I totally agree that the quality of the hooks can make a big difference. I use an assortment of hooks including British Partridge and Japanese Tiemco. I carry standard wire, 1X light wire and 1X heavy wire hooks in a wide assortment of sizes from #16 to 4X. All hooks are inspected and sharpened if needed before inclusion in the kit.

I carry a prebuilt tapered leader with a woven butt as my primary fishing line. This can be tied to heavier monofilament or cord or even a stick as needed. Many kits have very heavy mono which is limiting. My tapered leader terminates with 4X tippet and this could be trimmed back to heavier sections if needed.

Another thing I think that is overlooked in most kits is an assortment of decent flies, I carry some general nymph patterns (Hare's Ear, Muskrat) and a few general surface patterns (Stimulator).

"A fish hook's a fish hook" is what a friend told me when I was buying hooks one time and he couldn't figure out why I'd buy the more expensive hooks when the cheap ones will do the same thing. I suppose it's one of those things that you have to try to believe, not unlike buying better boots instead of cheap ones, even though they both go on your feet and lace up. I only recently started using "premium" hooks when I started tying my own flies and it makes all the difference in the world.
The main difference between my kits and most that I see, however, is the size of the hooks included. Most kits have size 6 hooks as the smallest, or only size included. I've found these to be way too big for any survival use. Most of the hooks in my kits are size ten, and that's worked well for me, but I'm constantly changing them around. Actually, within the next week or so I was going to post a fishing kit I put together to see what everyone thought about it. But I digress. So, the short answer is Yes, hook quality does make a difference, but I feel that hook size is more of an issue with most kits.

FWIW,

Chris.

Unfortunately, there's seems to be no universal standard for hooks sizes that I have been abe to identify. That makes it extremely difficult to have a meaningful discussion with reference to a particular size or to specify a size without also specifying a brand, which may not be desirable or even possible. If you have found such a standard, 'd love to hear about it.

Doug,

You may have just given probably the best overall reason for an individual to assemble or at least modify the fishing portion of their kits. Probable use in certain areas dictated both my choice of hook sizes and styles. I chose trout/steelhead type hooks because I am most familiar with those fish and because I figured the places I go would call for this setup. This range is wide in both sizes and strengths as this covers fish from a few ounces to many pounds. It also covers bird traps, gaffs etc.

It is damn hard to make a general kit and include quality hooks for unknown probable environments.

While hooks sizes tend to mean something in general, the hook styles and shapes, wire diameters, steel, point styles, shank lengths, eye configurations etc all add near infinite variety.

Best bet in a kit is to cover a fairly wide range of sizes from tiny to large and hope that the Keeper-of-the-Kit will take the time to substitute or add hooks that fit their environment or expected use areas.

Ah, very, very true. I made the very mistake I try to avoid when looking at things online; ASSuming and making comparisons without actually seeing the products. I grew up using Eagle Claw hooks, which I should add I've never been dissapointed in for general use, so I've sort of kept thier sizes as a reference to what a #6 or #10 hook is for example. Just this summer I got into tying my own flies and have been experimenting with different hooks from different makers in doing this, but when buying them at the store I look at the hooks themselves rather than what size that company says they are.

Sorry for any confusion, but more importantly, sorry for making such a silly error. (kicks self repeatedly)

Chris.