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I actually question sharpening hooks for fishing. If a brand of hook is not sharp enough, don't use them! If you sharpen a hook, then you are actually increasing the chance of the extra sharpened hook cutting or pulling its way free, potentially increasing hookpulls. Add to that, obviously you know that you the finer the point the more chance of it being blunted, or bending over. I don't think that my hooks need sharpening, I use them straight out the packet. A few years ago now, I put a hook on a rig, and cast it out. That hook caught me a 26lb mirror. I then took that same rig back to a local water, where it was used again, and landed a load more fish until I eventually lost or blunted it. In between fish it was rebaited, recast no sharpening. Since then I have landed hundreds of fish from a variety of waters on hooks straight out of the packet. As an aside for you, ask yourself, you know some tackle is sold to make money for tackle manufacturers, there is no need for it; how much do I really need to sharpen hooks so going out and buying a hook sharpening kit...

The sharpening kit I got is by Pinpoint Hooks, they also do a product called an "end game marker" specifically designed for the shiney bit created by sharpening hooks to stop glint and corrosion. You get 3 in a pack, green brown and black, for about a tenner so not much more than a few sharpies and designed for the job. The hooks look good coloured up. Not tried one in a lake yet, so will report back later in the week when I've had a chance to get one wet.

Do it!!! Sent from my LG-H955 using Tapatalk

Arguments for and against as with everything. Apart from when fishing with the hook likely to be in amongst the gravel, I can't see why you wouldn't want the sharpest hook possible. Looking through a pack of ten hooks, previously I'd chuck a couple that didn't come up to standard. Now these can all be used. I'm not saying a decent sharp hook out of the pack won't catch fish. Of course it will, we've all been doing it from the birth of fishing until recently, but I think it's generally accepted that for every actual run, our hook bait is being picked up multiple times, anything we can do to get the number of runs closer to the number of pick ups has to be good. Think it was Kevin Nash that said when he started sharpening hooks the first thing he noticed was different hook holds. Some were in the bottom lip, some weren't. The logic being that previously any pickup where the hook doesn't act exactly as we would like and flip into the ideal position would result in the bait being dealt with without a bleep. With sharper hooks these takes were catching and resulting in fish. On a lake where your bait is going to get picked up 20 times in a day resulting in 5 or so fish, probably not too much of a problem. If you're getting picked up once or twice in a week if your lucky, if you can up your odds of converting a pick up to a run its a big deal. Not gonna revolutionise your fishing, sure. But little improvements add up.

I have been toying with the idea of using paste for a while now, the biggest problem is the distance I'm casting and whether the paste would stay on or not. I've looked at various method feeders and paste bombs but I need to know the paste has stayed on, through the cast and when it hits the water. The idea is to do one cast only, and get as much attraction as possible for that one cast. Plus my rig can be fully broken down to accommodate a number of other applications. This is my normal lead set up I can just simply swap the lead over for a midi spomb without needing a third rod. This morning I was having a browse round the tackle shop, looking at various feeders, they were either to small or too bulky to reach the distance required. Then I spotted some drennan distance bombs. The idea is not the traditional idea of letting the paste spill off the feeder, I want to keep the paste in its original form for as long as possible. It just needs to be slowly leaching of attractors. This is what I will try out I may have to change the internal workings to cope with casting, but I think these will be perfect as long as I can reach where I need to be

its too much trouble trying to get them dead level bud

I've got some grease to stop corrosion. Also got the green brown and black marker pens which stop the corrosion and the glint from the exposed metal. Done 3 packs so far. Definitely addictive!

Should be fine. One thing I will say, Drennan Supplex is not the best hooklink to use though. I spent a lot of time last week changing hooklinks, it got curly very easily!

Why not test it and be sure it does melt? I know numbers of anglers who have retrieved rigs after hours in the lake and the PVA still hasn't dissolved.

Concrete it is then

i have had the idea of having a level concrete pad to take around with me that i can use to put my pod on, i have a good 3 wheel barra now so the weight shouldnt be a problem. think that would work?? :mrgreen:

I have never stated anywhere that I am not an idiot

I level mine then give em a little nudge to make them look more old school

In fact I may employ a subcontractor just to make sure

I was considering buying a laser level, maybe a tape measure just to make sure.

Why do you care what anyone else thinks?