What do you use and how do you sharpen your hooks ?

[quick decision]

i use a hook sharpener

[libassboy]

I use to sharpen hooks before i switched to vmc's. Now i just replace them if they start to get dull. If you sharpen vmc's they will rust quickly.

[MakoMike]

I just use a simple 6 inch mill bastard file on the big hooks and a smaller hook file on the smaller hooks.

[Pete_G]

Originally Posted by libassboy

I use to sharpen hooks before i switched to vmc's. Now i just replace them if they start to get dull. If you sharpen vmc's they will rust quickly.

Believe it or not a surprising number of VMC's come out of the package dull. Sometimes the tip is rounded or it's just simply dull, but it's always worth checking.

Hooks need to be "sticky" sharp. They should grab instantly like an Owner Stinger fresh out of the package.

As for sharpening chemically sharpened hooks, I've never seen either a file or a person capable of putting a point of original quality on something like an Owner or a Gamakatsu.

I used to be a BIG fan of the Braid Sharpoint Hook File, but that file isn't of the same build quality it once was. The Dr. Slick large hook file is my favorite hook file these days. There are files more expensive and less expensive, but that's the one I like.

[In The Surf]

Originally Posted by Pete_G

The Dr. Slick large hook file is my favorite hook file these days. There are files more expensive and less expensive, but that's the one I like.

Ditto