Fox Edges Armapoint Zig & Floater Hooks

How well is it built?

XC80 vanadium steel is the backbone of this hook, and it's forged to stay strong without adding unnecessary weight. That's what you want on a zig, where a heavy hook would pull a buoyant bait down, and on a floater rig, where every bit of metal sits right at the surface.

The finer wire keeps the hook light and less obvious for those delicate presentations, and the dark, non-reflective coating means there's no bright metal to flash in the upper layers when the sun is out. It's a neat, low-key finish that suits clear water.

To be fair, finer wire is always a trade-off, and it won't have the brute strength of a heavy-wire pattern like the Nash Twister X. For a light zig and floater hook, though, I think the steel and finish make it well built, and 8.5 reflects that.

Sharpness

So, how sharp is it? The point is needle-sharp and straight, and a straight point is built to prick quickly. That suits zig and floater fishing, where a carp often just sucks at the bait and there's no lead to drive the hook home.

A finer wire also takes less force to push through than a thicker one, which helps on a light zig link where there's little weight behind the hook. Once the point is in, the barb helps keep it there if the line falls slack for a moment.

Overall, it's a very sharp hook straight from the packet, and I think 8.5 is fair. The Korda Mixa scores a little higher for its beaked offset point, but there's not much in it, and I'd check either one on a thumbnail after every fish.

Hooking & Hold

The slightly out-turned eye is the key to how this hook sits. An out-turned eye suits a mono hooklink, which is stiffer than most braids, and that should help the hook hang naturally under a zig bait or a floater and turn as the fish moves off.

The same profile also works on a stiff bottom-bait rig.

On the hold, a straight point pricks quickly, but a beaked point tends to stay put better once it's in, and the finer wire is built for open water rather than heavy snags. That's why it scores 8.0 for hooking and hold, half a point behind the Korda Mixa.

For me, that's a fair trade for a light, discreet hook on a zig or floater rig. If you're fishing mono in clear, open water, I think it should do the job well, but I'd step up to a heavier pattern near snags.

Is it good value for money?

What do you get for the money? It's priced in line with most branded carp hooks, with ten in a packet, and for that you get forged vanadium steel and a dedicated zig and floater shape.

Because the same hook also suits a stiff bottom-bait rig, it's a bit more versatile than a pure surface pattern.

The main limits are the sizes and the barb. It stops at a size 10, so there's no size 12 for the smallest zig baits, and this listing is barbed, so check it suits your fishery's rules before you buy.

If you need barbless, the Korda Mixa comes in a barbless version and goes down to a size 12.

Overall, I'd recommend the Fox Edges Armapoint Zig & Floater to carp anglers who tie their zigs and floater rigs on mono and want a light, discreet hook with a very sharp point.