Hook sharpening is an 
important skill to learn to do correctly. Sharp hooks are critical to effective fishing. If the proper sharpening techniques are not used then the sharpening efforts can actually make the hook worse.
Hook Sharpening Training Videos
Here are some hook sharpening videos from YouTube. These videos will play on your smartphone so that when you’re out on the boat you can watch the video for a refresher or to train your crew.
Video – How to Sharpen Circle Hooks
The Mustad circle hooks that I buy are generally not very sharp and I was not clear on how to sharpen such a large hook. This video shows a good procedure using an axe file. This will increase the hookup frequency when using circle hooks for halibut. The hook will cut right into the mouth and will not have a chance to slide out.
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Video – Hook Sharpening Tips for Maximum Impact
Gamagatsu and Owner Octopus hooks for cut plugs generally come chemically sharpened and are laser sharp right out of the box. Over time the tips will break off leaving a significantly blunt tip. You can either replace the entire hook or you can sharpen the hook, although, to sharpen the hook you will need to remove a fair bit of material if the tip has broken off. Here is a good video on how to sharpen a salmon hook. As shown in the video the best technique is to angle the hook and sharpen three cutting surfaces into the hook.
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Video – Hook Sharpening for Different Line Classes
This video talks about different techniques depending on the line class. This guy has some good stuff to say. He could definitely use a nail file!
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Hook Sharpeners
When hook sharpening touchups are required there are a variety of hook sharpeners that can be used. For larger sized hooks that require removal of a fair bit of material each time they are sharpened, a larger hook file with a sturdy handle, such as the Luhr Jensen file shown in the image are effective tools. These files are particularly good for halibut and lingcod lures, and for salmon hooks used in cut plug herring rigs. For smaller sized hooks the larger hook file may be too big and may get in the way. Smaller and finer grained stone style sharpeners fill in the gap for hook sharpening on smaller fish hooks. Some of the hook sharpening stones also come with a groove in the center of the stone and this feature makes the stone particularly effective for hook sharpening on smaller sizes of hooks.
If you use a steel type hook file in salt water be prepared for the file to start to rust over time. It is worthy to treat the file with a light oil at the end of each day on the water to protect the sharpening edges. If you coat the file with a light oil and place it into a small, heavy gauge zip lock bag the file will stay in good condition and the oils will not make a mess of your tackle.
Tight Lines…FishinBC.COM!