ok tell me about sickle hooks

[gabreamfanatic]

ok so please tell me why sickle hooks are so popular? i have never used them. and i have all ways been a fan of the aberdeen hook in sizes 8 and 10. and now i have switched over the the circle hook. which i use most of the time for live bait fishing. but i see a lot of tiers use the sickle hook when they tie. so what am i missing with this sickle hook?

 

[CrappieHappy]

sickle hooks have a wider gap, and tend to always to hook em in the top of the mouth.

 

[Radtexan]

Much sharper,and seems to always hook em in the roof,not in the paper mouth

 

[JUNGLEJIM1]

Sharp hooks,I lose very few fish compared to the aberdeens. Both have a place in my tackle bag.

 

[Fatman]

I have a 50/50 split with them. The red ones can be a pain if you pour your own, as you have to dry fit them in your molds so it doesn't slow you down when pouring.

I've been looking at getting some of the bronze or black nickle ones to see if the eyelet length is more standard but I'll have to see what the guys who use them say about them. They are sharp!!!!!!! and do hook well.

 

[quivira kid]

Sharp, good penetration, and a bit wider hook gap. On the smaller size jigs, they really shine.

 

[gabreamfanatic]

thanks guys. i may have to get some and try them out.

 

[redman]

I think after you use them awhile you will be sold. I resisted for three years before I started using them. Now I won't use anything but the sickles. The hook ups are up and the fish lose is way down. The Fatman is right the reds are a bit of a pain in molds but the bronze and black are better for molds. Please give them a try at least.

Redman

 

[AtticaFish]

Guess i am the minority here because i'm not sold on them yet. In my own xperimenting, i just don't care for them when fishing for bass at all. Not sure if it is the shorter shank - have had similar results of easily thrown hooks when bass jump with a head shake using both heavy/short shank hooks and sickles.

However, they do seem to have more holding power than traditional aberdeen jig hooks when crappie fishing.

Have gotten some new heads sporting sickle hooks that i plan to play around with more though. They just LOOK too cool. haha. Not ready to take the plunge and go all in though.

 

[ragged edge]

I have been using sickle hooks for three years now and agree with the above tyers about sharpness, hookset, hook gap etc. In addition, I have caught fish up to eight pounds on a #4 hook that I know of and the hook did not bend or break. The hook is not afraid of carp, walleye, tiger muskie, bass or crappie........

 

[Jig Man]

I'm with Russ... I do use um, they are way sharper, but I can't say I catch any more fish with um, jury still out on that one. The main thing that keeps me from falling in luv with um is they break to easy. Aberdeens last me longer...

 

[redear]

I do love them for their hookup ratio and sharpness, but they are easily thrown by a jumping fish, this is due to the micro barb in my opinion, and they also won't hold a minnow on the jig very long, and this is how I fish alot. But the hookup ratio is just so darn good that I use them still. My dad gets me to make him jigheads with them for the hickory shad he catches in the spring, and they throw the hook when they jump too.

 

[AtticaFish]

.....but they are easily thrown by a jumping fish.... .....they throw the hook when they jump too......

Hallelujah!!!! Glad someone else has had this happen. I don't use them at all in the river for that reason but always thought it was just me. Have lost alot of bass on them. Do have some larger heads for fishing deep water poured with sickles in hopes of putting them in front of walleye, but have yet to get the chance.

Theory of the smaller barb does make sense - they are much smaller barbs than regular hooks.

 

[redear]

yeah one day last year I was fishing for crappie and was hooking some nice ones, but on that day they wanted to come to the surface and shake their heads every time, I lost near about every one of them when they did this. on the other hand I had a great day with the bream this spring with little 1/64 jigs and size 8 sickles with a crappie nibble, they performed beautiful on the bream with over 70 landed that day and alot of them released, but the bream have such a small mouth and that helped me I believe.

 

[Ron Don]

Can't beat sickles for panfish! Now bass I go with bigger, longer shanks of aberdeens.

 

[BucktailJiger]

Attica , sickles for Walleye are awesome , never lost one yet in the river . They like to head shake hard and with the upper jaw hook set can't throw it like a aberdeen . Second when the Eyes are short biting , the sickles bite back !!!

 

[Fatman]

Great information!!!!!!!