Just got some 5/0's and 6/0's in the mail. Was hoping they would be compareable to the Gamu's , since these are much cheaper, and I go through at least 100-150 a season. Sturdy hook, but not NEARLY as sharp outta the box as the Gamu's. So back to the GHD's for me.

VMC is a good hook ***for*** the $. They are actually pretty inexpensive. If you buy a lot of hooks (or build a lot of plugs with hooks) I think vmc's are probably justified. I think most of you guys that sell plugs should just skip adding hooks...let the end user put the hook of choice on there...after all this is a custome plug. VMC's are pretty sharp but I grant you Gamu's and Owners are sharper. Also the Gamu's have a slicker coating on them. I am guesing but the VMC's were probably permasteel.

That Gamu live bait hook is T H I C K isn't it? If you straighen that you need to get off those steroids. Most of the hooks I use are owners now. To me they offer strong sharp hooks and are more rust resistant then vmc but less in cost then gamus. Unfort. it is hard to find owners (and gamu's) in bulk. VMC it is easy to buy in bulk.

Originally posted by Mr. Sandman

That Gamu live bait hook is T H I C K isn't it?

You think the Gami is thick wait till you get a look at the VMC 4X.

I think they are offered in black chrome and PermaSteel. They also come in "bleeding red" for those that are into that sort of thing.

I'll be carrying them this year; they're a little cheaper then Gami and Owner and they look REAL strong. At least out of the package though, I agree, they aren't quite as sharp.

Actually for alot of eel applications I find the regular gami Live bait hook more to my liking.Thicker than the octopus hook but not as thick as the HD's.For live eels i like a octopus hook in 6/0,7/0 or 8/0 depends on the size of the eel.I like the Owner octopus in the Cutting Point in 6/0 for herring 7/0 an 8/0 for bunker.A very sharp hook.A little pricey my buddy usta call em dollars like when u got a fish on the live bait u would bite off the line an toss the fish up on the rocks to take home.tie another dollar on.when u cleaned the fish u had to be shure to get ur dollars back.

I have been using the Gami Octopus for live eels that last few years (after switching from Mustads) 4/0 or 5/0 inside the bay, 7/0 in the surf and deeper water...
I
picked up some Mustad Ultra Live bait hooks.. seem nice, sharp and sturdy.. havent tried any yet in the salt... anyone else tried em yet?

Besides being a much stronger hook...what I like about the gami live bait hooks vs gami octopus is the barb. If you put them side by side the live bait hook barb is slighty bigger, their almost twice the money but you EASY get your money back in the number of eels saved. If your slingin heavy eels and laying into most casts a bigger barb makes a huge difference.