Flat spot on eyes of Matzuo sickle jig hooks

I ordered various panfish-size jigs off e-bay poured on Matzuo sickle hooks, which I haven't used before. I like everything about the hooks except that they all have a flat spot on the top of the eye. A few of them have a slight ridge of metal on one end of the flat spot.

I see the flat spot as posing a potential problem when fishing a jig below a float, because I think it could make it hard to keep a knot skewed toward the hook point instead of in line with the stem of the eye. (Such positioning of the knot is often needed to make a jig hang level.) Also, some of the ridges look sharp enough to need filing them down to keep them from damaging 2 or 4 lb. line.

At first, I thought the flat spots might be a side effect of some way the jig-pourer was handling the hook, but the same thing was evident in jigs ordered from a second source. The flat spot is there on both bronze and red hooks.

In the close-up photo of his successful woven jig (congrats!), skiptomylu shows a sickle hook that has no flat spot. It looks like a black nickel hook.

What have you folks who use sickle-hook jigs experienced? Do yours have a flat spot on the eye, and has it affected your knot positioning when hanging the jig below a bobber? Are the black nickel versions less likely to have the flat spot?

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Originally Posted by split handle

I ordered various panfish-size jigs off e-bay poured on Matzuo sickle hooks, which I haven't used before. I like everything about the hooks except that they all have a flat spot on the top of the eye. A few of them have a slight ridge of metal on one end of the flat spot.

I see the flat spot as posing a potential problem when fishing a jig below a float, because I think it could make it hard to keep a knot skewed toward the hook point instead of in line with the stem of the eye. (Such positioning of the knot is often needed to make a jig hang level.) Also, some of the ridges look sharp enough to need filing them down to keep them from damaging 2 or 4 lb. line.

At first, I thought the flat spots might be a side effect of some way the jig-pourer was handling the hook, but the same thing was evident in jigs ordered from a second source. The flat spot is there on both bronze and red hooks.

In the close-up photo of his successful woven jig (congrats!), skiptomylu shows a sickle hook that has no flat spot. It looks like a black nickel hook.

What have you folks who use sickle-hook jigs experienced? Do yours have a flat spot on the eye, and has it affected your knot positioning when hanging the jig below a bobber? Are the black nickel versions less likely to have the flat spot?

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I have used Sickle hooks almost 3 years and have not see what you found in the ones you got. I have other things that I am not pleased with, but I can look past the things that have shown to be a problem as long as it's not all that many. Speaking of eyes not closed, the barb not where is it supposed to be and other things like this. I mean some of them you just have to not use and as long as that is a low number I can live with them since I love how sharp they are and I like the big bite gap they have.

I am having a new issue now, but hopefully this will pass too. I sell way more jigs with Sickle hook than regular bend and almost all of the people that6 try them love them. I would not like what you have found, but has not shown up at my house yet. I probably have 7,000 or more jig heads in stock at all times with Sickle hooks of lots of sizes.

Never seen one with what you describe, but I would suspect that the ones you got came from the same batch or something close to that.

Skip

The flat spots are present on two sizes of bronze sickle hooks from one seller and on red sickle hooks from another seller, so it's not a batch problem.

Skip, you can see the flat spot I'm talking about if you look at the enlarged picture of the peacock herl jig pattern you call "The Wasp" on your site. That hook has it. I'm glad the great majority of yours apparently don't; guess I just got unlucky.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by split handle

The flat spots are present on two sizes of bronze sickle hooks from one seller and on red sickle hooks from another seller, so it's not a batch problem.

Skip, you can see the flat spot I'm talking about if you look at the enlarged picture of the peacock herl jig pattern you call "The Wasp" on your site. That hook has it. I'm glad the great majority of yours apparently don't; guess I just got unlucky.

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I see it I guess, but don't see a ridge that will cut the line, but that is an old pic and old jig head so I will keep on the look out to see what else I see.

Thanks,
Skip

Whats the problem?, just tie an open loop overhand knot in a jig and go fish it, better action and better hookset to boot. If you look too close at the tackle nowdays we might never fish with it!

I just got a 1000 (500 4's and 500 2's) and just got done pouring a whole bunch jigs and haven't seen any flat spots on an of them.

Fatman

The hooks I got with the flat spot were all size 8's and 6's.

RIPPERS, an open loop knot will have most jigs hanging tail down instead of level. Maybe that isn't as significant as some think. I'll start another thread to see what people think about that, since using the search tool didn't help me find any earlier thread on that.

I agree with Skip on this one. I've used the sickles for years, and for years I've cussed the quality control, but haven't seen the issue you bring up. I poured yesterday and went through a bunch of hooks......older and newer, and didn't see it. I can see your concerns with it cutting the line.

I'd say take a really good close-up of the hooks in question and send the photo's of the hooks to Matzuo and see what they say.

Fatman