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Shiny hooks, yes/no?

E

Eddie Bray

Senior Member & Supporter
I've been given 100 each of nos 8, 10 & 12 eyed barbless hooks, however, they are shiny bright, they are quite strong though and I suspect they were for sea angling.

Would these put off the fish if I used them as is with a hair? If so, can anyone suggest a good way to darken them without destroying them or should I just keep them for mullet fishing?
 
I use shiny Owner hooks for my winter chub fishing, including when hair rigging cheese paste, so the hook is on full show and it doesn't put them off.
 
If you are a gardener you may have some iron sulphate for grass greening and moss kill.

Teaspoon of that and bit of water will darken them in 5 mins
 
most Match style hooks are quite shiny things I have some smaller sized drennan super specialist hooks that glimmer and reflect the light yet fish don’t seem to worry about them.
I would say a big black hook stands out just as much especially against a lighter bait like meat, bread, sweet corn etc.
Hooks just require confidence like anything else in angling. Once you find a pattern you catch on successfully, stick with em. I’ve tried hundreds in the past.... some good and I firmly believe some have cost me dearly.
Nowadays for my specimen fishing I will only use the Nash pinpoint claw.
They give me everything I need and more including full confidence that I’m going keep in firm contact with the fish.
Someone could give me 100 of any other type of hook I’d just give em away and stick with what I know and what works very effectively with my rigs.
 
They may be stainless steel. Not the best material for fish safety ie. won't rust away.
IIRC stainless is not magnetic.
 
Paul Collins said:
They may be stainless steel. Not the best material for fish safety ie. won't rust away.
IIRC stainless is not magnetic.
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Depends on the grade. I don’t know what grade stainless hooks would be I’d guess at a martensitic grade 4**
These will corrode over time and are magnetic yet it’s still stainless.
austenitic higher chromium stainless usually 3** grades won’t rust and isn’t magnetic but probably not a suitable material for hooks. Strength/hardness/treat abilities etc
 
Richard Isaacs said:
Depends on the grade. I don’t know what grade stainless hooks would be I’d guess at a martensitic grade 4**
These will corrode over time and are magnetic yet it’s still stainless.
austenitic higher chromium stainless usually 3** grades won’t rust and isn’t magnetic but probably not a suitable material for hooks. Strength/hardness/treat abilities etc
Click to expand...
Yeah, 304 or 316 grade steel would be a poor material choice. It’s simply too fragile.
 
Stephen Crowhurst said:
Yeah, 304 or 316 grade steel would be a poor material choice. It’s simply too fragile.
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It’s not fragile it just lacks a decent amount carbon and it can’t be treated to the hardness required of a hook.
The high 18/8 chromium, nickel and in 316 molybdenum make it waaaaaaaay too good at resisting corrosion.
I’ve had a quick look and stainless hooks are in fact 420 grade. Lower chromium higher carbon and with a bit of HT you can make em kin hard.
 
That’s the one Richard, I chose fragile to be simplistic. What I mean is, It has poor shear strength. For a hook a touch of malleability is obviously preferable, as a bent hook is better than a snapped one.
It’s been a few years since I needed to remember these things.
 
304 grade stainless in normalised state is far more ductile than 420.
You’ll crack 420 if you work it too far cos there ain’t no nickel in it but 420 is much stronger despite the fact not as ductile. It more suited to a hook.
A hook made of 304 would probably straighten very quickly
 
How shiny/black/whatever the hook's colour is very low down on my priority list. Sharpness, ease of keeping a sharp point during a session, and strength are all I worry about. I have loads of bright silver hooks as well as dark matt grey and pure black hooks, and I don't think I've ever noticed any of them having any more or less catch rate than the others.

The boys above me know FAR more about metallurgy than I do to comment about the science behind hooks...
 
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