Round Bend vs EWG Trebles in Small Cranks & Topwaters

[Casslaw]

Hello everyone, I’ve been debating the merits of each hook in my head and I most likely only confused myself more.

With small cranks (1.5s & Little Johns) what type of hook do you guys prefer? They come with #6 long shank Gammy round bends which is a great hook, and one I use a lot, but I’m always changing things. Is there any reason to go to the ewg style treble? My thought was that with surfacing fish they wouldn’t be able to throw the hook as easily but like I said...I talk myself into some weird stuff!

With topwater (Super Spook Jr and Rico) I have always preferred round bends as I get more hook ups, but with ewg style trebles I rarely lose one once its pinned.

This internal debate started when it came time to replace hooks on my little Johns and I was out of round bends. I tried some really nice ewg Gammys and while I didn’t hook every fish that hit, the hooks were solidly in there! I haven’t had a fish mysteriously just come off in the middle of a fight. And then my brain started!

So, opinions? I’m wanting to apply logic to a fish which is hard to do sometimes I know but I’m still trying!

Thanks, Chris

[XingEyeballs]

Here’s my theory, it depends..... For days or baits(top waters) that tend to have the fish just swinging at the bait I prefer a round bend and move up a size. Days when the fish are aggressively eating the bait and something like lipless that they inhale when they eat it I use EWG. I way overthink this but it’s just my theory, EWG’s keep them pinned but round bend’s get them hooked.

[Hez]

Good topic Cass...I'm definitely subscribing to this topic.

I have been changing my stock Lil John hooks to Owner short shank ST-35 #6 trebles to prevent the hooks from hooking themselves and becoming fouled; however, seem to be losing A LOT more fish than I normally do. I am wondering if the EWG would be a better alternative.

I am leaving the stock hooks on the new cranks I just ordered, and re-evaluate how they compare....but I think I'm leaning toward EWG...like XingEyeballs says...EWG keeps them pinned.

[golfpro307]

Round bend pretty much on every moving bait Especially topwater

[DrewFlu33]

I'm far from an expert on treble hooks, but for me I've always figured it's the tradeoff you and others have suggested. Seems like round bends miss fewer fish and lose more, while EWGs miss more and lose fewer. To whatever extent that's true, in an ideal world you have two identical baits with different options to throw depending on conditions. If they're eating it good, go with the EWG, if they're slashing at it, go with the round bends. Good luck getting those two baits to run the same with different hooks though, even in that "ideal" scenario! Pick your poison?

More realistically I think you could come at it from classes of baits, I think like Xingeyeballs and golfpro suggest. Interested to hear what others think.

[born 2 fish]

I use KVD triple grip 2x on just about everything from chug bugs to 10 xd crank bait's and jerkbaits I might miss a swiping fish but rarely loose fish that eats it .

[John Jackson]

Most baits have one hook point on one side and two on the other. The hook is not made for the hook holder loop. I use Owner ST-35 for front and middle hooks as the 150* bend placed against the lure body has the side points sticking out further, and the points don't eat into the lure as bad. https://www.tacklewarehouse.com/Owne...page-OSSF.html
I use the owner ST-36 for most everything else as it does place one point forward and one on each side. https://www.tacklewarehouse.com/Owne...e-OST36BC.html

[Basswhippa]

Good thread

[DMart1]

This is a Million dollar question right now.. Pros seem to be divided on this as well. I'm personally an EWG fan, go up a size from the stock hooks.

[Casslaw]

For some very odd reason I ran into schooling fish this weekend. I swear they think it’s November!! So I started experimenting. With a popper the round bends were making really big holes so I threw some EWGs on a spook and never got a big hole, but the hooks were NOT coming out!




As Drew said I get fewer hookups with ewg hooks on topwater but I rarely lose them, hook up more with round bends but lose them when they jump.

Like Hez is getting at Im TRYING to apply this to small cranks like the Little John. The stock hooks are great but when they have to be replaced I can’t leave well enough alone....apparently I’m not alone With the Lil John I’ve had plenty of really good fish just come off for no apparent reason. Not while jumping, just while they’re heading for deeper water. That’s what I’d like to change...but who doesn’t!?

I only throw Lil Johns and KVD 1.5s for cranks under 8’. Now for jerkbaits...I always replace with the same style hook because I’m afraid to mess with the action of the bait. 110s get the weird hooks, the others get Gammy short shank round bends usually...2x if I want it to go a little deeper.

Mr Jackson, I do like this 150* trebles for forward and middle hooks, but the way the Lil John has the front eye/split ring, it won’t let those hooks lay flat as designed. They work great on lipless for me though!

Have any of you tried the Aaron Martens Nano trebles on small cranks? I haven’t tried them but I’m worried about bending them on small cranks.

[John Jackson]

For some very odd reason I ran into schooling fish this weekend. I swear they think it’s November!! So I started experimenting. With a popper the round bends were making really big holes so I threw some EWGs on a spook and never got a big hole, but the hooks were NOT coming out!




As Drew said I get fewer hookups with ewg hooks on topwater but I rarely lose them, hook up more with round bends but lose them when they jump.

Like Hez is getting at Im TRYING to apply this to small cranks like the Little John. The stock hooks are great but when they have to be replaced I can’t leave well enough alone....apparently I’m not alone With the Lil John I’ve had plenty of really good fish just come off for no apparent reason. Not while jumping, just while they’re heading for deeper water. That’s what I’d like to change...but who doesn’t!?

I only throw Lil Johns and KVD 1.5s for cranks under 8’. Now for jerkbaits...I always replace with the same style hook because I’m afraid to mess with the action of the bait. 110s get the weird hooks, the others get Gammy short shank round bends usually...2x if I want it to go a little deeper.

Mr Jackson, I do like this 150* trebles for forward and middle hooks, but the way the Lil John has the front eye/split ring, it won’t let those hooks lay flat as designed. They work great on lipless for me though!

Have any of you tried the Aaron Martens Nano trebles on small cranks? I haven’t tried them but I’m worried about bending them on small cranks.

I do use the nano trebles on small cranks and jerks with light line. I'm with you on the hook alignment on little johns, and teh same issue on showerblows. Some of the hooks I remove from other baits I use for these. I don't like EWG's as I would rather hook them then worry about losing them. I also lose some on the little johns. I think the lure shape has something to do with it, so going up 2 sizes seems to help.

[TableRock55]

I've always heard you need a round bend, but man, I sure do have good luck with the Triple Grips.

[DrewFlu33]

I've run the MH version of the Aaron Martens trebles on DT16s and DT20s and they hold up great. Still sticky sharp but don't bend easily. That's what I'd be looking toward on a crank if it were me. Another thing to consider is that if you put the Nanos on a crank that had "regular" wire hooks on it, chances are good that the action changes since they're so light. I had that problem with suspending jerkbaits starting to float when replacing some hooks with the Nanos. The MH version would be closer at least.

[Smalliehunter91]

I've been back and forth with this as well. For a while I was using the gama ewgs and like others have said, if a fish get the bait good, they ain't coming off. But, if they dont, they usually pop off. Especially smallmouth with how hard they can pull. Then I started using the owner cutting point trebles and had good luck with those but the hook points, though super sharp out of the package, seemed to not last as long as the points would get worn down faster. Now I'm trying out the round bend ST-36s and see how I like those.

[Smalliehunter91]

I honestly wish there was some style or bend where it would cover each basis, fish getting the bait good and staying pinned as well as a hook that got them while slashing at the bait. But maybe, losing fish could also be from the type of rod your using? And that's a whole different conversation there, as far as flex in the blank and the forgiveness, glass verses graphite.

[Casslaw]

For my Spook baits I use a 7’ med-fast Carbonlite 2.0 combo 7.5:1 reel with 12lb Big Game or 40lb 832. I switched to the mono lately for the stretch and it’s working pretty well. It may not be an expensive set up but this is the best topwater set up I’ve ever used. It’s light, super nice tip, great drag!

For small cranks I use a 7’ 13 Fishing Fate Chrome med-mod with a Daiwa SV 8.1. Same 2 lines, either 12lb big game or 40lb 832. This rod likes the braid a lot, but the Lil John runs about 2’ shallower with braid so I switch reels depending on how deep I want it to run.

Again, not the most expensive combo but these 2 rod/reel combos are very well tuned for what I use them for. I can’t say that about all of my combos! I think my chatterbait rig is the only other combo I think is 100% dead on for the technique.

Going to check out the Aaron Marten trebles for the small cranks and see how they do!

Im glad I’m not the only one that thinks about these odd things! Thanks guys!

[XingEyeballs]

I’ve also been experimenting with the owner st-35 hooks this year after seeing Tim talk about them on Tactical Bassin. I wouldn’t use them on a topwater or jerk bait but I really like them on like a DT-4 or DT-6, rock crawlers, warts. Rig them right and they lay very clean on the bait but they get hooked up when a fish slashes at the bait and stay pinned. So far very pleased with them for those smaller cranks.

[deadadrift89]

When triple grip hooks first came out and everyone was talking about them I changed hooks out on one of my Poe 300's. A friend and me both were cranking a dam later that week with Poe 300's him with stock round bend and me with the new triple grips. After I lost two fish in a row and him landing his I switched back and never made that mistake again. Sad thing is I was bragging on way to lake how I had these new hooks on that morning...Ha!!!

[bbbill]

I guide for a living and throw trebled baits (crankbaits/ jerkbaits, top waters) 50% of the time and 80% of the time in except for spring. So much so that I use 600-700 treble hooks per year. I have experimented extensively w/ this exact issue and have a strong opinion. Round bends hook more and EWGs hold more. Round bends are an absolute must for me on jerkbaits and top waters but EWG's are an absolute must on lures easily thrown like traps.