Best Wiggle Wart Replacement Hooks

[Champ188]

On 2/5/2019 at 8:31 AM, shrapnel said:

Super sharp hooks make a difference with hard baits / trebles more than other baits.  Not for digging into the flesh on a hookset, but rather for grabbing when the fish tries to spit it out.

No matter how good you think you are, especially this time of year with jerk baits...a fish will suck it in and spit it out with out you ever knowing it.  I do believe that the super sharp hooks, such as the out barbs that come on the megabass baits increase hook up ratio as they will "stick" until you set the hook vs just being spit out.  I dont think the KVD's hold a candle to the Megabass hooks.  I'm going to order some of these death traps and give t hem a try, it looks like they might just fit the bill.

Bingo. I want every advantage I can get when it comes to hooking the bites I get. Because no matter how many that is in a given day, it's never enough.

[Champ188]

19 hours ago, abkeenan said:

I've tried a handful of the most popular brands of hooks including Daiichi Death Traps, Mustad Triple Grips/KVD Elites, Owner Stingers, Gamakatsu's, Berkley Fusion,  VMC and Trokar. In my opinion the "sharpness" of the hooks would rank in this order:

1-Owner

2-Gammy

3-Daiichi

4-Trokar

5-Mustad

6-Berkley Fusion

7-VMC

43 - Dishonorable Mention - Eagle Claw

But sharpness doesn't tell the entire story as some wire diameters are thicker than others and that of course effects ease of penetration. Also effects the weighting of the bait where it matters such as in suspending baits or sink rates. Other notable hook characteristics: stoutness (how easily they bend) and hook point durability/rolling.  I would say that Trokar rates very high in both resisting bending out and keeping a sharp point with use. Problem with Trokar is you need to take out a 2nd mortgage to replace all the hooks in your crank box with them. But they are nice hooks. Different hooks call for different situations and different baits but all things above considered and price taken into consideration I think Owner Stingers are pound for pound the best hooks. That includes trebles, EWG, J Bend Worm, etc. I also like that Owner offers quite a few options as far as wire thickness/strength in the Stinger line (ST-36, ST-41-ST-56, ST-66). Also that they have that size 5 treble that others don't offer (Gammy does) that work great on warts, rock crawlers and 110's/McSticks/jerkbaits. Daiichi are nice hooks especially for what they charge for them. Probably the best "value" hook out there right now.

Hey abk, I don't know where you got your Death Traps but someone must have filed down the points on them. You can't LOOK at one of those things without getting hooked. Gammy doesn't begin to compare. I bet Alex got into your tackle box with a file when you weren't looking ... payback for your nuclear defense system guarding a certain dock in Beardsley. 😂

[Bill Babler]

On the wart deal, that hook  is a number 5 with a shorter shank and it't really hard to come by.  When you start changing them up a lot of times the hooks will mate and are just not quite right as far as size.

I have mentioned this before I heard KVD say he never throws a crank bait in a derby over a couple of hours with out either changing the hooks or tying on a new bait.

You want to really see how sharp a hook is take a small piece of glass and lightly press the point of the hook into the glass, not so hard as to bend the point but enough to feel it bite.  There is only one out there that will bite and hold a piece of glass and it is not the Owner or the Gamakatsu.  It is the scariest hook out there, the Death Trap.   A good buddy of mine had one stick it the cap of his Ranger and latterly pull a small chunk of the gel off.  Just pick a unseen part of your cap and even see if you can stick a hook in it.  Not very likely.

 Every time I go to unhook a jerkbait fish I just am as careful as I can be and it still  scares me to death.

I just love both the Owners and the Gamakatsu hooks and use both everyday, but for treble hooks I pretty much only use Diiachi if I can.

[Quillback]

Those Jerk baits with 3 sets of hooks give me the heebeejeebees too.  I've started crimping the barbs on the first two sets of trebles, it might cost me a fish or two, but I'm tired of dealing with fish that are wiggling around and waving those trebles at me.  

Watching the BPT last week, some of those guys were catching them on JB's.  They aren't allowed to net them or let them hit the carpet, not too mention they are fishing fast and want to get those fish off the hook and weighed as quickly as possible.  That's just asking to get stuck at some point.

[abkeenan]

21 minutes ago, Quillback said:

Those Jerk baits with 3 sets of hooks give me the heebeejeebees too.  I've started crimping the barbs on the first two sets of trebles, it might cost me a fish or two, but I'm tired of dealing with fish that are wiggling around and waving those trebles at me.  

Watching the BPT last week, some of those guys were catching them on JB's.  They aren't allowed to net them or let them hit the carpet, not too mention they are fishing fast and want to get those fish off the hook and weighed as quickly as possible.  That's just asking to get stuck at some point.

I'm actually surprised more pros don't get hooks buried into their hands. Only two that I can recall is Jason Christy a few years back and then KVD around 2 years ago. KVD's was live on BassMaster and I think was on Toledo Bend or Sam Rayburn perhaps. One of the Texas lakes and he won that event I believe. He was deep cranking a 10XD and had just landed like a 7 or 8lb'er and when he lipped her one of those Mustads got sunk into his hand. On a 10XD I'd imagine he was using a 1/0 or 2/0 hook and that's no #5 needle point. When I land a fish using treble baits I try to unhook them while they are laying in the net and not using any hands. Just the pliers. I still recall RPS' story a few years ago he posted about with a fish and bait stuck in his hand and him trying to maneuver around his boat. I don't ever want to be in that situation. Sounded like nearly a life or death struggle.

[abkeenan]

Found that KVD footage. Ouch.

 

[abkeenan]

2 hours ago, Champ188 said:

Hey abk, I don't know where you got your Death Traps but someone must have filed down the points on them. You can't LOOK at one of those things without getting hooked. Gammy doesn't begin to compare. I bet Alex got into your tackle box with a file when you weren't looking ... payback for your nuclear defense system guarding a certain dock in Beardsley. 😂

I got them from Tackle Warehouse. Maybe those California guys figured the Death Traps were too sharp and I would only end up hurting myself with them. You know never know what sort of loony policies those Californians will come up with. 😆

[snagged in outlet 3]

6 hours ago, abkeenan said:

I'm actually surprised more pros don't get hooks buried into their hands. Only two that I can recall is Jason Christy a few years back and then KVD around 2 years ago. KVD's was live on BassMaster and I think was on Toledo Bend or Sam Rayburn perhaps. One of the Texas lakes and he won that event I believe. He was deep cranking a 10XD and had just landed like a 7 or 8lb'er and when he lipped her one of those Mustads got sunk into his hand. On a 10XD I'd imagine he was using a 1/0 or 2/0 hook and that's no #5 needle point. When I land a fish using treble baits I try to unhook them while they are laying in the net and not using any hands. Just the pliers. I still recall RPS' story a few years ago he posted about with a fish and bait stuck in his hand and him trying to maneuver around his boat. I don't ever want to be in that situation. Sounded like nearly a life or death struggle.

I had a trout and thumb stuck to the same rebel craw.  Thing wouldn’t stop flopping.  I didn’t cry but tears came out of my eyes 😆

10 inch needle nose while they are in net.  

[Fish24/7]

I think Brandon P. had a trip to the ER while at Bull thanks to a flopping hawg. 

[snagged in outlet 3]

At least a bass you can lip them and they freeze, can’t do that to a trout.  They just keep flopping.