Bending Sickles

[1aB]

Those of you that have used Sickles for awhile may have noticed that batches may differ in shape. I think one of the advantages of the Sickle design is the curved inbend of the hook point which seems to enhance holding power and possibly allows a deeply inhaled jig to slide outwards until the head pivots upward enuf to allow point penetration. Noticing that certain sizes in my last purchases had straight ahead or even slightly outbent points I started experimenting with bending to adjust point angle. In the #1 hook pic the lower hook is stock, the middle is bent between shank and point leg, and the top is shank bent close to the lower hard angle "J" bend. Bending at the upper "J" bend seemed to weaken the hook, but the 2 pictured rebends didn't seem to significantly affect strength. Comments?

[CRAPPIEDENTIST]

my last batch os sickle i got,, there was a couple that lookd like circle hooks,, I think those japs are try'n ta getta kick out of us mericans.. say'n ta them selves,, them big round eyes wont know the difference... I DO....

JAKE

[LedHed]

1ab
Not a sickle pro but if I were going to bend the hook, to bring the point down, I would favor the top hook in the pic. However I think the stock hook (pictured as is) would get more hook ups because the distance from the point to the eye seems to be slightly longer and the wider gap.

How does the bending affect the finish?

[1aB]

I too am disgusted with the quality control of Korean & Chinese mfg. Sickles.

The top hook rebend doesn't narrow the gap as much, and the shank bend placement isn't in a high stress part of the hook. The bends are very slight, & smooth round jaw wire bending pliers don't seem to mar the red finish. Got the idea from noticing the increasing popularity of EWG bass fishing hooks.

[skiptomylu]

They just have sorry QC! Open eyes, hooks that break when tying in the shank, no barb or a barb on the side instead of where it is supposed to be. I broke 4 hooks just tying them last month and I know that is not a lot, but there should be none.

I love the hooks because of the way they are supposed to be and how sharp they are, but some of their bad QC temper my love for sure.

[Fatman]

You guys are making me think twice about ordering sickels!! Out of a hundred how many are you guys losing to breakage/messed up eyes etc.

Fatman

[1aB]

I've had batches with less than 1% off grade to 100%! Mostly, the off shapes are repairable but I toss the really dull points, open eyes, side or no barb hooks, & excessively in/out bent ones. On the average, I would suggest considering 5-10% as throwaway, & be happy if you can beat that. I would gladly pay Ultra Point prices for Sickles of comparable quality. Hello, Mustad?

[Fatman]

Thanks for the info

Fatman

[skiptomylu]

Got to say though, still don't really think there is a better hook option for jigs.

Skip

[DavidP]

My rejects run about 3% to 4% or just a few hooks per hundred. Not bad really. I still think this is the best overall hook for crappie jigs!