I will echo DrewFlu33 thoughts, I throw the IMA Skimmer and OSP Bent Minnow a lot for smallmouth bass in NW Wisconsin and it's interesting that you find the stock hooks on the IMA Skimmer to bend easily as they are #4 Owner ST-36 treble hooks so perhaps your IMA Skimmer(s) didn't come with the Owner ST-36 as stock treble hooks for some reason or you might have inadvertently replaced the stock Owner hooks with a heavier hook from their large selection of treble hooks.
From a replacement treble hook standpoint beyond the Owner ST-36 treble hooks which nominally weigh an average of .66g, you have a couple of options, you can stay within the Owner model family and go with the Owner ST-38 Zo-Wire hooks which weighs approximately 10% less on average than the stock Owner ST-36 treble hooks and are a light wire replacement hook that is lighter by weight and is absolutely sticky sharp.
The other option in the same vein is the Gamakatsu G-Finesse TGW Nano (non-MH version) treble hook which weighs on average approximately 15% than the stock Owner ST-36 hooks. The notable aspect of the G-Finesse treble hook, as DrewFlu33 pointed out, is that it's about one size smaller than a comparable brand of hooks in the same size, so the combination of a smaller hook size and lighter hook allows you to upsize the treble hook with little to no impact on the lure action. This is the route I have taken, and I have replaced all of the stock Owner ST-36 treble hooks on my IMA Skimmers with size #3 Gamakatsu G-Finesse Nano TGW treble hooks and the walking the dog motion created using a gentle jerk has been maintained without fail on my lures.
I decided to add on to the replacement treble hook information from the Spybait thread in this forum, so everyone has access to this knowledge without having to get out the Mitutoyo 500 series digital calipers to measure the hook gaps and the digital jeweler's scale to measure the hook weights. Lastly, I added the Mustad Triple Grip Short Shank EWG hook which I sometimes use if the smallmouth bass are getting off the hook "more than expected" and I added the VMC Round Bend treble hook which is common on many hard baits manufactured in the US as a control.
IMA Skimmer Replacement Treble Hook Information: Please note that weight is in Grams (g) and Hook Gap is in Decimal Inches
Hook Manufacturer |
Hook Model |
Hook Size |
Hook Weight #1 |
Hook Weight #2 |
Hook Weight #3 |
Average Hook Weight |
Hook Gap |
Gamakatsu |
G-Finesse Nano TGW |
#4 |
43 |
43 |
43 |
43 |
0.28 |
Gamakatsu |
G-Finesse Nano TGW |
#3 |
63 |
63 |
63 |
63 |
0.33 |
Owner |
ST-36 |
#4 |
66 |
66 |
66 |
66 |
0.33 |
Owner |
STX-38 |
#6 |
49 |
49 |
49 |
49 |
0.27 |
Mustad |
Triple Grip KVD
(Short Shank) |
#4 |
64 |
64 |
64 |
64 |
0.34 |
VMC (Control) |
Round Bend |
#4 |
72 |
72 |
72 |
72 |
0.34 |
Please have a great day!