Yet another question for you guys. I’ve never really poured my own jigs….hate to paint em. But I’ve been using a lot of unpainted jigs lately and have been doing fine with them, so I’m starting to get a few molds here and there. My question is this: what advantage/disadvantage do sickle hooks have to regular hooks? Why and when would you use a sickle over the regular style? Thanks in advance, guys.
I’ve been pouring my own jigs for years. I like being able to pour jigs a guy just can’t buy at the tackle shop. With some minor mold modifications you can also make some fairly unique stuff.
ANYWAYS, I tried the Sickle hooks a couple years ago and have never looked back. They do have some pros and cons to them however.
Pros – They are crazy sharp (chemicaly sharpened)right out of the box! Those things stay pretty sharp too compared to the other lower priced jig hooks out there like the Eagle Claws and Mustads. NOTHING wrong with the ECs and Mustads and I still use them on occasion.
Another thing I like about them is the Sickle bend itself. When casting or jigging with a jig/minnow set up the minnow does’nt ride up on the hook as much as the regular round bend jig hooks do at times. I like these hooks for bucktails too as the minnow seems to ride just a tad higher than the regular round bends.
I don’t know, maybe I’m too picky about things (like where a minnow rides on a jig) but somtimes it’s the little things that can make all the difference between catching fish vs just taking a boat ride. LOL
The price. You get a decent (NOT the best)hook for the money.By that I mean they are (IMO) as good as the ECs and Mustads but not as good as the higher end jig hooks like the VMCs,Owners etc.
Cons – Duds, or that’s what I call them. No matter which of the lower end jig hooks I’ve bought there always seems to be a few duds (miss shaped hooks) in each box I’ve bought. In about every box of 100 jig hooks of the ECs and Mustads I always seem to get 1-5 hooks that are just plain unusable. That dud rate seems to go up with the Sickle hooks to about twice that rate. Personaly,I can live with that since I’m not paying top dollar for a premium brand hook.
Another con- Somtimes the wire the hooks are made of can be inconsitant. Some hooks are stiff while others can be (for lack of a better word) soft. By soft I mean they bend easily. I check that after I pour a batch and am cutting off the sprue. I give the jig a little bend side to side checking for soft wire. It’s pretty easy to do and easy to tell the softer wire jigs from the solid ones. Soft wire jigs never see anyones tackle box if I can help it.
As for painting jigs, go with the powder paints. No mess,no odor and you can fish them right away if you want = no drying time.
Bottom line for me is,for my bread and butter every day jig I like them. I suggest you try a box of 100 and see for yourself.
Mind you,I’m no expert at jig making but if you have any more questions I’d be happy to help you out if I can.
Amen with the powder paint, that stuff is amazing 
and extremely easy to use
Great detailed responce Geeman!
Geeman,
Thanks very much for a great response with lots of info. I never thought about the minnow situation you describe…but I believe it. It’s little things like that, that really do make a difference at times. I think I will order a few packs of sickles and see how they treat me.
And ya Zach, the powder paints are the only way to go, I agree. They are easy to use and I think take a little bit more abuse, too. I’m just lazy and don’t want to take the time to mess with em! 
Let the pouring begin…..gotta find a way to get thru this CRAPPY weather this week somehow.
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