An important piece to catching fish is having a sharp hook, so how do you sharpen fishing hooks the best way? In this post we are going to run through those details of sharpening a fishing hook. A good hook sharpener can save on fishing equipment costs because you won’t need to replace those dull hooks on your baits. Plus, it helps you stick fish a lot better. Learning how to sharpen your fishing hooks effectively will be a big game changer for you out on the water. Enjoy!
There a few things you need to get started sharpening your fishing hooks. First get you a good fishing hook file. Second, understand the best method for using a hook sharpener because there is a right and wrong way to do it. Lastly, recognize when your hook is sharp and ready to “Krak” some bass. The rest of this post will go through these items in more detail to help get your hooks sharp, so you can save some bucks and land more bass!
There are ton of fishing hook files on the market. Honestly, I’ve used a lot of them, and the best ones have longer sharpening stones to give you a longer stroke. Another helpful feature on a good hook file is groves in the stone. The groves in the file make it easier for sharpening hooks. Diamond stones are the best because they will sharpen anything knives included. Also, you need to consider grit count on your stone. A lower grit count for 100 – 200 is rougher and will grind the edge more, but won’t get it as sharp. A higher end grit around 800 – 1000 will give you a nice fine edge.
I’m a little biased, but my favorite hook sharpener is the Kraken Bass Fishing Hook Sharpener. It has a little higher than average grit count at 600 with the diamond stone. Plus it has the groves, and the longer than average retractable shaft. It’s more expensive than some of the other ones out there, but it will give your hooks a sharper point. Plus the Kraken Bass fishing hook sharpener easier to manipulate for travel. Check it out on Amazon at the link below.
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Once you have a fishing hook file you need to know how to use it. It’s important to place your hooks properly on the file to avoid burrs to get them extra sharp.The best thing to remember is always file your hook with the sharp point moving out. In other words only the point moves forward, and never backward. Filing the hook with the point moving backwards will create burrs and won’t get your hook as sharp. (See image & video below for a demonstration)
Make sure you have a firm grasp on your hook and file. Then it’s a smooth simple not to hard motion forward on the file to get them sharp. Depending on how dull your hook is you typically only need about 5 – 7 strokes on each side to get it sharp. For ultimate sharpness try and focus on sharpening three sides of the hook. The shank underbelly side of the point, and then each parallel side. Check out the illustration below, and also watch the video below to see this process in action.
How do you know if your hook needs to be sharpened or not? There is a simple test you can do to tell if your fishing hook needs sharpening. Lightly place the hook point along the edge of your finger and feel for it. A good sharp hook point is considered tacky or sticky. If it starts sticking to the little ridges in your finger prints then your hook is ready to roll! If it slides over your skin without grabbing anything then you need to sharpen your hook. This little test is easy to do, and the more you do it the easier it is to tell if your hooks are sharp or not. Pro tip – a lot of hooks straight out of the box need some sharpening. They often get damaged in shipment and transporting.
Another thing to consider is how many bites are actually translating into fish catches. If your missing a lot of fish when earlier in the day you weren’t, you probably have some dulled hooks on your hands that need to be re-sharpened. Especially, when banging your baits around cover, or snagging them up. Hooks start to dull after time, and it’s essential you keep them sharp. It takes a lot less effort for a hook to penetrate a fishes mouth with a razor sharp hook.
This video illustrates how to sharpen a fish hook with the kraken bass fishing hook sharpener. Plus, it goes inro some in-depth discussion of what to look for in a fishing hook sharpener, and how a sharp hook will elevate your bass fishing game. After watching this video, you will have a better idea of how to keep your hook sharp and save some dollars in the process. Don’t forget to subscribe to the YouTube channel for other great fishing tips, trips, and gear to keep you staying stoked on the water.
Sharpening my hooks has been a real game changer for me. I hate the hassle of having to replace the treble hooks on my baits. I’ve also been quite amazed at how poor some hooks are straight out of the package. I heard once one of the bass fishing pro’s Aaron Martens sharpens all of his hooks straight out of the pack. It really makes a big difference to help you land more fish. Hopefully, a fish hook sharpening tool will help you in your efforts to become a better fisherman.
Lastly, The links in this post are affiliate links were you can pick up the fishing gear mentioned in this post to “Krak” some bass with sharper hooks. Krakenbass receives a small percentage of the sales through these links. I only use links to baits, and gear I personally trust and know work. These links are here to be helpful for you, and not for the small amount I make for the sale of the products. I hope these products can help you “krak” some bass like they have for me. Thank you for your support!
As Always,
Stay Stoked!
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