I can’t say I have any opinion on hook brands just hook types for my needs.

I used Mustad circle hooks exclusively in the salt surf fishing last year. Lived on the beach 12 months and fished with them almost every day. Caught big, hard fighting fish on them, and brought them in during hard surf. Didn't have problems with them staying hooked once they were on.

I'd be pressed to say they were any less sharp than more premium hooks. I'm of the opinion of your buddy, don't think upgrading is worth the money for me.

On 4/21/2026 at 7:10 AM, PhishLI said:

With mine it was over which direction the toilet paper comes out of the holder.

According to the patent drawing, it comes over the top.

2 hours ago, Smirak said:

According to the patent drawing, it comes over the top.

Exactly!

On 4/20/2026 at 1:12 PM, ohioguy25 said:

Can anyone show me a peer reviewed or official study or any data showing that Gammy, Owner and other premium hooks are in fact superior in quality and sharpness? I feel like it’s easily observable but he’s so stubborn.

I don't agree with that.

I don't think Ultra Points are as sharp as some Gami hooks, but some of my favorite jigs and jigheads use Mustads and they are plenty sharp to get the job done. My issue with Mustads is that the steel isn't as hard as other hooks, which makes them a little more vulnerable to having the point roll.

Not the biggest fan of many VMC products, but are comparable to Gami or Owner as far as being sharp goes. Zman uses VMCs for their mushroom, swimbait eye, EWG ned head and OG ned hook and theyre very sticky. Pretty much the rest of the Zman heads are mustad and many people prefer the TT lures ned and headlockz to the VMC jigheads.

I do a bunch of different brands for inshore fishing. I do a lot of jetty fish or fishing around rocks and concrete. I find the Owners and Mustads roll more than VMCs after setting the hook into a rock. I think VMCs steel is some of the strongest around.

Gami were always at the top when it comes to being sharp and durable. I wouldnt have hesitated to say theyre the best. Now there quite a few brands that are as sharp or maybe even sharper than black nickel Gamis.

Ryugi, Decoy, Ichikawa and Hayabusa all make really sharp and strong hooks relative to dia. I find Ryugis really standout as being stupid sharp.

Ive used Ichikawas' and Hayabusa hooks on the the rocks and both have points that stay sharp and resist rolling.

40 minutes ago, PhishLI said:

Exactly!

Only serial killers and tax collectors use the under method. Its likely the only evidence of you left would be in the form a cereal bowl and lampshades had you stuck around.

Gama is my go-to for superline T-rig hooks. Very strong, last forever and I've never had a fish bend one out. I caught my PB on a Gama EWG superline hook. That said, if I buy a lure advertising another premium hook, I'm very unlikely to change them out. I'm not going to buy a Gama hook for every possibility. And if I'm standing in a store and they only have an Owner of what I want to do, I'm buying it. I'm thinking of a big weighted hook for a soft plastic swimbait.

On 4/25/2026 at 9:40 PM, Smirak said:

According to the patent drawing, it comes over the top.

My good friend and his wife came to visit recently. I had a roll loose in the bathroom. One of them put it on the roll upside down. I've been wondering since if it was some sort of passive-aggressive gesture.

21 minutes ago, the reel ess said:

My good friend and his wife came to visit recently. I had a roll looser in the bathroom. One of them put it on the roll upside down. I've been wondering since if it was some sort of passive-aggressive gesture.

It can’t be anything but!! And you call this person a friend? Put an AirTag in their car or something so you can follow their every move. Your time is borrowed my friend…

two words. eagle Claw.

On 4/26/2026 at 3:00 AM, GetFishorDieTryin said:

Only serial killers and tax collectors use the under method.

Almost divorced over it. However, I'm sure I wouldn't have survived the past year and a half without her. But who knows? Maybe she did that only to Munchausen by proxy me somehow. I'll start worrying when she demands that I put lotion on my skin. She hates Fava beans, so maybe I'll get to keep my liver at least.

On 4/22/2026 at 8:22 AM, VTFan said:

The problem with VMC isn’t necessarily the sharpness. It’s the quality of the metal itself. If you look at a VMC hook the wrong way, it will bend and straighten out.

That said, Gammy all the way.

A lot of great jigs and jigheads use VMC hooks. Their steel is good quality, in terms of hardness and corrsoion resistance its one of the best. I dont think ive ever gotten a dull hook and the points stay sharp. I really need to set a hook into a rock really hard to dull or roll it. Never had one open. Ive had some cheaper hooks used on Hurricane heads open considerably as a kid, but the only quality hook ive ever opened up on a fish was 3/0 EWG Gammi, must have been a dud.

I’m a big fan of VMC, specifically their 3/0 fast grip EWG hooks for senkos. I think the model number is 7311. The way the hook is designed doesn’t cause the bait to slide down as much as it will With a standard gamakatsu EWG

Over time I've started to care much more about the shape or features of a hook than which of the major or jdm brands it comes from. Like if I want an EWG for soft plastics, the mustad grip-pins have been outstanding. And on a straight shank I want a CPS, because that application (punching, slither rigs) tends to be pretty violent and I want to spend zero time replacing plastics or sliding it back up. And if I'm fishing a Fat Ika, there's no better-fitting hook than a Hayabusa.

For me, my favorite hook brand is Ryugi, followed by (depending on need) Owner and VMC. From Owner, I really like their Twistlock hooks for my flukes and the 1/0 twistlock light for my 2.5" Yamatanuki/DoLive Stick 3.5, etc. Most of my hooks are Ryugi though. For the cost, they trump Owner on almost everything. For jigs, heads, etc I buy the jig, not the hook. Idk if they have Mustad, Berkley, VMC, or whatever in them.

Gammy They never let you down

I too use Mustad KVD Elite Short Shank Triple Grip treble hooks on my cranks and they have yet to fail me. Gamy's on the other hand...I've had no less than two 2/0 and ***/0 EWG break and cost me fish. Needless to say I don't use Gamy's any longer.