Testing Hook Penetration

Comparative Tests -- Recently, Sport Fishing magazine published tests comparing the penetrating ability of 12/0 closed-gap and open-gap J-style hooks with cutting-edge (triangular points) and cone-shaped points. Under identical conditions, closed-gap hooks, with the point bent slightly in toward the eye, penetrated deeper and more easily than did cutting-edge hooks with the points parallel to the hook shank. Cone-shaped points also resisted blunting and tissue tearing slightly more than cutting-edge points.

Freshwater literature contains few tests comparing the penetrating ability of various hooks. Based on this research, however, we might expect J-hooks with cone-shaped points to hook fish more easily than similarly sized and shaped J-hooks of equal quality that have cutting-edge points. There have yet been no such tests on smaller hooks, nor comparative tests including circle hooks, wide-gap hooks, and treble hooks.