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I always have detested using lures
with treble hooks while light tackle fishing on the Chesapeake
Bay. First, the multiple hook points and barbs of treble
hooks often cause unnecessary damage to fish which is a problem
when catch and release fishing. Along with the harm that
trebles cause to fish, they are also a danger to the angler.
Most fishermen have a war story of a battle wound they received
from a treble hook dangling from a flopping fish. Compared
to single hooks, trebles take longer to remove from fish and
snag more easily in landing nets or clothing which equates to
more hassle and less fishing time. In my time on the
water, I have not found any noticeable difference in hook up and
landing ratio between lures rigged with treble or single hooks.
The only thing that I find trebles are superior at is foul
hooking a fish in the side of the face. Unfortunately,
most "hard baits" come pre-rigged with treble hooks; however,
they can be modified to much more fish and user friendly lures
by replacing the trebles with single hooks. For most
lures, you will want to use single J-hooks with a short shank
and large eyelet. The short shank is necessary to prevent
multiple hooks from tangling and the large eyelet is needed to
move freely in a split ring. I also prefer hooks made of
stainless steel for saltwater light tackle fishing. One of
my favorites is TMC 800S. There are times when an "open
eye" hook works best for rigging a lure. An open eye hook
has just that, an open eye which you close with pliers once the
hook is attached to the lure. I like VMC 9171PS for these
situations. Below you will find some examples of lures
that I modify with single hooks.
Lipless crankbaits are easily
modified with single hooks. Pictured here are TMC 800S
hooks. Note that I have crimped to the hook barbs for easy
catch and release fishing.
Lipped crankbaits are also great
with single hooks. A flash tail can be tied to the rear
hook for extra wiggle.
Soft plastic swimbaits that come
rigged with a treble can be modified to a single J-hook.
Pictured here is the VMC 9171PS hook. Note how the open
eye of this hook allowed for attachment to the lure without a
split ring.
Suspending twitchbaits need a
little extra modification when converting to single hooks.
Since single hooks are lighter than treble hooks, it is
necessary to add lead wire to the single hooks in order to
achieve the same sink rate. By varying the size of the
lead wire and the number of wraps, you can really fine tune a
lure's sink rate to your needs. I coat the lead wraps with
Bug
Bond for durability. Note that I rigged the top lure
with VMC 9171PS hooks without split rings and the bottom lure
with TMC 800S hooks with split rings.
Using just one barbless hook is
the best option when the fish are thick. Lead wraps on the
hook weight the rear of this popper causing it to have
exaggerated chugging action.
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