I've been looking at some hook sharpening kits. My question is how many are sharpening or are you just replacing them?
In reply to Post #1
I use the Jag file and ngt hook vice, slot cheaper than the Jag alternative. I sharpen nearly all my hooks, only smaller hooks I don't bother with
I use the Jag file and ngt hook vice, slot cheaper than the Jag alternative. I sharpen nearly all my hooks, only smaller hooks I don't bother with
Personally I refuse on principle to purchase products to sharpen supposed pin sharp already purchased products as if u want a cheaper alternative I'll sell my blunt packets of hooks to you half price if your going to sharpen them anyway, win win eh! Any takers 
Actually thinking on my baiting needle has lost its point maybe I'll get the jag setup just for re touching it from time to time 
In reply to Post #1
Most hooks are pretty sharp out of the pack. It takes skill to get them shaper than how you buy them, and can take alot of patience and care. I've had sharpening tools for 7 years or so and only in the last couple of years I've managed to get them a fair bit sharper than out the pack. The Korda shapened hooks are very good and I carry them with me as spares. If I could not shapen hooks myself I would buy them.
Most hooks are pretty sharp out of the pack. It takes skill to get them shaper than how you buy them, and can take alot of patience and care. I've had sharpening tools for 7 years or so and only in the last couple of years I've managed to get them a fair bit sharper than out the pack. The Korda shapened hooks are very good and I carry them with me as spares. If I could not shapen hooks myself I would buy them.
In reply to Post #5
JPrecision hooks come pre-hand sharpened and are very good
Gone back to out of the packet 'standard' hooks this year due to a large number of crayfish, it doesn't take much to knock a point over on a heavily sharpened hook
JPrecision hooks come pre-hand sharpened and are very good
Gone back to out of the packet 'standard' hooks this year due to a large number of crayfish, it doesn't take much to knock a point over on a heavily sharpened hook
I personally always give mine a little touch up from the packet, Adam penning said in a recent video every hook out the pack is blunt to him. I prefer my hooks sticky sharp if that makes sense. I use the jag hook sharpening kit the vice is brilliant I had the ngt one beforehand and the jag one is just miles ahead of it.
What I will say though is that a few companies now actually already do sharpened hooks already, j precision is my favourite by far I love his hooks, Korda do kamakura which are also good but known to be a one fish hook but that doesn't bother me at all, even Gardner do a hand sharpened range aswell now
What I will say though is that a few companies now actually already do sharpened hooks already, j precision is my favourite by far I love his hooks, Korda do kamakura which are also good but known to be a one fish hook but that doesn't bother me at all, even Gardner do a hand sharpened range aswell now
In reply to Post #7
Used to sharpen but never again - decent brand hooks come out the packet good enough nowadays. Sharpening hooks can be the kiss of death in a water that holds a lot of silver fish, crays and gravelly stony bottoms the point turns over to quickly.
Used to sharpen but never again - decent brand hooks come out the packet good enough nowadays. Sharpening hooks can be the kiss of death in a water that holds a lot of silver fish, crays and gravelly stony bottoms the point turns over to quickly.
In reply to Post #8
Agree, unless you're fishing soft, silty bottoms with no nuisance fish,(what are the odds) and even then a dropped take could blunt it.
Also remember each time you sharpen the hook you are turning it into a smaller longshank.
Agree, unless you're fishing soft, silty bottoms with no nuisance fish,(what are the odds) and even then a dropped take could blunt it.
Also remember each time you sharpen the hook you are turning it into a smaller longshank.
In reply to Post #9
I just use them out of the pack they are plenty sharp, check them after a catch if they are crocked if they are dull have that gardner fine stone try it once or twice if it fixes i reuse them, usually i just throw them out and use a new one. I dont know how i feel about sharpening them out of the pack, if i ***** myself and bleed with new hooks just by touching them out of the pack im sure they are plenty sharp for a carp.
I just use them out of the pack they are plenty sharp, check them after a catch if they are crocked if they are dull have that gardner fine stone try it once or twice if it fixes i reuse them, usually i just throw them out and use a new one. I dont know how i feel about sharpening them out of the pack, if i ***** myself and bleed with new hooks just by touching them out of the pack im sure they are plenty sharp for a carp.
In reply to Post #1
Swiss pillar file cut 4. Have a look on ebay, I found it'd better than the jag stuff. A must have for me for resharpening. Also I use j precision hooks have done for 4 years, won't use anything else. They stay sharp even though ridiculously sharp longer than shop bought at the same price. Also to note, he uses the above file and sells 10000s of hooks a year.
Swiss pillar file cut 4. Have a look on ebay, I found it'd better than the jag stuff. A must have for me for resharpening. Also I use j precision hooks have done for 4 years, won't use anything else. They stay sharp even though ridiculously sharp longer than shop bought at the same price. Also to note, he uses the above file and sells 10000s of hooks a year.
In reply to Post #1
I've been sharpening hooks for years, I'd say probably 70% of the time they're sharp enough out of the packet, a lot of times they're not. Especially if they're just in a plastic sleeve as opposed to one of these boxes that mount each hook individually. If they're all kicking around in a packet with the points exposed, it's going to burr some of them some of the time. I guess it depends on the manufacturer, the shop you buy them from and the amount of rattling about they've had, but I'd say that's a fair estimate. At least in my experience.
But anyway, even with a packet sharp hook, after some time in the water, they're going to dull, and it's at those times the sharpening is worth it. I only sharpen them a few times, after a while you've taken too much metal away and the hook isn't the same shape anymore and at that point I bin them, but I definitely get a lot more life out of hooks this way than not sharpening them at all.
I've got the full jag kit, with the file, vice, stones, eye glass etc but to be honest most of the time I can just hold the hook in my fingers and give it 2 or 3 brushes with the file and it's sticky sharp again. If after this it's still not there, I'll use the eye glass to see which side needs an extra file, and in very rare situations I'll put it in the vice. Can't even remember the last time I used the stones.
It takes practice, they key is to sharpen it with as little file work as possible, but for the price of a file and a bit of time invested on some old hooks, it's definitely worth it I'd say.
I've been sharpening hooks for years, I'd say probably 70% of the time they're sharp enough out of the packet, a lot of times they're not. Especially if they're just in a plastic sleeve as opposed to one of these boxes that mount each hook individually. If they're all kicking around in a packet with the points exposed, it's going to burr some of them some of the time. I guess it depends on the manufacturer, the shop you buy them from and the amount of rattling about they've had, but I'd say that's a fair estimate. At least in my experience.
But anyway, even with a packet sharp hook, after some time in the water, they're going to dull, and it's at those times the sharpening is worth it. I only sharpen them a few times, after a while you've taken too much metal away and the hook isn't the same shape anymore and at that point I bin them, but I definitely get a lot more life out of hooks this way than not sharpening them at all.
I've got the full jag kit, with the file, vice, stones, eye glass etc but to be honest most of the time I can just hold the hook in my fingers and give it 2 or 3 brushes with the file and it's sticky sharp again. If after this it's still not there, I'll use the eye glass to see which side needs an extra file, and in very rare situations I'll put it in the vice. Can't even remember the last time I used the stones.
It takes practice, they key is to sharpen it with as little file work as possible, but for the price of a file and a bit of time invested on some old hooks, it's definitely worth it I'd say.
Mate of mine was given some ultra sharp hooks to use ( not J H ) hooked and landed two fish and on unhooking them both the tips had broken off .
In reply to Post #13
That happens with the JH ones too.
That happens with the JH ones too.
In reply to Post #14
I've used loads of the JH hooks and never seen that.
I've used loads of the JH hooks and never seen that.