Matzuo Sickles for Eyes?

FuzzyGrub

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Feb 8, 2012
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Susquehanna River - NY
149010-2/0 Korean Made.

Received a 1000 cnt box to replace a defective bag of 100 cnt. The supplier doesn't carry the brand anymore, so expect they got tired of handling the returns. I am not ready to trust them for my smallie jigs but will be using on walleye jigs this coming season.

I see the sickles are very popular here for crappie jigs. Wondering if anyone has had good experience with walleyes. I bought the hooks last year, but didn't really test the jigs over last season.

They seem very sharp and resistant to bending (for the wire diameter). The sickle bend would tend to hold a fathead tipper minnow. The box requires weeding out the good hooks. Twisted and bend issues. I have broke a few just trying to straighten the bends. From reports I've read on Matzuo, this seems to be common.

If I don't have breaking failures, will probably keep using them up. What has been your expierence?
 

BucktailJiger

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Dec 2, 2011
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They work fine for Walleye . Good solid hook sets that don't tear up their mouths .
 

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FuzzyGrub

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The ones I have snap very easily at the 90 degree bend. I tried to fix about a half dozen to fit the mold because of varing eyelet to bend distances. All snapped. Now, that will be supported by the lead, so maybe not an issue. Maybe I will try some sort of bend out test, compared to a EC570 and Mustand 746 2/0.

Ok, you showed my yours, heres mine from thanksgiving time frame:
WhiteMeat04.jpg

Only 7lbs 3oz, but it had been a while since getting one even that big.


And as long as they give a fighting chance with theses guys that keep following the eyes around:
WhiteMeat03.jpg
A 36" lil' babe.
 

JUNGLEJIM1

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Saint Louis,Mo
Very nice eyes and beautiful muskie. I havn't pulled any walleye that nice but have caught 20 inch smallies and a 15lb. flathead through heavy current with 2/0 sickles. When it comes to jig hooks larger than a #1 I prefer mustad 32746's,Owner's and Gama's,but they are more expensive. Every now and then I find good deals on them.
 

redman

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Sep 4, 2011
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Humboldt, Iowa
Fuzzy I thought about this for a day or so and the only thing I can come us with as far as them snapping at the 90 is to fire up your alcohol lamp and anneal the bend. Then you can bend the hooks to fit the mold with out breaking the hook. once the hooks are in the mold and lead poured around them it will no longer be a problem. Don't know why you are having this problem as the #2 thur #10's that I have used hasn't ever been a problem. I have to convert my walleye jig molds over to sickle hooks as I believe that they will do a good job and are sharper than what I have been using. Besides the ones I have been using are no longer in production.

Do miss fishing for those toothy monsters you have fun and catch a few for me. Nothing in the world will give you the thrill of having a 36 inch Muskie on the end of you line. At one time I caught a acute case of Muskie fever. It lasted for 40 days straight before I got over it. Biggest Muskie that I caught and mounted was 42 inches and 26 lbs. and was a old square tail male with more battle scars than one could imagine. The only Muskie I ever killed.

Redman
 

FuzzyGrub

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Susquehanna River - NY
In all cases I was trying to go wider than 90, ie in the direction of a 60 degree hook. They broke before even reaching the 80 degree. I do have some 3/0 and 4/0 and can see if they break the same. Heating and changing the temper is too much trouble for these hooks. I'll do a bend out test with one of the jigs I've made.

As far as muskies, a good number of 40's, and a few 50's swim these waters. Most of my catches have been inadvertant, fishing for eyes or smallies. My largest is only 37" 17lbs. I have netted 40's for my boat companions, though. The biggest fight I've had, are 20-30lb carp. ;) There are some 20"+ smallies in these waters, and if anchored in current, and fishing bridge abutments or large breaks, those fights are amazing! My PB walleye is only 8lb, but have seen a 13lb come out of this water. Overall this is a great fishery and happy to be close to it. :)
 

BucktailJiger

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From my use of them the red are a little softer than the bronze or black nickle. Not real big on red hooks anyway . Never have broke one , pulled them almost straight and can bend them back .
 

Fatman

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Northfield, Vermont
Because of a comment on another board are you useing the regular aberdeen sickles??? which are breaking on you??

They do have a heavy wire one which I've been told is hard to find, this could be the problem you're running into.
 

FuzzyGrub

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Susquehanna River - NY
Fatman said:
Because of a comment on another board are you useing the regular aberdeen sickles??? which are breaking on you??

They do have a heavy wire one which I've been told is hard to find, this could be the problem you're running into.

Yes, 149010-20 Aberdeen Jig 90

 

FuzzyGrub

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Susquehanna River - NY
Hawnjigs said:
Those being 90* hook molds, which mold do you need to bend towards 60*?

Sorry for the confusion. I wasn't bending them to fit a 60 degree mold. I was just trying to describe the direction of which I was bending them. I was bending them out slightly, to fit cavities in 90 degree molds that wanted a smaller/larger hook. I was also trying to straighten ones that came bent wrong from the factory. With this batch of hooks, there was a fair amount of variance in the length from the 90 degree bend to the eye, too.

 

Hawnjigs

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Ogallala, NE
Yes, some batches of Korean Sickles have annoying different leg lengths. But sometimes advantageous when short/long leg hooks will fit molds that normally wouldn't fit a size #. So, I do like you, sorting Sickles by leg lengths - sometimes 2 groups & sometimes 3 within a size.

Have you tried bending the shank as close to the leg as possible to straighten the leg to vertical or adjust the eye height slightly? Hooks rarely break with a shank bend, unless they are brittle temper flawed.

 
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