Hook Test DFS, Green Wave, Mustard & Gamakatsu

[TREVELLY]

I did a test on 6/0 hooks for all except the Mustard hoodlum were 7/0

Hooks I tested were hooks used for reef fishing.

The test was to compare the capacity of the hooks to resist bending from opening up during a fight - this is the most common type of failure I have had with fishing. Crushing the hooks would be similar in bending failure.

The hooks were loaded as if they were in a hard mouthed fish - the test method is shown below where I have used hardwood timber and loaded the hook with a bucket of water and measured the load using digital scales.


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[TREVELLY]

First up I tested DFS and Green Wave.

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The hooks started to deform at just over 3kg

You can see in the photographs below the varying degree of deformation and the respective loads.

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The hooks opened completely enough for the bucket to fall at less than 7kg.

The most interesting note is this photo which shows the hooks after they have been loaded to failure as they have returned to their original shape showing no sign of distress. :o

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[reggy]

mmmmm...Trev, I hope you are going to do some Owner hooks. That would be interesting.
cheers
Reggy

[TREVELLY]

Next I have the Mustard and Gamakatus hooks testing the Red Tarpon and Hoodlum and Octopus and Live Bait respectively - obviously expecting the Hoodlum and Live Bait to be superior.

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The Mustard Tarpon held on till just over 12kg

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The Gamakatsu held on till just under 12kg.

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Here are the hooks after loading to failure with some return to shape but obvious signs the Mustard tarpon and Gamakatsu octopus have failed the Hoodlum and Live Bait both are fine.


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[TREVELLY]

The final acid test was testing the Mustard "Hoodlum" and the Gamakatsu "Live Bait" - these were linked with 80lb braid.

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They started both distorting at 17kg.

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Failure was sudden at just over 21kg - the hook tip sheared off then the line snapped.

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[TREVELLY]

My impressions from the test are:-

The DFS and Green Wave are both soft and springy - the Green Wave looks stronger than the DFS in appearance but tests showed them to be much the same. What did surprise me was how much they could distort and completely return - this is a concern as the hook would fail and release the fish but upon inspection show no signs of the complete failure to hold the fish by opening up.

The Mustard Red Tarpon is a hook that holds it's shape very well under load and the Gamakatsu Octopus did deflect more at lower loads than the Red Tarpon but both failed at similar loads.

The Gamakatsu "Live Bait" and Mustard "Hoodlum" are both strong, stiff and highly tempered steel and comparable in flexure and strength.

Anyway guys - these are my findings and my thoughts.

I wanted to know what level of confidence I hould have in these hooks.

I will keep my set up to test some Eagle Claw when I get some at a good price from OS.

[Brent_P]

Great tests - thanks for posting. I read your first two posts before you'd completed the others and didn't know if you'd be doing the rest of the tests tomorrow, so I was going to warn you to at least wear some eye protection if you weren't already, since I knew that some chemically sharpened hooks snap before they straighten. Actually, I'm surprised the Gamakatsu "Live Bait" bent so much without snapping. The Mustad 'Big Guns' are much weaker than the 'Hoodlums' - I've seen a couple of those deform under heavy drag.


Cheers,
Brent.

[Midnight]

Trev, I can post you some Eagle Claws in different sizes and wire gauges if you like. I am interested to see how they test in your rig.

Pm me your postal address if you would like them.

Cheers,
Myles

[jtpython]

Thanks for that i have never used Gamakatsu hooks ever again after some Octopus ones on one trip both opened up . I use mustards 92554 octopus never had a straighten
Great report
JT

[four_button_arnie]

Great post! Just wondering why the hooks where tested on there point? When a hook is set in a fish mouth the weight would be directed to the bottom of the ?bend? Wonder if that would influence the test results?

I understand your test is showing a comparison of strength of the materials used in each hook, tested in the same way under the same circumstances

Again great post thanks for spending the time

Josh

[Brent_P]

I think whether the hook is point-loaded or gape-loaded ('bend-loaded') depends on the hookset - if the point and barb clears the flesh, the hook is normally gape-loaded. This is where hook size and shape is important, but despite the fact that a larger hook should hold more meat, I found better success last year jigging with smaller 5/0 very heavy gauge Owner assist hooks than the 7/0's I used in previous years. Some fish species (like kingfish) have a relatively thin membrane between their jaw latch ('lips') and their skull, and if the hook goes through at that point, heavy drag can tear a big hole and violent headshakes can jolt the hook enough for it to slip out, even when constant tension is applied.

On the US forum 360Tuna, someone (DenisB from Wollongong, NSW) posted both point and gape load-test results for heavy-duty treble hooks, using a similar method to Trevelly. He concluded "In general terms the max deflection load when point loaded is about half the max deflection load in a hook loaded in the gape."

The posts are very detailed, but here are the links for anyone who's interested. The second link shows the jig he used for the tests, and the different ways he tested maximum point-load and gape-load -
http://www.360tuna.com/forum/f3/hook-deflection-tests-18090/
http://www.360tuna.com/forum/f3/hook-deflection-tests-2-a-18627/

Like Reggy, I'd be interested to see Owner single hooks tested. I use 5/0 Owner Cutting Point SSW hooks (an octopus pattern) for snelled two-hook offshore snapper rigs, and 9/0's for the front hook of two-hook livebait rigs for kingies and amberjacks, with 8/0 or 9/0 Gamakatsu Big Bait's for the rear hook. So far, I've had no problems with these hooks (except for when I had a 5/0 Owner SSW go through my thumb).

Thanks again, Trevelly, for doing these tests and posting the results.

Brent.

[Noelm]

Thanks for that i have never used Gamakatsu hooks ever again after some Octopus ones on one trip both opened up . I use mustards 92554 octopus never had a straighten
Great report
JT
I reckon the old 92554 mustad is about a good a hook as you would ever want, and cheap as chips compared to some of the 'new" brands on the market.

[Midnight]

Hooks posted today Trev,
I sent 10/0's in L2004 and L2004EL, and some 7/0 L2004EL, including one that has caught a billfish and was fished at 8kg of drag.

Cheers,
Myles

[Funchy]

Great stuff Trev.

Thanks for putting in the time and effort. Confirms my faith in the good old Mustad : ). Have you thought about retesting the hooks that spang back to shape? Assumption being that if you hooked up and the hook straightened to loose the fish and you were unaware and you reuse do you lose out on performance? Would be interested in that for sure.

Once again thanks for the analysis.

Cheers
Funchy

[TREVELLY]

Thanks Myles, I will put them to same test and get some info to report.

I have orgered some Eagle Claw Hooks from US and a mate has ordered some Owner hooks so will include them too.

Josh the results if not exact for the actual hooking of each fish they will show the relative bending strengths between different hooks and different brands.

Funchy, I will run the test with reload on the hooks that sprung back to their original shape, but as the hooks did not change shape this means the steel stayed withing the "elastic range" hence it did not "yield" this should mean they have same capacity under repeat load and will only weaken under a lot of repeat loads from fatigue - sorry if I am using technical terms here but this is my understanding of materials and metals as a structural engineer.

Brent - thankyou for your input - interesting to hear the relative strength/capacity between tip hooked and embedded hooking. I may run that test one day in softer partially drilled timber.

[Noelm]

it is quite good fun doing home "science" hey? I have done all sorts of things in an effort to at least offer some sort of reliable info on line and knots and hooks and all sorts of stuff, at one time we even tried a drag test on a variety of reels by attaching them to to car, and driving off for a set distance at a set speed (well as close as possible) then tested the drags again straight after the 'run" it was surprising how some of the new expensive reels were not as good as the price would indicate.

[tropicrows]

Thanks for taking the time to do the tests and then posting up the results. Makes interesting reading and will certainly change how I select hooks in future.
Perhaps when you have done completed the tests they could be tabulated into a table for easy comparision.
Thanks again.

[Coodgee]

Trev, this is very, very interesting. Thanks very much for doing these tests and posting your findings.

There is a conspicuous lack of evidence-based assessment of fishing products. The whole industry seems to operate on marketing spin (have you ever seen a fishing show that wasn't effectively an "informercial" for the sponsor's product?!).

So these sorts of tests are very refreshing and very valuable. Thanks again.

[dayoo]

I will keep my set up to test some Eagle Claw when I get some at a good price from OS.

I have been making Jigs for a number of years using heavy gauge Owner, Mustad, Gamakatsu and Eagle Claw jig hooks. All hooks are imported from the USA as they are not available in Australia with the exception of Owner.

Eagle Claw jig hooks bent easily if pressure is applied to the point of the hook.

I find that Mustad needlepoint and tarpon jig hooks compare very well to Owner and Gamahatsu.

Owner saltwater jig hooks have the thickest gauge and are the strongest but are twice the price of the Gamas and four times the price of the Mustads.

Cheers
Barry