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Hooks - Nearly as dear as a Gallon

Jon Frisby

Jon Frisby

Senior Member & Supporter
I generally buy all my hooks in bulk from the Internet as the nearest tackle shop to me that stocks them is a good 12 miles away. Last year i could buy ESP D7's for £2.80 and free postage, the best I can get from the internet is £3.45 plus postage. To me its getting expensive for just a pack of ten hooks, and i firmly believe, they all have got on the bandwagon of extortionate pricing for just a few hooks, when TBH just a few processes have changed such as, Teflon coating and chemical sharpening which has been round at least 30 years.
Now I have been doing a few searches and looking for alternatives, to buying from named brands, there is a few on ebay, there is also quite a few makers in China, but its generally a minimum buy of at least 5-10000 hooks.

Now my question is; Has anybody found some very good Barbel hooks which are not as extortionate as the common brands from either Ebay or the world wide web???

I found these from ebay and i am going to give them a try; http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI....336&var=640010300244&ssPageName=STRK:MEWNX:IT

and a report will be made in due course.

Jon
 
Got to admit it, they look quite good with the in-turned beak...think i might indulge myself:D
 
They come with a 14 day money back do if your not happy your prob only going to loose a couple of quid postage..... from the pic they look like the shape I use. Gonna have to wait for your report on these I think. ;)
 
Dont jump the gun Jason. You never know what you may get until it comes. Dont just zoom into the one example I have given, I am looking for other alternative hooks also.
 
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They looked good but didn't bother, by the time you stuck P&P on they were only 60p cheaper than the Raptors i buy with free p&p
 
I've brought hooks, swivels and other stuff from this seller...all fine with no problems.
 
I have been thinking along the same lines jon,I have paid almost £4 for a packet of 10 no14's Drennan Barbel specialist. If you worked it out the steel must be worth more than gold!:eek:

I have been trying some-- Mustad Eyed Specialist--at £1.49 for ten. They seem a wee bit thick in the wire, have an inturned eye. So far so good, but have only had barbs to 9lb 14oz so far with them.

If anyone bothers to give them a try I'm be interested in your comments.

Mick
 
To me the most vital thing in any rig we put out is the hook, i'm quite happy to pay 35p for each hook if it lands me that special catch and doesn't let me down:)
 
The price increases are down to the global demand for steel products especially from the China region.

Its so bad here in Bradford that people are now nicking charity clothing bins to weigh in at the scrappers!
 
Drennan SS same as Bob, I have tried Kamasan barbel maxx too, I have found that most Teflon coated hooks are more liable to straighten or is it me, I don't fish with a tight clutch.............it's just the way I walk
 
Adam Ditchburn said:
Drennan SS same as Bob, I have tried Kamasan barbel maxx too, I have found that most Teflon coated hooks are more liable to straighten or is it me, I don't fish with a tight clutch.............it's just the way I walk
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My mate paid the extra for the Drennan Barbel hooks, guess what:rolleyes:
 
hi all,
i've used the drennan super specialist hooks since i came back to fishing for all my barbel fishing and have had no problems at all,have tried different, more expensive hooks but always gone back to the ss. if it 'aint broke don't fix it.
tight lines and good hookholds to all, leon
 
Dan Birkett said:
The price increases are down to the global demand for steel products especially from the China region.

Its so bad here in Bradford that people are now nicking charity clothing bins to weigh in at the scrappers!
Click to expand...

So the price being paid at scrap yards are aprox £100-£150 per ton and merchants are selling at £200-£250 per ton, about 100% price hike in last 4 years. Is to blame?

Plausible but that's 25p for a kilo of steel, wonder how many hooks can be made from a kilo of steel. Besides more popular patterns have increased by upto 40% and lesser ones by only 10%.
IMO increases in the cost of materials and production are an aside to the real reason: To many greedy buggers all wanting their cut.


John Hinkley said:
To me the most vital thing in any rig we put out is the hook, i'm quite happy to pay 35p for each hook if it lands me that special catch and doesn't let me down:)
Click to expand...

This is in no way a dig at the poster but herein lies the reason specimen hooks are so over priced, a marketing man's dream.............

"Next one could be a new PB."
"Its the first point of contact between you and the fish."
Or my favourite:
"Its a confidence thing, you must have confidence in your tackle."

To be honest I'm pretty guilty being afraid of losing fish, so sticking with what works and equally important, what you know. As buying blind is a real gamble, not just quality wise but more the sizes.
Though I'm going to buy 100 size 10's of these, squash the barb and give them a bash at Boddington res:

http://www.tacklebargains.co.uk/acatalog/Climax---Maverick-Carp-Specimen-Hooks.html

Because one thing I'm sure of, I'll get more than 1 hook out of 5 being good, so costing the same as branded hooks. That's working on the premise that all branded hooks are good, which they ain't!
 
There is something I don't like about those hooks though Colin. According to that advert, people who bought those hooks also bought a 'Des Taylor' specimen unhooking mat :eek:

Worrying.....very, very worrying :D:D:D

Cheers, Dave.
 
Colin Gordon said:
This is in no way a dig at the poster but herein lies the reason specimen hooks are so over priced, a marketing man's dream.............

"Next one could be a new PB."
"Its the first point of contact between you and the fish."
Or my favourite:
"Its a confidence thing, you must have confidence in your tackle."

To be honest I'm pretty guilty being afraid of losing fish, so sticking with what works and equally important, what you know. As buying blind is a real gamble, not just quality wise but more the sizes.
Though I'm going to buy 100 size 10's of these, squash the barb and give them a bash at Boddington res:

http://www.tacklebargains.co.uk/acatalog/Climax---Maverick-Carp-Specimen-Hooks.html

Because one thing I'm sure of, I'll get more than 1 hook out of 5 being good, so costing the same as branded hooks. That's working on the premise that all branded hooks are good, which they ain't!
Click to expand...
Oh I agree with you, lets face it you put the word "carp" on an item and it instantly increases the price by 3x. However many of the better hook patterns out there are these ones, and after everything it'd still be happy to pay 35p for a hook that I knew wouldn't let me down.

As it happens with somebody mentioning Super Specialists i've been to the tackle shop and bought 3 packets for £3-60 and will give them a go:)
 
The Drennans shouldn't let you down, I was have a rummage in garage and found what was considered trendy "black" Partridge hooksthey must be 20 years old....worth keeping??, they are very sharp still, no preasure to draw blood from the thumb.....mind you the other half is still not talking to me after doing that to her.
 
I have looked at the SS hooks but to be honest they dont suit the way i fish on the Trent, the major failing is the hook isnt beaked which isnt great on gravelly bottoms. During a session i could go through between 3 to 10 hooks, I fish at least once a week, so on that especially with these gold plated hooks running at 4 poundish a packet, i am looking for alternative sourcing.
i can also bet that most hooks are mass produced in China, so at 4pound a packet, we are all getting ripped off. 4quid isnt very much per session, but the amount i go a year, it could go into the hundreds of pounds a year for me.
Admittedly I am from Yorkshire, so I like the odd bargain. Also those who dont mind paying that much per hook, then you obviously will not be interestted if I do actually find a bargain.
Looking forward to some hooks coming soon to cast my eye over. Report to follow.

Jon
 
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