kinds of fish on them evan salmon...

 

[fish_4_all]

That helps a little. A friend of mine is getting some barbarian hooks in size 4 so I think those should be pretty strong. Will have to see if they are steelhead worthy when he gets them.

I have heard that they catch salmon and steelhead on the flimsy ones so I don't know. Not sure I would use anything under a size 1 or 1/0 in them though.

 

[BobberDown]

I have the sickle octopus hooks in size 4, 2, 1, 1/0, 3/0/, 5/0. these hooks are wearthy of steelhead i am useing the 4, and 2, for most of my drift fishing. and with eggs or bait i am using the 1, they hold up to steelhead like A champ.and for coho i use 1, and 1,0 for nooks i use 1 , 1/0 for drift fishing. and 3/0 and 5/0 for bobber and eggs and backbounceing. i also use the
sie wash sickle for spiners spoons kwik fish hot shots. As far as the jig hooks go i will have the xxx strog sickle jighook in about 1 month. they are on back order it will be the same hook as the river fisher jig hooks and the sickle octopus hooks I have are the same sickle hooks river fisher sell's. I just have them for a little better price. this year i want to get a groop of guys to geather for coho season to test out some jigs and drifters i tie and they will all be tie on the sickle hooks so when the coho get in the rivers this fall will put this babys to the full test. but so far for me they have bean grate they are my favrite hook out right now i hope this helps thanks Dan

 

[fish_4_all]

Well, that really doesn't answer my question but I guess it helps. I have regular sickle jig hooks, light wire, that I want to tie steelhead jigs with. If they are not heavy enough then I won't use them for steelhead and salmon. I will wait for the barbarian VMC jig hooks which should be plenty strong enough for anything. But until I see the difference myself I am only getting stuff ready to TRY sickle hooks. They would have to have a pretty high land rate for me to switch considering I have about a 90% land to hook up rate now using regular old Eagle Claw Octopus/Beak hooks and EC 630 jig hooks.

I have heard that the light sickle jig hooks in size 1 and 2 are being used for steelhead with some success. Anyone have any success with the light wire jig hooks and not ones designed for steelhead and salmon?

 

[ArcticAmoeba]

I hooked a bunch of fish in Eagle Creek well over 10 real pounds, and 37-38 inches. But they ate bait, and yarnies on #6 mosquito hooks, and a few more came while drifting trout nymphs. If your drag is set properly, and you know how to handle a fish while on the line, you should not have issues with bending hooks before breaking your leader/main. The sickle hooks that BobberDown was rockin today are sumpremely sticky. The only thing I worry about now when choosing hooks, is how well they initially penetrate, how big the hole is right off the bat, and how big does it become after a good fight. My biggest three Coho this year came on #3 Vision fine wire hooks.

 

[Jig'n]

Well, that really doesn't answer my question but I guess it helps. I have regular sickle jig hooks, light wire, that I want to tie steelhead jigs with. If they are not heavy enough then I won't use them for steelhead and salmon. I will wait for the barbarian VMC jig hooks which should be plenty strong enough for anything. But until I see the difference myself I am only getting stuff ready to TRY sickle hooks. They would have to have a pretty high land rate for me to switch considering I have about a 90% land to hook up rate now using regular old Eagle Claw Octopus/Beak hooks and EC 630 jig hooks.

I have heard that the light sickle jig hooks in size 1 and 2 are being used for steelhead with some success. Anyone have any success with the light wire jig hooks and not ones designed for steelhead and salmon?

You should have no problems with the VMC Barbarian, they are a very sharp and strong jig hook. The only issue I have with them is that their hook shanks are a bit long for me.

 

[fish_4_all]

I know someone who is getting some #4 Barbarians, hopefully soon, so I hope they will work fine. I agree that the large ones are just too long but the smaller ones should be the trick. That and the jig head will shorten them up even more. I just want a jig hook that I can tie up for everything in my shrimp pattern and not worry about the hook straightening out.

I am actually surprised that the hook sizes I see are so big down there. Up here for summers we stick with #2, 4 and 6 for both jigs and bait. Springers I don't know because I don't fish for them but for summer steelhead, smaller is better.

 

[BobberDown]

well i am sorry i miss understood ok so the lite wire sickle jig hooks the 1/0 takes about 10 pounds to straghten the 1 will take about 9 the # 2 about 8 but the #4 about 6 so that being said you can use them if you know how to fight a fish rite and not to have to put a lot of preshure on them . so they will work as long as you are not in heavey runing water or a hole with a lot of cover but some times the tensile strenth in those lite sickles is cute in half if the bend is not dun rite so you dont always know what you are going to get. with them now the 3x strong sickles have bigger wire so evan if the bend is a little offit will not be enuff to cost you a big loss n tensile strenth and sence thee hooks come from over seas they some times get bad runs or so i was told a rep so i would not put them out in frot of a 10 to 15 pound fish my self but the 3x strong hooks are a difrent story the 3x comes in down to a # 4 I hope this helps
Thanks Dan

 

[fish_4_all]

Wasn't tryin to be offensive/defensive, just making sure I don't make a mistake and use them for steelhead when I shouldn't. And from the sounds of things, I shouldn't. Even only using 8# test it sounds like the hooks will straighten before the line breaks so not worth the risk.

I have heard the stories about bad runs of those hooks. I am gonna be pushing VMC to start carrying the full line of Barbarian hooks so we can have a quality hook in the sizes we need and not have to worry about having a hook break because of shotty manufacturing.

I appreciate the information, it is exactly what I needed to know to make an educated choice. Again, didn't mean to come across in a bad way Bobberdown, just trying to get the answers I need.

 

[BobberDown]

no worrys i did not think you did i missunder stood the qweshtoin so it was my fallt my anwse did not awnser your qweshoin but if you are looking for small hooks that are good look at the matzuo sanderad 90 degrae bend aberdean hooks they have a 3x strong hook that will not straiten is very sharp it is what i am doing all the micro and small jigs on mywebsite with they come in size #6 #4 #2 #1 1/0 2/0 3/0 4/0 5/0 grate hooks in any sizeyou want and they are priced rite to mite be a good hook to look at or mustad makes a salmon steelhead gjig hook that is 3x strong and comes in down to a sive #8 i have sean the size 8 and they would most definetly stand up to steelhead i have a thousand #2 in that hooks they are a good hook sharp strong another good opshoin. i think you cn get the 3X strong sickle in down to a # 2 or # 4 from First bite jigs but they are a little pricey. well i ope this helps these are the hooks i am useing in all my 1/32 or smaller jigs they do work well tanks Dan