# Gamakatsu Hook BROKEN!!



## HANeal (Nov 8, 2009)

THEY BREAK! It has been mentioned on other websites that they break and this hook cost me a fish of a lifetime. I was fishing in the Ohio River just below the RC Byrd dam and hooked up to a fish that frankly scared me because it pulled so hard.I was pretty excited because this same pool of water produced a new state record Blue Cat this spring. I was worried that my gear may not hold up to this fish. I had a caught a 35-40 pound catfish just 2 weeks ago and this fish was pulling and felt like it was 50 pounds plus. I got the fish within 10 feet of the boat, just about to get it up where I could take a look at it and "POW" something broke!!!! I reeled in and behold, a broken hook just below the barb. I even have the footage on my GoPro. And to top it off my fishing partner hooked a flathead cat (about 12#) an hour later and brought it in and his hook had broken in THE SAME SPOT!!! He was fortunate enough to land his fish. So, if you want to lose fish, buy these hooks. The package comes filled with heartbreak and sadness.

If you have had a bad experience with Gamakatsu please reply. I just want everyone to be aware of the issues these hooks have. By the way, the hook was a #6 circle hook.


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## Salmonid (Apr 14, 2004)

this has been round and round on many boards and the official story is that there were a older batch of Gamas that had some issues supposedly, but that it has been fixed. 

With that said ive used Gamas for the last 10 years exclusively and never broke one yet but seen several broken hooks on my boat from various other hook manufacturers including Gamas. No hook is safe if you don't get a good hookset into the soft part of the mouth. 

In all reality it sucks you lost a great fish but if the hook broke just below the barb, you more then likely hooked the fish where the point was into a bone and did not get deep penetration and when the hook pulls real hard the whole pressure of the entire fish is exactly on a small slightly narrower point of the hook where it is slightly weaker then the thickest part of the shaft. That being said, Im positive that just about any other #6 circle would have broke in the same spot. 
There are some videos about the amount of force to break a hook when only the tip is buried into something vs a deep hook set, the results will shock you. If I remember they tested several companies and all broke but at varying amounts of force and 2 hooks from the same bag broke at all different levels. 

My suggestion is to upgrade to 8/0 circles in the future, if your panning on hooking into bigger fish on a regular basis. There are bigger hooks avaialable but many of the ones listed as 9/0 or even 10/0 are really the same size as the 8/0 Gamas so be sure to look closely at them and NEVER buy bulk gamas off the web, they are always cheap aftermarket copys. Only buy them in the 6 or 25 pack bags.

Salmonid


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## whodeynati (Mar 12, 2012)

I've never personally had a problem. Although when the 1st one does break I'll be cursing! 
Upload a link to video when you get it.


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## tmitchell91 (Jun 10, 2014)

HANeal said:


> The package comes filled with heartbreak and sadness.
> 
> Best description ever lol


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## Cajunsaugeye (Apr 9, 2013)

Actually,when I was up at Lake Erie a few weeks ago smallie fishing,I had 3 in a row break.just below the barb.Never had seen anything like it.Did make me switch out all my drop shot hooks though.

Sent from my VS870 4G using Ohub Campfire mobile app


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## Skip2myalou (Apr 2, 2013)

Gama's are overrated. I switched about 6 years ago and have never looked back. Don't like the offset eye either (but thats personal preference).

Try an Eagle Claw 2004 in 8/0. Much much better hook IMO. Tie directly shank, not eye. Have never had one break and landed 5 fish over 60 on them


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## Salmonid (Apr 14, 2004)

Skip, I don't think Gamas are overated as they are exactly what you pay for. they are about 2/3rd the way up the price range for hooks and are they better then basic Eagle Claws?, yup, are they better then the Wal mart Mustads? yup but as you spend more for hooks you get a better quality of steel and finish on the hook. If you wanna pay for Owners, VMC, Team Katfish, or even the top of the line Mustads, youll probably get a better hook but for a standard hook that is medium priced, and found everywhere, I think they are a great hook. My tourney partner doesn't like em although its because he thinks they are too expensive and never really tried them, he uses all sorts of cheaper hooks and for the most part, our hookup ratios are the same ( always 3/0-8/0 circles) so I guess whatever hook you are using, and have confidence in, that's the best one to use for each person. 

I have watched tons of folks get on the " I hate gamma Hooks" bandwagon over the years but me and many of my friends have never had any problems with them

Salmonid


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## Skip2myalou (Apr 2, 2013)

Sal, I agree with the price range point. I love team catfish (notice the non-offset eye) but at a buck a piece, they are too pricey. 

The Eagle Claw 2004 is my preferred hook based on quality and cost. A bag of 50 will set you back 18.99. I am seriously about the non-offset eye though. A circle hook, to work effectively, needs a pivot point. If you run a non-offset down and tie to shank, it creates that natural pivot. When I started drifting, I had too many rods go down hard with a blue and the hook not set (with gama's). I read an article on how the circle action was designed and why you should never tie to the eyelet. Tried it out, and my hook rate that summer went from 80 percent to over 95 percent. They are great for anytime you are strictly fishing blues (drifting and winter time). But if you are targeting flatheads too, I like the gama better. For strictly flatheads I switch to a big kahle.

The reason a circle is offset is to try and create the pivot point. Still can't compare to the non-offset tied to shank.


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## todd61 (Nov 22, 2009)

I've been using Gamas for several years and have caught quite a few cats in the 30 and 40 lb range. I have never had one break. About the only size I use is 6/0.


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## Salmonid (Apr 14, 2004)

Skip, I assume your snelling those hooks with the straight eye, correct? 

I do know what you mean, sometimes a blue will crush a rod when vertical drifting and not get hooked and your like WTF???? LOL

When I troll or drag for lake channels my partner snells and I do not, Zero difference in hookup ratios and if anything, I think mine may be a bit better, and I typically use the offset eyes for those in a 5/0-7/0 ( improved clinch knot) and I do typically snell my vertical drifting rigs with a straight eye with Gama 8/0's 
My problem is the blues are just few enough between its hard to tell if one way is better then the next and like you said, with vertical drifting on the Ohio, I would say my hookup ratio is somewhere between 80-90% but some days they nip and other days they crush it, too hard to tell on a consistent basis. 

Good info all the way around!
Salmonid


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## HANeal (Nov 8, 2009)

Thanks for all the reply and suggestions. I recently started targeting the big cats and as with anything there is a learning curve and I'll be buying top o the line (pun intended) hooks from now on.

Cajun: were those Gamas that broke on you?



Cajunsaugeye said:


> Actually,when I was up at Lake Erie a few weeks ago smallie fishing,I had 3 in a row break.just below the barb.Never had seen anything like it.Did make me switch out all my drop shot hooks though.


Skip: I looked up the Eagle Claw 2004 on Amazon and 2 reviews show the 50 count package only had 28-29 hooks in each one. Where do you source yours from?


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## M.Magis (Apr 5, 2004)

You could fish with Gamas for the rest of your life and never have another break. Or you could have a "Top of the line" hook break with the first fish you hook. Any hook, particularly chemically sharpened hooks, can occasionally break. It happens, and it sucks, but blaming the brand and switching gear every time something goes wrong is not going to catch you more or bigger fish. The absolute biggest mistake rookie catmen make is worrying too much about having the "perfect " gear and tackle, and not worrying enough about becoming better fishermen.


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## HANeal (Nov 8, 2009)

Even as a "rookie catman" (I've only been fishing for 40 years or so but just started targeting the really big cats) I know that the hook is the direct link between me and my prey. If a particular brand is known for failures, then I'll spend the extra for the best hooks I can get. Besides the Eagle Claws are made in the USA and that's good enough reason to ditch the Gamas.


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## Bad Bub (Jan 17, 2006)

The reason the hook breaks, is because it is forged not to bend. Everything has a failure point. What magis was referring to is learning the limits of your equipment, and how to make that work to your favor. An 8' extra heavy rod and 80# braid isn't going to do you any good with a hook designed to fail at 40#. Maybe the rest of your equipment needs adjusted, not the hook.... now, on another note, if you want a stronger hook, see what the salt water market has to offer. Trokar (american made) released a line of stupid heavy circle and live bait hooks last year that are basically designed for shark fishing.


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## HANeal (Nov 8, 2009)

I'm using a Abu 5500 reel spooled with 25# mono, and a 7' Penn slammer rod which has enough backbone to land just about anything I'll catch in the Ohio River. I realize the 25# mono may be a bit light and am still in the "adjusting" phase of my "rookie career".

Again, I appreciate all the feedback!


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## barillms (Aug 28, 2013)

Eagle Claw King Kahles.... 9/0 never look back. If I was forced to use a circle... It would be a Mustard Demon Circle 10/0. Gamma hooks are overpriced. No way am I paying $8 for 5 hooks. I can get 50 giant king Kahles for $19


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## M.Magis (Apr 5, 2004)

You&#8217;ll discover that targeting trophy cats is basically an entirely different game than just catfishing in general. Gamakatsu hooks are one of the most widely used hooks for catfishermen, therefor you&#8217;re going to hear about more of them breaking than most others. I prefer Eagle Claw myself, and could tell you stories of broken lines because of jagged edges in the eyes. We didn&#8217;t just up and declare the entire brand junk, we switched to a new box and paid attention in the future. My point being, there&#8217;s always the possibility of equipment failure. If you dwell on every one you&#8217;ll never have confidence in your gear. There&#8217;s plenty of other good hook brands out there, so by all means , switch to one you feel more comfortable with. Just understand that every time you change part of your tackle, there&#8217;s going to be part of you that&#8217;s wondering if it&#8217;ll hold up. The most successful trophy fishermen have complete confidence in the gear they use, because they&#8217;ve used it countless times before. For a lot of people, that includes Gamakatsu hooks. Until hook manufacturers start scanning every single hook, there&#8217;s going to be some bad ones get through. And as Bad Bud mentioned, a hook that&#8217;ll pull up a compact car is overkill when paired with a rod/reel/line that won&#8217;t. I tend to prefer a smaller, lighter wire hook, and not the chemically sharpened type that tend to be more brittle. Using a hook much too large is usually worse than using a hook that is too small.


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## fallen513 (Jan 5, 2010)

i don't use Gamas.


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## fishfray (Jul 19, 2012)

I had a 3/0 Gam. Octopus circle break on me while fighting a striped bass in Maine. I am amazed that the hook broke before the 12 lb leader did.


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## fishdealer04 (Aug 27, 2006)

That sucks that you lost a nice fish due to tackle failure, but like some of the other guys have said that is going to happen. Sometimes its your line, sometimes its a hook, or a swivel, or a rod, or whatever it may be. I have had Gama's break, I have had Eagle Claws break and I have had tips of Mustad's break off. I have also had issues with other hooks bending or the tip breaking off. However with all of those breaks only once has it been on a fish and the rest it has been on a snag where I was able to pull it free (I use 30 lb mono main line). I have caught more fish on Gamas than any other hook though and I wouldn't stop using them because I broke one or two. If you want a really good hook then go with an Owner- never broken one of those but you also pay a lot for them. Is it worth spending the extra money? Maybe but when you snag so much on the river then it starts to get expensive between that and the lead you lose and everything else.


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## BMustang (Jul 27, 2004)

HANeal said:


> I'm using a Abu 5500 reel spooled with 25# mono, and a 7' Penn slammer rod which has enough backbone to land just about anything I'll catch in the Ohio River. I realize the 25# mono may be a bit light and am still in the "adjusting" phase of my "rookie career".
> 
> Again, I appreciate all the feedback!


25# is ample. I use 17# and have caught plenty of 25-30 pound lake and river fish and have never had line issues. HOWEVER, I have had fish run me into something where I couldn't budge him out from, but even then even 100#would not help you in that situation.

Remember the old adage, "Fish don't break line, Fishermen do!" Most often that is the case.


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## Snyd (May 5, 2004)

I don,t use gamakatsu hooks but growing up on the Ohio River as a kid I have lost countless fish but not because the hook broke. That stinks! Growing up I fished the Racine Dam a lot for big cats and have had a number of big fish on to where I couldn't move them. You think at first you have a snag until it all of a sudden starts to move.


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## sherman51 (Apr 12, 2011)

you can always end up with a few bad hooks no matter what brand you use. I was trolling up on lake eries central basin using challenger lures worm harnesses. I had just put all new lures on the left side of my boat. I got a hit and started reeling it in, it was a horse and I was using a 20# seaguar leader. about half way in the fish was gone. I reeled it in and the bottom hook had broken. I hadn't much more than got that line back in the water with another new harness when another hog hit it. about half way in the fish gave a tug and was gone. sure enough another broken hook. I still sometimes use the challenger worm harnesses and have never had another broken hook.

I mostly use gale force tackle harnesses that I have custom made. I send them 2/0 gamakatsu wide gap walleye hooks and have them make up my harnesses with double blades and the 2/0 gamakatsu hooks and I have never had one break. but then im only catching a few 8# to 12# walleyes on good days.
sherman


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## kritterkare (Jul 30, 2014)

when I lived in Colorado I spent a winter tying flies for Walleye and Bass, many on jig hooks from Bass Pro, not the big store just a small shop with a large selection of bulk plastics. 
When the early spring Smallmouth season turned on I found I was breaking off on rocks and snags often and occasionally on bigger fish like carp, during the 2 or so week period of big Smallies I was breaking hooks on most bass over 14" or 16" and after loosing a few fish over 18" I took a pair of pliers and found the hooks to be brittle.

I had hundreds of dollars of flies in different sizes deemed to be worthless and took my left over hooks to the store and the guy there used pliers and fond the same thing, very brittle and he went to the back room and in disbelief started breaking hooks of different sizes from the massive bags they came in. He said he had no complaints likely cause people would pour their on lead on the hooks and my lead eyes and cones did not protect them as the breaks happened at the bend.


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## GARNERMAN357 (Jan 22, 2010)

I have had this happen with several companies but never gama and Trokar hooks. I bass fish and never have fished with circle hooks thou. Sounds like a bad case of cheap metal or poor workmanship on some. I bought I case of tube jigs with eagle claw hooks and all of them would snap with a hook set. Just bad luck I guess.


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## jwfish (Jan 28, 2005)

I have used Gmas for years and have no had a problem yet with them have caught bluecat up to 80lbs on them and many over fifty down on the james in Virginia. it could be what one of he post said that the hook was not all the way set a just the point was in.


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## BottomBouncer (Jan 20, 2005)

HANeal said:


> THEY BREAK! It has been mentioned on other websites that they break and this hook cost me a fish of a lifetime. I was fishing in the Ohio River just below the RC Byrd dam and hooked up to a fish that frankly scared me because it pulled so hard.I was pretty excited because this same pool of water produced a new state record Blue Cat this spring. I was worried that my gear may not hold up to this fish. I had a caught a 35-40 pound catfish just 2 weeks ago and this fish was pulling and felt like it was 50 pounds plus. I got the fish within 10 feet of the boat, just about to get it up where I could take a look at it and "POW" something broke!!!! I reeled in and behold, a broken hook just below the barb. I even have the footage on my GoPro. And to top it off my fishing partner hooked a flathead cat (about 12#) an hour later and brought it in and his hook had broken in THE SAME SPOT!!! He was fortunate enough to land his fish. So, if you want to lose fish, buy these hooks. The package comes filled with heartbreak and sadness.
> 
> If you have had a bad experience with Gamakatsu please reply. I just want everyone to be aware of the issues these hooks have. By the way, the hook was a #6 circle hook.


I've had the same issue. Had a 8/0 break on a flathead. It broke right under the barb. Granted I was using tackle that was way overkill.
However, using 30/30 spinning tackle in the gulf I broke a 4/0 gama right under the eye.

If I use gamas for big fish I step up to 4X hooks. I have also started using Owner Mutu lights and various other style Owners. I had a huge Bonito down in the gulf kick my butt pretty good on light spinning gear (Stradic 5000/Ugly Stik). I was using a 1/0 Mutu Light and even with the drag tightened down this tiny hook didn't bend at all.

That was all the proof I needed. From now on Gamas are out. Owner is in. Also had great success with Daichi hooks.


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## fallen513 (Jan 5, 2010)

They have a problem with the geometry/method they use to cut the barb. It creates stress concentration that fractures the hardened steel. Takes a really big fish or an undersized hook...or a snag. It happens though, a lot. I've had a half dozen or more break in the same location. Ultimately I still tie flies on them due to their value and sharpness. I just inspect them regularly where otherwise I would not have to.


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## diehardbucfan2013 (Apr 19, 2013)

For all the people on here talking about having confidence in your hooks. What if said hook company cheapens the process in which they make and sharpen the hooks just to save a buck? Am I suppose to remain confident then? Not trying to be a [email protected]$$ either. Just trying to make a point. I used gamas for years and never had any trouble with them. And then the year before last I started having a lot of fish spit the hook on me before I could get them in. And started noticing a lot of the tips either bending or breaking. That's not something I ever had a problem with in the years before that. So I decided to make the switch. I now use nothing but Owner hooks and Team Catfish hooks. And I don't have any issues out of either. In the end I do want to have confidence in my gear. And whether gamas got their issues fixed or not. I no longer have any confidence in them. I'll also say that in the end I bet any of you that I spend less on hooks in buying the better quality ones than you do buying the cheaper ones. I bought $100 in hooks in February of last year. And have used about half of them. And I catfish 2-3 days a week for most of the year. Those more expensive hooks are more durable. And stay sharper longer. Just something to think about.


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