We’ve collectively been using VMC 6X Tournament Hooks and VMC 4X Treble Hooks for a few years now with great results.

Here’s what the guys have to say about them.

VMC 6X Tournament Circle Hooks

Darren:

 

 

 

 

 

 

I had been using offset circle hooks with whole or cut fish for uku and wasn’t satisfied with the poor hookup ratio.  A lot of fish were lost due to pulled hooks.  A few opened up on big fish and sharks. When I saw the 6X Tournament Circle hooks at McCully Bike, I liked that they were not offset and the severe angle of the hook point made the gap small.  Small gap meant better holding power, I hoped.  Tried the smallest size, 12/0, and the hookup ratio greatly improved.  More hookups meant more fish in the boat.  Been using the 6X circle hooks going on two years now and am very happy with them.

Scott:

 

 

 

 

 

When Frank and I started fishing the deep off the kayak with chunks of opelu, I asked Darren, my uku sensei, for advice.  He said he liked the VMC 6X Tournament Hooks because he believed the small gap allowed the non-offset hook to slide forward in the fish’s mouth as it ran with the bait, and turn into the jaw.  I liked that it was half the price of the Owner hook that closest resembled it and was available at most Honolulu tackle shops.  The hook point wasn’t as sharp as the Owners but was sharp enough to scratch my thumbnail.

So far I’ve used the Perma Steel version in the 12/0 size (available in most Honolulu tackle shops) and caught uku, sharks and lost mystery fish that cut high up on the leader.  While I don’t like battling sharks off the kayak, I was impressed that the hook set in the corner of the jaw and kept the leader away from the shark’s teeth.  We’ve recently purchased the new Coastal Black version online, which feels like the Japanese designer hooks, and is coated to further resist corrosion.  Looking forward to seeing how they work.

VMC 4X Treble Hooks

Kelly:

 

 

 

 

 

 

I have been using VMC reinforced treble hooks for 3 years and have come to prefer these hooks over other available brands. For inshore trolling, I use the very small treble hooks, about size #8-#12 (about the size of an edmame) and have caught many fish in the past few years. A few noteworthy catches have been 8 lb white papio, 6 lb omilu, 5 lb kagami, all on Oahu. Luckily, I have not had a VMC treble fail me yet. The hooks are extremely strong and very inexpensive. I buy mine from J&E fishing Supply in Kalihi. The hooks are about 30 cents each, which fits right into my pake fishing budget 🙂 As with most trebles, the hooks are rather sharp as well. The one drawback about these VMC mini treble hooks is that I have not found another fishing supply store here that carries them.

Thad:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I have been replacing the weaker treble hooks that come attached to small topwater and subsurface lures with 4x strength trebles.  I had previously been buying 4x strength Owner hooks but came across the VMC O’Shaughnessy 4x trebles at a much, much cheaper price and with good reviews.  They come in 25-packs at a lower price than what I paid for an 8-pack of Owners.

I purchased both the silver and red hooks.  It’s a personal preference for me but I like the red hooks because I think they resemble the blood of an injured fish.  Both colors are equally sharp although I have found a few hook points that needed some touching up with a sharpener.  It could be due to the way they’re packaged loosely in the container.  The Owners by comparison, are packaged carefully so they don’t move around and the points don’t touch anything so they are always very sharp.

Corrosion resistance has been impressive.  I always rinse and dry my lures well after using them and have not yet noticed corrosion on any hook.  The packaging on the 25-packs says the hooks are made in France.  I’m assuming the cost of producing hooks in Europe is much higher than in China, and hooks’ quality is much better so it’s surprising they are priced so well.