Chemically Sharpened Hooks

[DaneCross]

Gday all,
Just after a few opinions on whether or not its worth replacing the standard trebles that come on diving minnows with chemically sharpened ones? Specifically I'm trolling micro mullets and similar for flathead.
Cheers,
Dane

[Cloud_9]

its always better to have sticky sharp hooks if you can afford them Dane .
but i have never bothered cos the flatties usualy skof the lure's .
a lot of hard bodies have chemicly sharpened hooks now anyway.
.
just seen the DVD of the flatty classic from last years event. have pretty good idea whats the best lures to use this year . if you got the mail out from the club you should have the same info. but on the dvd most of the big flatties where all caught on the same type lure with 1 colour being dominant, but its deferent to the info sheet
our team got 30th outright .765points.
think we mite only be 2 man team this year ???
have new tactics this year.
have to get together for beer at the meals tent this year buddy. thats if you go down to the nights garb.

Cheers Cloud 9

[basserman]

VMC put out a very good but still strong chem hook
one thig i have noticed with the chem hook (trebles) in the smaller sizes is that they can be brittle
but being for a comp your got to try to get any edge you can

[Jeremy]

I use the VMC Vanadium (I think?) trebles on virtually all my hard bodied lures now. They are sharp and strong.

I tried the red chemically sharpened ones for a couple of months and as basserman said, they can be brittle. I had a flathead of 85 cm break off 4/6 hook points and was very unlucky to be landed. Needless to say I never used them again.

Chemically sharpened or not they still go blunt after a few uses, so you either have to replace all your hooks regularly or sharpen them by hand, and the chemically sharpened hooks are harder to re-sharpen then other hooks.

FWIW

Jeremy

[DaneCross]

Thanks for the replies guys. Sounds as though it could be worth investing in a few VMCs as basserman said it could be the 'edge' that I need. Although I take Cloud 9s point about the lures usually being 'scoffed' by lizards - would it make a difference in hook up rate or just in getting a better hook up and hence getting them in the boat??
What is everyones technique for sharpening hooks??

Cheers,
DC

P.S. Cloud 9 check your PM

[JB]

I just replaced all mine with chem sharpened, never used before. Will keep u posted on how i go.

Jas

[agnes_jack]

I have always found the chemicaly sharpened ones to blunt very, very quickly. They are usually fairly sharp out of the packet,but after one or two goes they have no point left. As the others have said vmc's are the go, very sharp and stay that way longer than most. I use the 2x strong-9632ps in the smaller sizes and the 3x strong- 9626ps in larger sizes.

Regards, Tony

[basserman]

Sharping trebles ??? hell i'm lucky if i keep a lure for that long without loseing it ta a fish or snag!

[SNELLY]

Dane,

I use the Red VMC's on some lures but what I have found is that they do not go well with braid - hence them being considered brittle.

I would not use them on lures that I'm casting at snages but lures used for drain fishing where you can fish a light drag I find them good. In these situations the fish are often in dirty water so sometimes the fish can get pinned anywhere

My 2 bobs worth
Snelly

[adrian]

i go with what you can afford and buy the best you can . chem sharped hooks are the way to go but all i catch is myself and all the small fish around

anzac

[BigE]

hey guys/gals i'm not a small lure user but a mate i fished with occassionally up nth used to going breamin from a connoe accross the sand flats he swore by micro mins with a single true turn attached by some trace wire in a sorta figure 8 so the hook was horizontal not vertical. he always said the hook up rate was unbelieveableand always in the cnr of the jaw................ hope it helps some one not my cup of tea tho.
cheers (feedback if works for anyone else)

[big_george]

just seen the DVD of the flatty classic from last years event. have pretty good idea whats the best lures to use this year . if you got the mail out from the club you should have the same info. but on the dvd most of the big flatties where all caught on the same type lure with 1 colour being dominant, but its deferent to the info sheet

Where can I get hold of the DVD..
Is it worth looking at.???
How long does it go for.??
Cheers George