Changing out treble hooks....not always?!

[FishInTheDesert]

A few months ago...I got caught into the idea that I HAVE TO change out all my treble hooks since stock ones are ALL TRASH!

Well....I fish a lot of strike king, and their hooks do suck! lol So it made perfect sense to switch them all out. But ive recently started using other companies crankbaits.....and not all the hooks suck! I bought some old Hot Lips....and even tho they dont look pretty, the hooks on it were sticky as heck and I didnt end up changing them out.

Just changed out some bomber #2's on a fat free shad cuz the stock hooks werent that sticky. but now im fixing to switch out the hooks on a bomber fat free squarebill.....and the hooks are pretty sticky, all 3 trebles on each hook too!

So do you all AUTO switch out hooks...or do you feel out the hooks to see if theyre any good before doing that? I always thought sticky hooks meant its nice and sharp....kinda like any time you touch a vision 110 hook it sticks to you or whatever it touches. So....not sure if im being cheap. But im rididng with some stock hooks if they are sharp and feel sticky...then I can switch out when they dull from use. What do you all think....am i just being cheap! LOL

[hatcreek]

Some get changed; all get this...




I'm OCDish about sharp hooks.

[Mark Perry]

I usually fish them as they come unless I have an issue with a particular hook on a bait.

Personally I have not had very many stock hook issues on crankbaits at all. If it gives you more confidence then do it. For me I fish them as is usually.

[Milehibird]

Only times I change them are:
1. They bend out easily
2. I want a bigger/smaller or different style of hook (wide bend or round bend, long or short shank, etc.)

Otherwise I don't bother. Even Strike King cranks. But most fish here aren't big enough to bend hooks.

[FishInTheDesert]

Good to hear im not just being cheap! lol

if a hooks sticky...a hooks sticky! I got a sharpener on my boat too, so ill hit them with that....and change when needed if the stock hooks are good! Just changed out the VMCs on some Rapala DT's...cuz even tho they were name brand....they werent sticky!!! Switched them out to VMC barbarians...so dont roast VMC too much since I like them! lol

[Lape0019]

I fish all baits the way they come. Only time I change them out is when they break or are not sharp after a few uses.

[FishInTheDesert]

Only times I change them are:
1. They bend out easily
2. I want a bigger/smaller or different style of hook (wide bend or round bend, long or short shank, etc.)

Otherwise I don't bother. Even Strike King cranks. But most fish here aren't big enough to bend hooks.

I was fishing SK almost exclusively on my cranks since I like their color selection....and I was never impressed with their stock hooks! Thats prolly why I got sold so easy on the "switch out all your hooks/hardware before using" idea.

[Hez]

For me, there are 2 factors that help me decide on whether to switch out the trebles:

1. If the trebles are big / long enough that they can hook into each other - I don't like that...and I will change to smaller trebles...usually same size but short shafted trebles.

2. If the stock hooks bend easily - I fish mainly Spro crankbaits and I have learned the stock trebles are not very strong, so I switch them out automatically

[Bass AHolic]

I have a lot of kook catching each other on lures I've switch out.. they dot the gyro chopper spin , when retrieve
lolo

[kry29]

I usually fish them as they come unless I have an issue with a particular hook on a bait.

Personally I have not had very many stock hook issues on crankbaits at all. If it gives you more confidence then do it. For me I fish them as is usually.

+1. I fish them all stock until one breaks on a bait. Never had an issue hooking up a fish or losing many

[okiebass]

Strike kings i do change ---Berkley and H2o i do not ---also fat free shads dont usually change. They hooks on my Berkley C Baits are awesome

[DougL58]

I check all treble hooks on new baits. Switch out if not real sticky. Also check and replace periodically after fishing. Pinging rocks and bottom can dull them quick. I don't attempt to sharpen trebles or bottom contact hooks with a stone or file, only spinner baits and buzz baits.

[cubswin]

I only change hooks if they are bent or broke. Kastmaster spoons I change out of box, but I just sharpen stock hooks unless I bend or break one.

[Joe4d]

depends,, back in day Lures at walmart had crap hooks,, while same lure sold at bass pro for a bit more had better sharper hooks..

[FishInTheDesert]

hell yea! great to see you all have the same thinking as me!

I think it was a perferct storm for me....seeing threads, and videos about the importance of changing out hooks PLUS me using Strike King so much, and how bad (imo) those hooks are....just made perfect sense! But some of these other brands have sticky hooks stock....and thats all you could ask for is some sticky sharp hooks!

I feel each bait...changed hooks on one DT6, but left stock hooks on a different DT6....so Ill just test each hook and change when im not happy with its stickiness!

[billnorman1]

If a bait loses a fish Ill examine it right away. I fish a lot of crankbaits and can't afford to change them all on a whim. I have changed some of my KVD front hooks because I thught they were not big enough. If I need to use a crankbait right now, and the hooks look dull I carry a whetstone, and you can sharpen most trebles in about thirty seconds, two sides of a treble at a time.

[AKRISONER]

ever fished a vision 110? or a dog x? some of the worst hooks on the market and they are $30 baits.

I spoke with a guy at pro J tackle here in toronto and he said megabass is waiting to switch out hooks and they realize that theres a problem.

So far the best hooks ive found are Ichikawa

[fishinarc]

Last winter, while at a fishing expo, we had some down time and spent some time sitting with Mark Davis discussing this very issue. Mr. Davis said his rule of thumb is on shallow running baits (1.5, 2.5, lipless, etc.) he switches to an EWG type treble. On deeper running baits (5XD, 6XD, jerkbaits, etc) he sticks with a round bend type hook. His reasoning was on a shallow-running lure, the fish is more likely to come to the surface and thrash, so the chances of throwing the bait increases. The EWG help prevent this from occurring as often. He went on to say on a deeper bait, or one that fish may just slash at, his hook up was better with traditional round bends. He felt he could use his rod to keep the fish deeper in the water column so the chances of throwing the lure were reduced. Has proven to be a good theory for us.

[Mark Perry]

ever fished a vision 110? or a dog x? some of the worst hooks on the market and they are $30 baits.

I spoke with a guy at pro J tackle here in toronto and he said megabass is waiting to switch out hooks and they realize that theres a problem.

So far the best hooks ive found are Ichikawa

What guy was that?

[354ranger]

Not any of the 110's I have, they will hurt you if your don't watch yourself landing a fish

ever fished a vision 110? or a dog x? some of the worst hooks on the market and they are $30 baits.

I spoke with a guy at pro J tackle here in toronto and he said megabass is waiting to switch out hooks and they realize that theres a problem.

So far the best hooks ive found are Ichikawa