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Print versionTested: Sakuma Manta Hooks
Sakuma hooks have been around quite a few years now and within the specimen angling fraternity - shore and boat, I daresay there isn’t an angler who doesn’t have some, or had some, in his tackle box... and that’s a review in itself!
Hooks and lines are always things that I’ve not been scared to spend good money on. At the end of the day, in angling’s rawest form, you don’t need a rod and reel to catch fish but what you do need is hooks and lines. So it is common sense that these are the two most important bits of kit we can own.
On my reels I use top quality braid – Power Pro or something similar. For leaders and traces, I nearly always use Fluorocarbon – Seaguar if I can get it. And for hooks, two thirds of my rig wallet is always filled with Sakuma’s.
Ten years ago in the UK, there wasn’t many sea fishing hook brands around, but the last decade has seen a boom in small, specialist hook and end tackle companies, each with some good hooks that suit specific types of angling. Ten years ago my rig wallet would have predominantly been Mustad hooks, in particular the BLN, but today, alongside some Mustad’s, my rig wallet (bare with me whilst I tip it out on my desk) contains some...
Gamakatsu Octopus & Nautilus Circle hooks from 6/0 – 10/0 – these I use for any big fish like conger and sharks. Whilst I’m still in my Circle hook pocket, I also have some Owner SSW Circle hooks from 4/0 – 6/0 – these things work great with live Mackerel for bass! Another good live bait hook that I always carry is the Varivas BMX. Then aside from some ESP Raptor carp hooks, in two sizes – for Mullet and Black Bream, the rest of my rig wallet’s hook pockets are filled with Sakuma Manta’s!
Sakuma Manta 540’s
The Sakuma Manta 540 is a short shank, fine wire Aberdeen which I like in size 2 – 3/0 for catching smaller species, i.e. flatfish and wrasse (and dogs!) etc. For a fine wire Aberdeen, my feelings are that the Manta 540 (and the rest of the Manta range for that matter) must be the strongest of all its competitors! Being Japanese made, they can only be described as ‘Ninja’ sharp too! With the Manta 540, I’m pretty confident that when using natural baits, they’ll hook and hold any fish up to, and over 10lbs which takes in a positive manner.
Sakuma Manta Extra 545’s
The Sakuma Manta 545 is again a short shank, wire Aberdeen, which only differs from the original Manta in that it’s made from a thicker gauge steel, hence the name ‘Manta Extra’. In my rig wallet I keep Manta Extra’s ranging from 3/0 – 6/0 and I specifically like these for our medium sized species, i.e. large flatfish, rays and pollack etc. There’s no doubting that this hook, being thicker and stronger than the standard Manta, will hold any of our biggish species with ease. With the Manta Extra 545, I’m pretty confident that when using live and dead baits, they’ll hook and hold any fish between 10 – 30lbs which takes in a positive manner.
Sakuma Pennel Manta Extra 543’s
The last hook I keep in my rig wallet is the Sakuma Manta 543 Pennel. This again is a short shank Aberdeen with a thick gauge wire but, as the name implies, this hook was specifically designed for Pennel rigs, shore and boat. The Pennel Manta differs in that it has a slightly wider gape and an out-turned eye. The outwards eye helps by keeping the top hook of the pennel rig in line with the snood line, for better bait presentation. I currently like Pennel Manta’s in 6/0 – 8/0 for all my big fish fishing (as a pennel or singly) in UK waters, ranging from big cod to tope. I have even used them Congering. With the Pennel Manta 543, I’m pretty confident that when using large dead baits, they’ll pretty much hook and hold any fish from 20 - 60lbs which takes in a positive manner.
So there you have it – three top quality Aberdeen hooks that will cover nearly all of the bait fishing requirements needed by UK anglers. All made from high quality carbon steel, sharpened to surgical proportions and manufactured by the experts that bought you the Samurai sword!
It’s not hard to see why Sakuma have become a market leader in UK saltwater hooks, plain and simply... the Manta is without doubt one of the best Aberdeen’s around!
Sakuma Manta 540, 543 Pennel & 545 Extra
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