The Great Aberdeen Hook Test

The Great Aberdeen Hook Test

Jan 20, 2019

This blog is paired to a Facebook page, “Palmetto Fly N Fish” and one of the group members, Mark Fishburn Jr., recently asked about low cost, readily available hooks for tying some bass streamers.

I went out on a limb and said, "Why not just use a large Aberdeen? They’re low cost, widely available, and they come in a wide range of sizes.

Just get you some of the whopper sized Aberdeen hooks, because it's bass, and because these hooks get stronger as their wire diameter increases in size." 

I also mentioned that they have a piercing, sharp point, which helps with the tough mouth of a bass. That's a biggie, in my book.

I Was Ignorant
Now, I usually stay out of, "which hook is best" discussions, because they often turn into a Chevy vs. Ford sort of exchange. 

Each person swears by their pet brand of hook, and maybe we get somewhere - and maybe not.
I only offered my two cents because when I started this warm water fly fishing game, I didn't know about the rules for hooks.
I didn't know I must only use certain hooks for certain things; I should use THESE... but not those. 
Oh no, not THOSE.
It just isn't done. 
It just isn't right

So, when I started out tying flies, I used the Aberdeens because they are what I had, and they worked...I caught fish and was none the wiser.

Only later did I discover I had been breaking all rules of hooks.
My ignorance was bliss, I suppose. 

Weak Hooks and Bass

To no one's surprise, however, suggesting Aberdeen hooks for largemouth bass got some "vigorous" comments, most of which suggested that such hooks are too weak for bass.

Too weak? Well, they're not forged in Valhalla's sacred fires by Norwegian gnomes, I'll admit that. 
But, I'd never had any bass complain, so I had to disagree.

See, I reckon we're talking about the average freshwater, largemouth bass here, which isn't exactly a leviathan of the deep.

1 - 3 lbs. is about the average catch weight, for average fly anglers banging the shore weeds and docks. These are what Buck Perry used to call, "tournament fish,” ..... get 5 and you might win the tournament.

If you're lucky, a 3-6 pound fish is still hanging around the shallows by the time you get there, and most of us would call that a trophy.

Fish in the 6-10 lb. class certainly do exist, somewhere, too, so that's a remote possibility on the fly. 
They're the stuff of legend and we mostly dream it'll be us that gets one...
Even so, we're happy with tournament fish caught off a fallen tree, in three feet of water.

But, Pandora's Box was open, now... and these questions arose:

"So, how strong a hook DO you need?"

"Can an Aberdeen in the larger size ranges actually work for tying bass flies?"

"Will the pillars of the earth collapse if you try it?"

To get answers to these questions, I rigged a little experiment.

THE GREAT ABERDEEN HOOK TEST

Abstract: to determine the failure point of a standard, 10 cent Aberdeen hook.

Materials

- 1 pkg. of 10, Eagle Claw Aberdeen hooks, size 1 @ $1.17USD

- 30 lb test line

- Luggage scale

It says "panfish"

  

What you get

The scale

Method

1. Select a hook at random from the package.

2. Use the 30 lb. line to tie a Double Improved Clinch Knot to the eye.

3. Tie a Double Surgeons loop 18" above the hook.

4. Affix line and hook to the luggage scale.

5. Tare the luggage scale at zero.

6. Weigh random stuff around the house.

(All weights in pound increments)

Results

I started by zeroing the scale with no weight.
Then I grabbed the first, fish-heavy thing I could find - an antique, wooden RC Cola crate. 

I poked the point of the test hook into the crate, and lifted it clear of the table, free-hanging.
The scale read 4.70 lbs of weight on the hook point and bend.

This was double checked afterward, with just the crate being weighed.

So far, so good.

And the hook held the crate, no problem. 
Really, the old crate felt pretty heavy to me; if that was a fish weighing that much, I'd be bragging all over Facebook about it.

Next, I moved to the kitchen and hooked into the bench at the dining table. I lifted one end of the bench a foot off the floor, placing 10.83 lbs of weight directly on the hook point.

It held.

I don't catch many benches out on the lake, but this was a good omen.

Now, to be fair, the hook started to bend a little at that weight.

So that's where I quit.

I might have made it to 13 lbs if I babied the thing, but that's not what I wanted. 
I sought an indication of failure, without any fudging, and I got that.
It was flexing at 11 lbs of static weight.

Its Not All Bad

But bending under pinpoint tension of this type might not be so bad, either,... if your fly gets snagged on, say, an underwater branch. 

As long as your leader and tippet can take it, you may very well pull that hook out of the snag. Then you can bend it back and go back to fishing.
Frankly, I'd be more concerned about my leader or tippet under that kinda strain.

Seriously, I can't count the number of large branches, sticks and logs I've hauled in, using those same, "wimpy" Aberdeen's.

--------------------------------------

SECONDARY FINDINGS: CATS
My testing also revealed that weighing house cats in this manner is a bad idea. 

I put a strap around our kitty, Haggard, and lifted him up.
Within a few seconds, this "average," 3 lb., house cat went from, "...pet me," to, "Hell No!" 
He became downright unwilling to participate in any more of these shenanigans.

Take it from me - don't waste your time weighing cats. 
You end up bleeding, and the cat runs off to lick his butt.
I swear I heard him laughing. 

-----------------------------------------

UPDATE ON CATS: OCT 21. 2021

While we're on the subject of cats, Mike Whitehurst here in South Carolina wants to dispel the idea idea that these Aberdeen hooks aren't strong enough for anything serious...

"I went perch fishing this morning. Got lucky, and landed this cat on 8 lb test and #2 gold hook (Aberdeen). Weighed in at 20.6 lbs! And I talked to a buddy of mine that uses them for red fish!"

Other Factors
Okay, back to the Great Aberdeen Hook Test.
It should be reinforced at this stage that all of this hanging weight was placed directly on the hook point, and supported by the bend only.

In a fishes mouth, the hook won't be forced to carry the stress directly on the point, only. It'll be cradled against tissue and bone, and the line will be carrying some of the stress, pressing against the fishes mouth, etc.

I made no attempt to duplicate this, as I was conducting an abuse-to-fail test of the hook itself.

The Spring Factor

Another element I didn't duplicate was the cushioning effect of rod - line - leader, and tippet.

Together, these elements form a giant spring-like buffer. 
I think of this inter-connected system as a shock absorber - one which takes up much of the stress of a hooked fish on the fly.
I call it the "The Spring Factor."

This is a dynamic scheme, one which gives and takes with the action. It's one of the main reasons that people like Mike Whitehurst are able to land really big fish on very light tackle.

A Conclusion

So precisely how much stress does a #1 Aberdeen hook suffer, under a real-world catch scenario?

I have no idea. Not precisely.

However, logic suggests that when all the elements are factored into the real world of catching fish, the stress isn't as great as under a direct, static weight test like this. 

In my original comments to Mark, I threw out a challenge: 

If he lost a five pound bass because a large Aberdeen like this bent out under the strain, without anything else but the fish on the line (no weeds, not caught in a branch etc.), then I would buy him lunch.

But, now that I've run this test, I've also added this...

"And if that fish DOESN'T bend the hook and you land it, well,... I like extra onions and pickles on my cheeseburgers."

Thank you so much for reading, and Tight Lines,

David Hutton

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