If you want to turn some of those near misses that we all get when salmon fishing into solid hook sets consider upgrading your trebles to these VMC 8540 models.
Of all the things you can do to increase your chances of catching a salmon replacing your hooks with these will make the biggest difference for the least amount of time, money and effort.
Available in Black Nickel, Bronzed and Tin Red. Personally I prefer the black nickel colour. They come in sizes 12, 10, 8, 6, 4, 2, 1 and 1/0. Size 1 and 1/0 are the size to get for salmon fishing. Make no mistake about it: sharp hooks mean you'll catch more salmon.
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The 8540 (pictured top) uses finer steel and a very slim needle sharp point without sacrificing hook strength. The other heavier gage hook is a high carbon model from VMC. It is still a good hook but you have to keep it sharp with a file. It is also heavier and has a fatter point. |
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In this close-up photograph you can see just how fine the cone shaped point is on this VMC 8540 treble. Despite the fine point the hook holds its sharpness for a long time. |
These VMC 8540 trebles have very fine points yet they are super strong. The hook will set more readily and hold better in the hard jaw of a salmon more effectively than ordinary old steel hooks ever will.
They cost about a dollar each making them one of the best tackle investments you'll ever make. They are also lighter which means they cast further and don't dampen the action of the zed spinner as much.
All successful salmon fishing starts with your treble hook. There is no doubt, in my mind, that these razor sharp fine wire hooks will result in more positive salmon hook-ups. It doesn't matter how good your rod and reel are if you are fishing with dull blunt hooks. Use VMC 8540 trebles in sizes 1 and 1/0 to replace the trebles on your ticers and zed spinners. They really will make a difference turning near misses into solid hook-ups!
According to VMC vanadium is a metal too tough to be used pure. Once alloyed with high carbon steel it can be used to make fish hooks that are 25 percent stronger than HC80 carbon steels used in ordinary hooks but offers tremendous performance gains when hardened and tempered properly. Vanadium steel is also more costly to produce.
VMC stands for Viellard Migeon & Compagnie. The company first started making fish hooks in France in 1910 at its ironworks in Grandvillars. Today VMC fish hooks are sold in over 70 countries.
Interestingly you will find that most top Canterbury salmon anglers have changed over to this type of finer vanadium steel hook - Allan Burgess.
