For a long time, it seemed, one fish hook was as good as the next. Oh sure, a few new shapes came out, some fancy colors hit the market, and the marketing wizards discovered that hooks sell better when an odd number is placed in each package.

Unfortunately none of these breakthroughs made fish hooks work better.

But the world of fish hooks has changed dramatically. If you haven't shopped for fish hooks lately, take a serious look. You'll be amazed. Several manufacturers are producing what I collectively call premium quality hooks that must be used to be fully appreciated. These hooks go beyond the average and are exceptional in quality.

Imagine landing almost every fish you stick a hook into. Impossible? Read on and find out for yourself how the premium hooks of today can make you a better fisherman.

What makes a premium hook better than ordinary hooks? A lot goes into making the perfect fish hook. Obviously the hooks must be sharp. The chemical sharpening processes used on modern fish hooks produce fish traps that are sticky sharp right out of the package. Many hooks feature a knife-edge cutting surface that significantly increases penetration.

Fish hooks also need to be lightweight but strong. New metal alloys such as VMC's Vanadium and improved tempering methods including Mustad's "austempered" process make for hooks that are up to 30 percent lighter and stronger than ordinary hooks.

Lighter, sharper, and stronger; collectively these features add up to a lot better hook. Toss in some unique design (shape) characteristics and specialty uses and it's easy to see how these new premium hooks can actually achieve the claims they are making.

Treble Hooks

Some of the greatest hook advancements have come with trebles. Anyone who has fished a crankbait knows that despite all the dangling trebles, fish have an amazing knack for throwing the bait.

Not anymore. I highly recommend three different brands of premium treble hooks including VMC's Barbarian Vanadium Cone Cut, Mustad's Triple Grip, and Heddon's Excalibur. Each of these hooks are super sharp and feature a special shape and/or design that delivers superior hooking and holding ability.

The VMC Barbarian is made from Vanadium steel--a very strong and lightweight alloy that allows these hooks to be amazingly thin. Designed with the barb on the outside of the hook arm, these hooks penetrate better because they are so thin and hold with a reliability you won't find with ordinary hooks. Also available in a barbless version, the VMC Barbarian hooks are available as standard equipment on Reef Runner Tackle crankbaits or as aftermarket items.

The Mustad Triple Grip is a wide-bend style treble hook that significantly reduces a fish's ability to throw the hook. Designed to provide more hooking power at the point, the harder a fish fights the deeper the hook penetrates. Available in both a long- and short-shank version, fishermen will find Triple Grip hooks on select Fred Arbogast baits including the A.C. Plug, Phydeaux, Blooper, Mud Bud, Fat Fred, and Flat Fred lures. Triple Grip hooks are also available as aftermarket items for use as replacement trebles on any crankbait or spoon.

Heddon's Excalibur treble hook features an off-set bend that enables the hook point to stick and penetrate with amazing success. These sticky sharp hooks also tend to rotate in the fish's mouth, causing additional hooks to contact and penetrate the fish. Available as standard equipment on a wide variety of Rebel, Bomber, Smithwick, and other PRADCO brand lures, Excalibur hooks are also sold as aftermarket items.

Single Hooks

Bass and walleye anglers benefit the most from premium quality hooks. A wide variety of hooks are available for walleye anglers who fish live bait and bass anglers who fish soft plastic lures.

Fenwick recently entered the hook market with their Triple Sharpened series of hooks. Made from HC80 carbon steel, these hooks receive a multiple-step mechanical sharpening process. Bass anglers can choose from an offset worm hook or barded worm hook. Walleye anglers will appreciate Fenwick's Aberdeen and offset bend Octopus-style hooks when fishing crawlers, leeches, or minnows.

Mustad offers more styles of premium hooks than just about any company. The entire Pro Select series of hooks are winners. Bass anglers will want to check out the new Mega-Bite worm hook that features an extra wide bend and offset shank. Walleye anglers should check out the Walleye Snell, a fine wire finesse hook attached to a seven-foot, eight-pound-test monofilament leader. These snells are an excellent pre-tied rig for fishing leeches, minnows, or split shotting with crawlers.

VMC's Vanadium Z Gap is about as unique as hooks get for fishing plastic grubs, tubes, craws, and worms. This wide-bend hook accepts interchangeable clip-on weights available in 1/4-, 3/16-, 1/8-, and 1/16-ounce sizes. Walleye and steelhead anglers will find the Vanadium Sure Set hooks are ideal for snelling, rigging crawler harnesses, or for spawn sacs.

Berkley's Gold Point Worm Hook features a power barb that's located on the outside of the hook shank and low-friction Xylan coating that makes for easy penetration. These hooks are available in both a straight and offset version in sizes 1 to 5/0.

Owner's model 5137 Rig N' Hook is ideal for bass fishing with plastic lures and the model 5230 Walleye Snell features a feather-light hook with a hot-glow shank and 40-inch monofilament leader. Both hooks are premium quality in every sense of the word.

Gamakatsu hooks recently introduced the EWG (extra wide gap) Offset Worm Hook that has quickly become a standard among bass anglers who flip plastic baits into heavy cover. Available in sizes 1/0 to 5/0, this unique hook reaches through thick craw bodies and grubs and sticks bass on the hook set.

These are just a few of the premium hooks that await anglers. Quality time, the type we cherish for fishing, is a commodity most of us don't have enough of. You may not have much time to fish, but with these new hooks you'll make better use of every bite.