![]() These hooks are much, much stronger than the VMC 9626 hooks. While I had been dabbling in the use of several different hooks at the time, this lost fish pushed me to finally convert to Mustad 9430s almost overnight. The result was a modestly long fight that ended in a bent tine and lost fish. I knew I was in trouble, so I tightened up my drag to try and prevent the fish from running and breaking me off. I hooked up on this very large fish in moderate current and heavy structure. Four years ago I lost a fish that I felt was entirely due to the weakness in my hook strength I was using a Red Fin with a 3/. The Mustad 9430 hooks are the hooks I use most in the surf, and they are on approximately 75% of my lures I call them my “bread and butter” hooks. The Heavy Hitter: Mustad 9430 DS 5x DuraSteel ![]() ![]() The hooks used and described by the author in the article (from left to right) include VMC 9626, Mustad 9430, Owner ST-66 and VMC 8527. the Canal or major inlets) I would suggest giving the Mustad 9430s a try. Again, they are far stronger than most stock hooks, but if you’re a trophy hunter or fish heavy current frequently (e.g. Specifically in the 1/0 and 2/0 sizes that I use the most, I find I bend hooks more often than acceptable, especially when using a heavy 11-foot rod and 50-pound braid with a tight drag. Their primary weakness, particularly compared to Mustad 9430s, is that they bend under moderate to heavy loads. So if you are using extremely small lures in back-bay applications, I would give the nod to size 1/0-2 VMC hooks versus Mustad 9430 1/0-2. I also find that the VMCs balance better than the Mustads on small plugs that require hooks of size 1/0 or smaller. While you still need to rinse them, you can likely get through a whole season without replacing them if you only fish a couple of days a week. They also resist rust relatively well, and although I’ve heard alternate opinions on this, it has been my experience that they resist rusting at least as well if not better than their primary competitor the Mustad 9430s. Particularly once you get up and above size 4/0, these hooks become more than strong enough for the vast majority of striped bass applications. The 9626 VMCs are relatively strong, and they are a fine upgrade to the stock hooks on many saltwater lures. These hooks are also the first upgrade many anglers make to lures like the Daiwa SP Minnow or Cotton Cordell Red Fin to make them “surf ready.” These 4x hooks are used as OEM hardware on several brands of commercial plugs-Super Strike and Gibbs for instance-and they are also used by many custom wood plug builders. I think it’s probably best to use the VMC 9626 hook as the standard comparison for all other hooks in this article. The Standard: VMC 9626 4x Permasteel Short-Shank Therefore, I encourage you to think about your typical use and your goals, and decide what will be best for your specific application. It’s important to point out that the factors that I may be critical of for each hook may not be a big issue for you, or it might even be a strength for your application. Each of these hooks have strengths and weaknesses which dictates when and how I use them. You wouldn’t take an all-season car tire onto a race track, why would you use a stock hook to battle in the Cape Cod Canal?įor this reason, I take hooks seriously and currently rely on four different trebles on my surf plugs. ![]() ![]() Even if you maintain your hooks and don’t “cheap out” there are some scenarios where extreme levels of strength are required, most of which typical hooks are simply not designed for. You can have the nicest rod and reel, the best fishing spots, and be a seasoned and serious angler, yet lose fish because your hooks aren’t sharp or strong enough. This is a perfect metaphor for treble hooks. It doesn’t matter how much horsepower your car has, how good your brakes are, or how responsive your steering is if your tires are not grippy and well maintained-you’ll still just end up either peeling out or skidding into a ditch during extreme maneuvers. They often get ignored and there are plenty of cheap, junk options out there. I suspect many lost fish can be attributed to sloppy terminal gear choices and up-keep chief amongst them those related to the treble hook. However, there are few things more critical in fishing than the hook, and their importance is often dismissed. I hear stories all the time of lost fish, and rarely does anyone mention the hook as being the culprit. Often overlooked, proper hook selection goes a long way in deciding one’s success or failure in the surf.įew things are more frustrating than losing a fish in the midst of a long fight. ![]()
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