Good news for those of you who liked using the original Eagle Claw hook from a couple years ago. Like most things in the tackle business, change can be good and bad. Eagle Claw changed the L2004 model hook in 2012 with a new finishing process and added the Needle Point to the tip. Unfortunately the hook did not perform to the liking of many professional crews and as a result many professional billfishing teams started using different brand hooks. Here’s the good news! As of September 2014 Eagle Claw has reintroduced the L2004EL with a forged tip and a new more corrosive resistant finish.
The difference is hard to see from the photograph but the hook on the right has the new “Forged Tip.” The hook on the left is the old style needle point.
The old version(left) has “Needle Point” on the box. The new version of the box is on the right. (We didn’t have access to the same size hook and box)
The new L2004EL forged Eagle Claw hook
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Are you at liberty to let us know what type of problems were being experienced as I still have a large quantity of the old style needle point type and need to weigh up the option of dumping them or not?
Thank you
Dave
Dave, the issue may be overblown a bit but some of the guys fishing in Costa Rica and Mexico where numerous daily bites occur have had poor hookup ratios since the change. The favored hook was the flat black L2004EL, it changed a couple of years ago to a “needle point” with a black nickel finish. They have changed it again for a few reasons. A hard edge on the eye of the hook was causing light leaders to break, light being around 40# fluoro. The tip is also thicker and the barb smaller. The new hook that just came out is the old “forged” tip but with the black nickel finish. We have them in 1000ct boxes but not in the 50ct yet.
Thanks Jim.