Hook sharpener

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Ric Elwin

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I used to have an ace little hook sharpener. It was about the size of a ballpoint pen, you hold a platic bit then there's a hardened metal bit with a groove in it. A couple of strokes with this and a dull point was perfect again.

Obviously, i've lost it!

Anyone know where I can get something similar, or can you recomend another type of compact hook sharpener?
 
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Budgie Burgess

Guest
Go for the Eze-lap Ric its cheaper and a much better tool than the Gerber.
 
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Bill Cox

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just ordered one budgie, been looking for one like it ever since i saw an old guy using one a couple of years back.
 
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Budgie Burgess

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I honestly reckon the only reason more people dont use a hook sharpener is simply because they cant!

Normal files and stones take a bit of skill to use.The Diamond Eze-Lap is so easy even I can use it! Ive never demonstrated one to some one yet without them buying one.

I rate mine as the single most important acsessory I have.
 
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Chris Bishop

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Stones are easy, just swipe them down the hook point going from bend to point, keeping the hook quite flat to the stone.

I use the ones you get for a couple of quid in DIY shops.
 
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Ivan

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Probably an utterly daft question but indulge me - what size hooks would this be any use for - only the larger ones (8 say) or would they also be usable on 14, 16 etc?

Ivan
 
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Chris Bishop

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I rarely use anything smaller than a six.

I used to have a purpose-made triangular stone with a litle hole to hang it on a lanyard, It had a slit on each "face". That would do smaller hooks, sure I got it in a tackle shop - maybe it's meant for sharpening flies.
 
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Budgie Burgess

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Im sure in the right hands stones are effective just that I and many others Ive seen struggle with them blunting the hook more often than not.

Three strokes is all it takes with the Eze-lap.I dont know how quick it is with a stone used properly(Chris?).

As for sizes of hook I regularly use mine to sharpen hooks from size 12-6/0 (admitedly the larger hooks take longer...around 6 strokes!)I have never tried with smaller hooks as I normally just change the hook to nylon.

Lot of people argue that hook sharpeners are redundant in these days of chemical hooks.My argument is that the sharper the point the better but also the sharper the point the easier/quicker it is to dull.The chemical boys "reckon" they check and change there hooks if necessary...but do they? or does the couple of minutes to cut it off,grt a new one out and tie it on often get put off by "Oh it'll do for the moment" I bet it does if most are honest.It takes seconds to check then retouch with the Eze-lap.

By the way I feel the only test for if a hook is sharp or not is the "thumb nail test".This simply involves holding a hook by the shank point down and drawing it over the thumb nail of your other hand.If it skips/scrartchs/slides and doesnt instantly dig in its blunt.Go on give some of yours a try.
 
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Chris Bishop

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Three strokes is all it takes with the Eze-lap.I dont know how quick it is with a stone used properly(Chris?).

Don't know Budgie - never time myself...!

Couple of seconds per point at a guess, some hooks are easier to sharpen than others.

Eagle Claws blunt easily but fairly easy to get shrap with a couple of swipes because the wire's fairly thick and they're not chemically-sharpened.

Can get Drennan and VMC sharp again half the time if I'm bait fishing.

Find owners almost impossible if a point gets dinged when you're fishing a gravel pit for example or you bump a bait off a snag.
 
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BAZ (Angel of the North) aka Fester

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Does the sharpener cause a burr on the opposite side of the hook that is being sharpened? it would only be small but....
 
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The Monk

Guest
you have to be careful with hook sharpeners unless you know what you are doing, I used to put mine under the microscope afterwards to make sure I has hit the right spots, its also not wise to try to sharpen chemically etched hook. Badly sharpend hooks can cause damage
 
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Budgie Burgess

Guest
Baz you use three stokes one on the front of the hook point and one on either side.Ive found this sharpener will sharpen all hooks.And it is so easy that shown once anyone can "know what they are doing".

Like I said I feel the "thumb nail" test is the definitive one.

Monk Im intrigued by your comment that badly sharpened hooks can cause damage? care to expand on this?
 
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Chris Bishop

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Badly sharpend hooks can cause damage.

Some are impossible to sharpen anyway. I fish gravel pits, where you often blunt or bend hook points, founf VMC and owners not too good, Drennan and Eagle Claw ok.
 
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Budgie Burgess

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When you bur the point of a small hook over then you need to change it but a bigger one can be re sharpened.

Chris,youve raised the point of badly sharpened hooks too,Why/how?
 
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The Monk

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Monk Im intrigued by your comment that badly sharpened hooks can cause damage? care to expand on this?

Yes Budgie, Its always been a belief of mine that hooks can be oversharpened on the edge and act like a knife blade, which can enlarge the hook hold unnessarily and thus cause damage to mouths. One of the arguments against barlesshooks was that they dont take hold the same as a barb and often rotate and increase the penitraition point, the ideology behind thae barb was not just to prevent the hook from coming out, it also creates a firm hold in the tissue, the compremise was the microbarb, bably sharpened hooks can also create a similar result
 
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Budgie Burgess

Guest
Ah yes.With the hooks that do/did have (was it "chisel points"?) I can see your point.However theres not many of those about in the sizes we commonly use in freshwater is there? Also the sharpener in question can only sharpen to a traditional "needle" point.

Even though in theory a hook could be sharpened into a "chisel point" I would have thought the "thumb nail" test would show a point formed like this as blunt? The damage caused by barbless hook moving isnt caused by the point though but the bend itself moving?
 
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