sickles win another convert

[redear]

about a week ago I was talking to the owner of the sporting goods store where I spend some time, and he said he was going white perch fishing the next day. he was going to use his favorite twin tail plastic grub of about 1 1/2" along with some 1/32 jigheads off the rack with regular size 6 hooks. I went out to the car where I had some 1/32 barbed jigheads on a size 4 gold sickle jighook, so I gave him about 15 of them. today I walked into the store and he blurts out, I gotta have some more of those jigheads!!! those are some bad azz hooks!! he says, yeah, near about every fish that bit got landed. he is really intrigued by the shape and sharpness, and says the size 4 is perfect for his favorite grub, so he starts throwing money at me, doesn't care what they cost, gotta have'em. lol I says look you let me hang out here and drink bottled water for hours on end, it's the least I can do, I had 9 more in the car and gave him those too.

 

[Fatman]

Like you don't spend enough time there now!!!!!!!LOL Glad to see he liked them - better watch out you'll end up doing more pouring than fishing!!!

 

[Hawnjigs]

Yup, Sickle fans are exhuberant, aren't they? I'm discontinuing red Sickles & was glad to have reached the end of #2 reds but a customer was just willing to get a full box #2s in 1/32 heads for me to re-order them.

 

[Jig Man]

This is my second season with sickles and the jury is still out for me. They are deffinitely SHARP, but I can't say my catch/loss ratio is any better with them over regular aberdeen hooks of the same size. JMO

 

[redear]

I do need to do some pouring again, have been busy lately rebuilding my old german made pellet rifle which dad bought me in 73, just finished putting a new spring and seal in it, maybe now I can get back to pouring. yeah, the sickles are great for hooking the fish but they come unbuttoned easier because of the smaller barb I think, especially if they jump. I do have confidence in them though.

 

[toadfrog]

I don't care what kind of hook you have those toilet paper thin lips on a crappie makes it a pain to boat every one you hook . But for the harder lipped fish sickles bury up pretty darn good . Don't do to bad in the end of your finger either . YEOW!
I know what you guys mean about pouring more than fishing . I'm about give out from it .

 

[Hawnjigs]

I don't know if I'm just lucky, but both boxes of red & black #2s I got today are going back. The blacks have too long legs that won't fit my stock 1/16 and modified 1/32 Do-it Pro 102s. The reds are the worst hooks I've ever experienced - most have twisted eyes up to 30-40* off center which snap when attempting to twist back straight inline, yet the points bend out absurdly EZ. I'm done with any new Sickle purchases after 2 for 2 fail. If you've got good ones treasure them.

 

[Fatman]

My #2 and #6 Black have all fit fine so far but the 4's have snapped off in the vise and inside the head itself. They know the #4 blacks are a big problem but it's gonna take them 4-6 weeks to get it fixed right

 

[redear]

I have 1500 black sickle 4's I just wonder if they are messed up, thy are recent purchase too.

 

[Fatman]

redear - based on what I've gotten in emails from Matzuo the problems with the Black Chrome hooks was from middle of Feb through when I emailed them. I purchased mine during that time frame from Capt Hooks, and after talking to Grousefly and Robert (CAT) they had problems with theirs too. Here's the other thread with the info from Matzuo.

http://www.jigcraft.com/jigcraft/showthread.php?tid=5677&page=2

It is the #4's that they had a problem with, and they're running a new batch now but it's going to take 4-6 weeks according to the email I got. I took a pick of the entire box with the label showing and sent it to them, with what happened hooks snapped off in the vise and also inside the head itself. They're going to replace my #4's when the new batch is ready. All the contact info is in the emails I posted.

My #2's and #6's seem to be fine!!

 

[Hawnjigs]

Even after I explained that both red & black #2 I got were rejects, customer bought his own 1,000 #2 red Sickles on eBay and sent em to me. A little more than half are somewhat normally configured but the rest have way too long legs. Appears to be 2 different mfg. batches so my guess is that booboos were knowingly mixed with the normal ones.

So the Matzuo debacle continues - 3/0 legs on 1/0s and 1/0 legs on #2s. Luckily, short leg #8s & #6s were useful in downsize heads.

 

[redear]

you would think that with the following that these hooks have, they would see the business potential and get it together. the company I work for mixes subpar product back in with top grade also, they call it blend back material, so I wouldn't put it past them.

 

[Hawnjigs]

I started using red Sickles back around '04, before black ones were "invented", and liked them enuf to recommend to customers who subsequently raved about them. They were made in Korea and more expensive than current mfg. When production moved to China some batches of black Sickles were near perfect, better even than tail end Korean mfg., so its indeed puzzling why Matzuo presently has such a quality control problem.

"Blend back" - learned something today.

 

[Fatman]

If they get enough complaints may they'll start listening

 

[Shoemoo]

I heard Gamakatsu was looking at making a similar hook, but it's been awhile and I don't know what the status is. Maybe the design is patented or trademarked and they dropped the idea.

 

[Hawnjigs]

I would guess that Wright & McGill which knocked off Ultra Point jig hooks including partial Mustad model #s would have done the same to Sickles if they legally could, especially as payback for Matzuo knocking off bend out-able Eagle Claw 570s. Then again, both are headquartered in Denver so...

Or, maybe Gamakatsu figured that thrifty Sickle fans wouldn't likely splurge 10x the cost of the Matzuo version.

 

[Ron Don]

Or, maybe Gamakatsu figured that thrifty Sickle fans wouldn't likely splurge 10x the cost of the Matzuo version.

Aint that the truth... I can hear the whining now!
Would like to see VMC downsize the barbians!

 

[Fatman]

Think it would be a lot more than 10X - I've never tried the Barbarians as I don't use the bigger sizes - but VMC makes a great hook.

 

[Hawnjigs]

RonDon, you're the second guy this week I've heard mention wanting downsize Barbarians. Like Fatman, I've never tried em - whats so good about em?

 

[LedHed]

Hj - used the Barbarians for saltwater with swimbaits. Stayed with the Gamakatsu & Mustads BLN hooks. VMC wire is thinner.

Would really like to see a #8 or #6....

Have to send back 2k on the #8 Matzuo BLN sickles. They have "flat eye" - top of the eye is flat with a burr. I am not happy with Matzuo but what can you do???