TackleTour

Strewth wrote:No hard and fast rules on this. Some claim that the gape should be the same as the widest points between the treble points, but this is often too big. From memory, some examples of sizes I use:

X-rap 10 size 1/0 7237
Skitter pop size 1/0 7237
gold bomber size 1/0 7266 or owner 1/0 (for barramundi)
vision 110 size 2 7266
lucky craft pointer 78 DD belly size 1, back size 1/0 7266
lucky craft pointer 78 belly size 1, back size 1/0 7266

For medium-sized deep diving cranks with big bibs, 1/0 is usually the size needed.

Of course, they can tangle if the shanks are too long or the hook is too big, so it pays to check this too.

Thank you.

Found this article, very informative -

http://www.saltstrong.com/articles/how- ... ble-hooks/

I got some Jackall Timon cranks like that. I like how you can fish then around weeds better and the fish is easier to unkook. Bluegill love them

Update ...

I'm sold on them, especially after today when I had trouble hooking up on a blade bait with size 14 stock trebles. The fish wanted it but had trouble staying pinned. Changed them out to the single barbless and saw a dramatic rise in fish landed. Had a couple over the course of the day come off, but that happens with all baits/hooks anyhow so it's hard to say exactly if it was solely the hook's fault - I say not. I've also had success with the various plugs as shown in my first post on this thread

Of the fish landed, which ranged from bass, yellow perch, pickerel and bluegills, the hooks penetrated nicely and stayed put. The best part was being able to quickly unhook deep hooked fish and the ease of unhooking notoriously "spazzy" fish like toothy pickerels which like to thrash about. Of course one can still get stuck, but I'll take a single barbless in my finger over a barbed treble any day.

As for myself, I'm moving forward with this.

You certainly turned me on to those hooks as I find myself swapping many of my ul cranks trebs out to the single hook jobs. I have a question as to the direction of the hook point on the lead hook. I see some JDM baits with these hooks but they are facing point to the tail, I would assume that would help keep them weedless but maybe they would be more difficult for the fish to get stuck on........do you think it matters?

earthworm77 wrote:You certainly turned me on to those hooks as I find myself swapping many of my ul cranks trebs out to the single hook jobs. I have a question as to the direction of the hook point on the lead hook. I see some JDM baits with these hooks but they are facing point to the tail, I would assume that would help keep them weedless but maybe they would be more difficult for the fish to get stuck on........do you think it matters?

I did that because I remember reading somewhere to do it that way, so I just did it. I never really thought about it until you brought it up.

I can see the advantage of having the lead facing the rear for getting through the weeds, but if you think about it most predators eat their prey head first. With the point facing forward it's exposed and more likely to penetrate as it enters the mouth. Pointed towards the rear there's the chance it would just ride up and have less of a chance to penetrate, unless the fish engulfs the whole bait and the rear hook catches. I could be wrong but who knows.

Here's a couple from yesterday. 3/16 Johnson ThinFisher blade bait modified with #6 Owner singles.

I have modified all of my small (1/4oz and under) hard baits to single hooks. I also use the Owner Cultivas when possible. I do leave barbs on some of them (mostly the topwater/shallow ones) and crimp the barbs on the deeper running ones.

I find while I do feel bumps I can't connect with, I am also catching less turbo-dinks then with the small stock trebles. I am having no issues keeping fish pinned and the hooks seem plenty strong. Below is a channel cat that I got on a J-7 with single hooks.

Ordering some singles from TW now.

Has anyone replaced feathered trebles on top waters or jerkbaits for singles?

Jann's Netcraft carries bulk (25 count) packs of VMC's for under $4 a pack.

Ugh.
The deed has been done and the order placed last night with TW. If I like the results, I try the cheaper VMCs. There ate a few more trebles that may need replacing.

sqhertz wrote:Ugh.
The deed has been done and the order placed last night with TW. If I like the results, I try the cheaper VMCs. There ate a few more trebles that may need replacing.

The VMC's from there are black nickel, but they're barbed ... but the barb is so tiny that it's a non-issue or can be smashed flat with minimal effort.