Well I was taken by Gamukastu's suave looks and styles, and the fact every one had a sticker on their car, until I tried to sharpen one that become stuck on a rock while I was Steelhead fishing. They are sharp hooks for sure, and very high carbon. They are tempered so that a thinner wire can be used, but this makes them difficult to sharpen and they don't bend back but rather break (that is called work hardening). If you try to smash you barb you are left with a broken stump that you have to file. Let's look at some results before I continue on.

Mustad above / #4 @ 16lbs. / Gamu Below

This is about as far as a Gamu's will bend where as a Mustad can mostly go beyond 90° to around 135° before coming off the jig. The Gamu's mostly break or shift and slip off. Now I am dealing with weights heavier then most would put on a hook like these, yet take the Mustad @ 16lbs. and this is what a Gamu looks like @ 7-8 lbs., no joke. I use 8,10,12lbs. leaders when Steelhead fishing which would put the Gamu's under stress like above, at times, but I must say I have never lost a fish to a Gamakatsu, I have lost fish to a Daiichi hooks though. In my opinion a Mustad dollar for dollar is the best hook on the market. Gamu's are around $7.00 for a package of 20, where Mustad are $13.00 for a 100 count.

The biggest argument about the Mustad is that it is not as sharp as a Gamakatsu, this is a bad argument. The ability to hold a edge depend on the temper of the metal, a Gamu has a harder temper which allows it to hold a point, yes, better then a Mustad. Yet a Gamu is a SOB to sharpen where with practice a Mustad can become as sharp, if not sharper, as when it was bought with only a couple strokes from a file. I believe the price should be reversed, a Gamu is more a throw away hook then anything else, where a Mustad can keep tickin for a long time.

Tying on a Gamu can be easier at times because of the tapered eye which help eliminate head bulk. Over all they are the same when tying. A Gamu's shape is good for flat wings, Atlantic and spey patterns which make a fly look better to a trained eye. Remember we are trying to catch fish not fishermen.

So strength, good temper and price are great with a Mustad, what's missing, why are Gamakatsu's so hot. Is the finish, the package, the bumper sticker or the name. I don't know, the one thing I do know is the 36890 is the low end hook from Mustad. That right they make even better ones, their signature series and Partridge of Redditch hooks are even better. Maybe it the fact Gamu's are made in Japan and Mustad in Norway.

Well next you bend out, break, dull, or lose that .40cent hook that you swear by I will be bending back, sharpening and not worrying about my .13cent hook. Tight lines, and sharp hooks.

The chart below shows the test result by degree by eye. This method is not as correct as above. Being able to take a picture then measuring the angle is more accurate and I will used it as much as I can.