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Old 02-17-12, 07:39 AM   #1
BigBassin144
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Default Resharpening Chemically Sharpened Hooks?

There's been a lot of talk lately about sharpening hooks and it's gotten me thinking about something I've heard quite a few times: that you shouldn't resharpen chemically sharpened hooks.

Supposedly, trying to sharpen chemically sharpened hooks will actually make them duller.

What's your take about this? Most of the hooks we use in bass fishing are chemically sharpened, so should you sharpen them or just pitch them?

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Old 02-17-12, 07:44 AM   #2
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If they are a little dull I don't see why you can't touch them up. I have never heard this shouldn't resharpen one before but I can hear a manufacture tell people that so they can sell more.
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Old 02-17-12, 07:44 AM   #3
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I recently talked to a small hook company and this is not true
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Old 02-17-12, 08:21 AM   #4
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Well IMO you can sharpen anything made of steel just like "You can milk anything with nipples"
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Old 02-17-12, 09:01 AM   #5
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Of course you can sharpen them, you can sharpen anything made of metal as long as you use a good hone. The problem is that you will never get them as sharp as they were and they won't hold the edge as long as they did. I buy very sharp hooks for plastics and I don't re sharpen them because I would rather use a new hook that will be sharper than I could do. For that same reason i replace treble hooks instead of trying to sharpen them. The hooks that I do sharpen are fixed in place hook baits such as spinner baits, buzz baits and any jigs that cost more than a buck. On those baits i prefer to have standard hooks so that the shape is already the same as a honed point and easy to touch up.
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Old 02-17-12, 10:40 AM   #6
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Guess im an oddball,carry or use no hone,replace trebles with a pair of split ring pliers and put new ones on them,as for rubber type hooks they are cheap enough,why bother buy a whole new pack yearly.Every now than its a two pack year.If you havnt lost them just dull dispose of in a sharps contaner,old coffee can with label will do.My wife is a diabetic so have one handy.
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Old 02-17-12, 10:59 AM   #7
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I sure wouldn't sharpen them fresh out of the bag, but after I've caught a few fish / snag a few snags, and the hook gets dull, I don't think sharpening an already dull hook will have any ill effects.
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Old 02-17-12, 11:02 AM   #8
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Quote:
"You can milk anything with nipples"
NO, you can't. Stay away from me.

As said they can be sharpened, but you cannot get the same point or edge with a stone that a chemical process will put on a hook. I rarely take the time to sharpen a hook. Trebles never, as I find it way too much trouble and changing a new hook(s) isn't that expensive and you know you have a good hook. Pretty much the same with my single hooks with plastics - I'd rather tie on a new hook, call me lazy. Spinnerbaits & chatterbaits are another story - I definitely sharpen them in an attempt to extend the life of the lure. I think the hook manufacturers say not to sharpen their chemically treated hooks to keep anglers from "touching up" a hook out of habit and possibly making it duller in the process, by doing it before the hook really needs it.
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Old 02-17-12, 11:16 AM   #9
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Personally, I think chemically sharpened hooks are a ridiculous concept.

It's like putting a 200 mph speedo in a Yugo.

Total overkill.

We're trying to pierce a bass' lip, not penetrate the mitochondrial membranes in his lip cells.

But to each his own. If it gives you more confidence, go for it.
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Old 02-17-12, 01:30 PM   #10
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I use the lighter gauge wire Gamy EWG'S. The tips of the hook points get bent down a lot sooner than the hook actually getting dull. I pitch 'em cause there is no point in taking the time to straighten and sharpen them.
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Old 02-17-12, 04:23 PM   #11
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Quote:
Originally Posted by nofearengineer View Post
Personally, I think chemically sharpened hooks are a ridiculous concept.

It's like putting a 200 mph speedo in a Yugo.

Total overkill.

We're trying to pierce a bass' lip, not penetrate the mitochondrial membranes in his lip cells.

But to each his own. If it gives you more confidence, go for it.
but it's still an interesting process for those who understand how the hooks are actually sharpened using chemicals
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Old 02-17-12, 04:48 PM   #12
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Quote:
Originally Posted by jig fisherman View Post
but it's still an interesting process for those who understand how the hooks are actually sharpened using chemicals
I agree completely.
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Old 02-17-12, 11:59 PM   #13
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Just my opinion of course....in my own experience....I have found...works for me....I'm convinced.... that if you give me a few seconds with my little flat diamond hone about the size of a waverly wafer I can put a point on any treble or single hook that is noticably sharper than ANY out of the box hook bar none. Why in the world change a good hook that just needs a few strokes? I wouldn't throw away a plum good crankbait that was simply out of tune.
Click image for larger version

Name:	sharp.jpg
Views:	851
Size:	466.5 KB
ID:	7606
Please note for your amazement that I am able to seperate my hands from my body and still maintain an uncanny level of dexterity
**note**angle at point of contact between hook and hone exaggerated for photo clarity----actual angle is about 5 degrees depending on hook size and design
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Last edited by kennethdaysale; 02-18-12 at 08:34 AM.
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Old 02-18-12, 06:19 AM   #14
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I sharpen every hook when it gets dull. No matter what kind. Never had an issue not being able to get a chemically sharpened hook to have very sharp point with a diamond hone.
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Old 02-18-12, 07:46 AM   #15
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If the hook gets dull, or in our case fishing Lake Erie, the hook point gets bent over by being hung up in rocks or zebra mussels, I sharpen the hooks on my tube heads, and DS's. I try to make them last as long as they possibly can, becasue when fishing rocky reefs and zebra mussels, it's not a matter of if you going to lose your lures, it's when. All of my tube heads are poured wiht Mustad Ultra Point hooks, and my DS hooks are VMC, both chemically sharpened. But in both of my cases with tubes and DS's they are open hook techniques where a bone jaring hookset is not required either.

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Old 02-18-12, 07:51 AM   #16
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Quote:
Originally Posted by kennethdaysale View Post
Just my opinion of course....in my own experience....I have found...works for me....I'm convinced.... that if you give me a few seconds with my little flat diamond hone about the size of a waverly wafer I can put a point on any treble or single hook that is noticably sharper than ANY out of the box hook bar none. Why in the world change a good hook that just needs a few strokes? I wouldn't throw away a plum good crankbait that was simply out of tune.
Attachment 7606
Please note for your amazement that I am able to seperate my hands from my body and still maintain amazing dexterity
Me too - I don't see what the issue is with sharpening hooks. I have a diamond hook sharpener and can get hooks sharper than when they come out of the package - chemically sharpened, or not.
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Old 02-18-12, 08:31 AM   #17
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I sharpen all my hooks, not right out of the pack though.

Trebles on baits are an exception. Some just flat out need to be replaced due to poor quality.
Never ceases to amaze me how manufactures spend so much money on the perfect paint job or the perfect eyes but yet it can't do what it's suppose to do...HOOK fish!
Then again the fish aren't buying lures, the FISHERMAN are!
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Old 02-18-12, 08:38 AM   #18
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Agreed....my wife recently bought a new Infiniti G37S.....if she had found retreads upon pre-delivery inspection it would have put the kyebosch on the deal
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Old 02-18-12, 12:47 PM   #19
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As to Anthony's original question - you can sharpen any hook that has become dull. Regarding chemically sharpened hooks they should not be shapened initially as you cannot obtain a sharper hook via mechanical means, and actually dull it. After they are dulled, touching up with a good stone will certainly bring the hook back to usuabitliy, but you cannot bring it back to original condition with a stone. It that critical? As Bryce said, it might just be overkill, how sharp is sharp enough for fishing purposes?

Wether you choose to sharpen a hook or replace it is a personal choice. Whichever works for you is fine. I replace, sharpening a hook for me is wasted time vs. the amount of money a hook represents. Sharpening a hook may save you money and give you personal satisifaction with your abilities, and that's fine. I'm personally not concerned with that.

To those that believe you can obtain a sharper hook with your diamond stones, you probably do not understand the chemical process. The fact is you cannot mechanically sharpen a hook to a degree equal to or greater than that achieved in the chemical process. It is physically impossible. You can certainly obtain a very high degree of sharpness with a good stone, and very likely close to a chemically processed hook point or knife edge. But equal to or BETTER than, is not possible.

The chemical process (hooks) is similiar to the process used to sharpen surgical instruments. Think about that - if surgical instruments could be made sharper by mechanical means rather than chemicals, why is it not done that way?

But back to Bryce's observation, how sharp is sharp enough? Obviously chemical sharpening is not necessary to have a hook point sharp enough to penetrate a fish's mouth or an angler's finger. But the chemical process has the additional beneifit of depositing an anti-corrosive coating, helping retard that process which will also lead to a dull point over use.

Again, the contention of being able to sharpen a hook with a stone better than a chemically sharpened hook straight from the package is impossible in the physical sense. Perception is another issue, as there may be little difference felt by a human finger or a scratch across a finger nail. But on an absolute scale at a microscopic level, the chemical process delivers a finer edge or point as the case may be. Wether it's necessary in the sense of fishing is certainly debatable, as it again boils down to confidence. What you have confidence in will definitely work best for you.
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Old 02-18-12, 08:36 PM   #20
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interesting reading about everyones thoughts on hook sharpening. as per my experience, i never use a hook, of any brand, out of the box without sharpening it. i know pro reel commented that on t-rig hooks he just got another one out, thinking that he could not get it as sharp again. when i sharpen a hook, i cut it in a diamond pattern, actually creating four cutting edges. there is lots of debate about whether a cutting edge or a needle point will penetrate easier. from my experience, a cutting edge will get the job done better. here again is where each of you can do some experimentation using the lid on a cardboard box to pull your hooks through. take two new hooks, and sharpen one of them, and give them a side by side test. see which penetrates with the least effort. one tip is that you need a very high grade mill file to cut the point to start with, and then polish it with a finer diamond stone or a high grade ceramic will work also.
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Old 02-20-12, 01:25 AM   #21
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Quote:
Originally Posted by merc1997 View Post
interesting reading about everyones thoughts on hook sharpening. as per my experience, i never use a hook, of any brand, out of the box without sharpening it. i know pro reel commented that on t-rig hooks he just got another one out, thinking that he could not get it as sharp again. when i sharpen a hook, i cut it in a diamond pattern, actually creating four cutting edges. there is lots of debate about whether a cutting edge or a needle point will penetrate easier. from my experience, a cutting edge will get the job done better. here again is where each of you can do some experimentation using the lid on a cardboard box to pull your hooks through. take two new hooks, and sharpen one of them, and give them a side by side test. see which penetrates with the least effort. one tip is that you need a very high grade mill file to cut the point to start with, and then polish it with a finer diamond stone or a high grade ceramic will work also.
Bingo! I think you've spelled out where differences lie with respect to what constitutes a "sharp" hook - at least the way I think about it. A hook may have a very smooth and incredibly sharp point, but does not have any other sharp edges to create what I call a "sticky" hook. When I sharpen hooks, I put edges on them as you described. This creates a hook with multiple sharp edges on it rather than just a single, but incredibly fine point.
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