Crankbait Hook Replacement

[rps]

In June, I had a local (Tulsa) marine repair place replace the burned vinyl and carpet from the electrical short fire I reported in the summer of 2018. They did great work, although they are not cheap. Shoreline RV and Marine Repair is the name.

But that's not why I started this thread.

While Shoreline had the boat Tulsa endured two days of torrential down pour. My boat sat in it without its cover. The auto bilge functions only if the key is in the boat. I was impressed that Shoreline had drained the boat for me on the first dry day, but found later that the bottom Plano box in the stack in the storage box sat in water long enough that it never really dried out when the boat was drained. I did not notice immediately as that box contained baits I use only in the Spring - my warts and rock crawlers.  When I found the box the hooks were sad messes.

Stop for a moment  and think about how many warts and rock crawlers you and your fishing buddy have. You can imagine my dismay.

I took all the rusted hooks off and used what I had on hand.  I used a few Deathtrap 4's on the front hook. I found a few Stingers in the right size and put them on. For the remainder of the replacements I bought Gamakatsu G Finesse trebles. By the time I finished replacing all the hooks I learned a couple of things. The Gamakatsu G Finesse was sticky sharp and was as dangerous as a Deathtrap. They are very well made with good quality control. 

I later discovered a negative. When I went to buy some more to have on hand, the price I found earlier at the local BP no longer existed. Now they are uniformly $10 for six, there and everywhere on line. I guess I unknowingly stumbled upon a mismarked price. Had I known, I would have bought more in several sizes.

What did I learn from this?

1. Don't let your wart and rockcrawler box get wet. You will spend dollars and time fixing the problem.

2. If you find Gamakatsu G Finesse hooks on sale, stock up.

[Fish24/7]

That happened to me before.  Wet boxes, rusty hooks.

I have a jon boat with no storage compartments so if it rains while I'm fishing  my tackle bag gets wet, but my lures stay bone dry inside now. I use Plano waterproof stowaway boxes  and I put those little silica packets in them for added protection.  I know what you mean how expensive it can be .

 I won't open the boxes when it's raining. If it is  I take out a few baits I want to try before I launch, put em  in a ziplock bag ,  and have them handy to tie on. Or if it looks like rain is coming I'll do the same thing before it starts. Same with terminal tackle and soft baits. 

In a quick search  $7.99 is the lowest price I could find those G finesse hooks at Fish USA

[Mitch f]

Ok, I’m way over the top with this subject, I’ll admit. When I replace trebles I always replace split rings with either SPRO or the best which is Owner Hyper wire. 

Regarding the hooks, there are so many good ones now. I agree Aaron Martins Gamakatsu are one of the best, if not THE best. But Owner makes a dandy too...which is called Stinger. These are hard to beat.

[moguy1973]

I like to replace my trebles with the KVD Mustad 1x strong 2x short shank.  It allows a bigger hook without changing the action of the bait.  Can usually go up one size from the original size hook.

[Gavin]

The kvd hooks are fine and you can pick up at Walmart. Always replace the ring if changing a hook.

[Bushbeater]

I've been buying from a guy on Ebay that sells in bulk. The KVD hooks seem to be the best buy, about 5 bucks or so for 20 and cheaper for 50.

Here's the guy I've used with good results.  mikelmb44

[fishinwrench]

Do you guys really miss, or lose, fish on crankbaits and topwater baits when using the stock hooks and split rings ?

I find the stock hooks and rings on most everything I use sufficient.  Occasionally I may touch up the points with a stone, but for the most part hook upgrades are something I hardly ever mess with. 

[rps]

20 minutes ago, fishinwrench said:

Do you guys really miss, or lose, fish on crankbaits and topwater baits when using the stock hooks and split rings ?

I find the stock hooks and rings on most everything I use sufficient.  Occasionally I may touch up the points with a stone, but for the most part hook upgrades are something I hardly ever mess with. 

I understand your point. I do not replace all hooks on cranks or spoons. However, stock hooks on original style Warts and Chug Bugs are no better than the real originals and I have always replaced them. Same goes for Cotton Cordell and some other Pradco baits plus Heddon baits. Many other companies use higher quality hooks and I do not replace them until needed.

On a side note - the hooks on Berkley baits are sharp out of the package but seem to bend easily on large fish. Once a hook bends out badly, I tend to replace them before the next trip. All of this stems from my belief that it matters.

I think that belief comes from my love for top water fishing. I definitely think sharp strong points matter when fish slap at a bait. If I could fish a jerk bait, I think the same would be true.

Even if I am wrong, it gives me something to do and one more way to spend money.😀

[Mitch f]

1 hour ago, fishinwrench said:

Do you guys really miss, or lose, fish on crankbaits and topwater baits when using the stock hooks and split rings ?

I find the stock hooks and rings on most everything I use sufficient.  Occasionally I may touch up the points with a stone, but for the most part hook upgrades are something I hardly ever mess with. 

I admit I’m overdoing it

[moguy1973]

4 hours ago, fishinwrench said:

Do you guys really miss, or lose, fish on crankbaits and topwater baits when using the stock hooks and split rings ?

I find the stock hooks and rings on most everything I use sufficient.  Occasionally I may touch up the points with a stone, but for the most part hook upgrades are something I hardly ever mess with. 

The only time I've changed the split rings were on some early 90 sized whopper ploppers.  They had a bad run of rings where people were complaining of losing fish when the rings broke.  I had a fish come off when I swung it up on the bank and the split ring had broke. I was able to get the hook out of it's mouth before it flopped back down into the water but I went out and bought a bag of Spro split rings and replaced all the rings on all my whopper ploppers.  I think they've fixed the issue since then though.