About Treble Hooks

I found out the hard way that the treble hooks that come with your lures aren’t really good enough to hold a fish.  A good way to test the hook’s ability to hook and keep a fish is to run your finger down all sides of the lure and see the hooks catch your finger.  If you want the best chance to boat/land fish you’ll have to replace the stock treble hooks with better ones.  But what makes a good hook?

One could improve hooking ability by merely using a bigger treble hook.  By using a larger hook size the gap between the point and shank is wider and increases the hooking probability.  Longer shanks also improve the hook up by decreasing the angle of the hook when it rolls away.  The straighter the point is, the easier it will penetrate.   The disadvantage of a long shank is when it is used in tandem on the short body of a crankbait.  The front and trailer treble hooks will come in contact and become entangled during the cast, or being retrieved.   A short shank model will prevent this fouling from happening.  For longer stickbaits, Zara Spooks, etc., a long shank treble hook can be used to hook fish which slap at the bait.

There are different shapes of hooks.  Probably the most used shape is the Round Bend treble hook.  These hooks tend to roll away when applying pressure at the point, making the hook point end up going in at an angle, requiring more force to drive the hook in.  These hooks need to be very sharp to hook in to fish.   Also, since this angle will also promote bending the hook, the hook must be strong as well.  Since a weaker hook bends, the bending action will increase the point angle preventing further penetration.

Another hook shape is the Wide Gap which has the points turned inward to maintain its hook size designation.  These hook shapes are found in the Mustad Triple Grip, Gamakatsu Extra Wide Gap (EWG), and the Bill Lewis Set-Lok line of treble hooks.  At first glance, it would seem the points would not catch as much as a Round Bend hook since they are turned inwards.  However, these hooks minimize the point angle when pressure is applied to the point.  As the hook rolls itself away from your finger the hook point is set up making it easier for the hook to penetrate.  The hook point is going in straighter, minimizing the required force to drive the hook and bending.

VMC Sure-Set treble hooks have one long hook which acts as a stinger hook.  These hooks are stock hooks on some Rapala lures.  That said, this variety of hook could really only be used as a trailer hook on a crankbait unless it has a long bill.  This hook can be very effective on short striking fish.

Hook strength plays a large part in how well a treble hook works.  Basically, the stronger the hook, the stiffer it is, the deeper the point goes.  If the hook flexes at all, that means the point is not driving itself deeper.  The penetration angle also changes.  With this angle becoming larger, this makes it even harder to drive the hook point.

So, what does this all mean?  Well, on the market there are several choices.  I'll talk about my top 3 choices.

1)      Mustad KVD Elite Series – I really like this hook!  This treble combines all the advantages that a crankbait treble hook should have; the extra wide triple grip design, extra short shank, and 1x strong.  The shank length is ideal to use on short body crankbaits.  This allows using a larger hook size to increase the likelihood to hook up.  The point geometry favors a straighter penetration.  The wire the hook is made from is thicker making it stiffer to drive the hook point.  This is a great hook to use on crankbaits.  Because of its shortness, it probably would not be the optimum choice for poppers, jerk baits, or longer bodied hard baits.  I would probably opt for a standard length shank to increase the probability of hooking up on a fish which slaps at the bait.

2)      Mustad Triple Grip / Gamakatsu Extra Wide Gap – These are the hooks I would use for top water baits, and hardbaits with a long body to prevent hook tangling.  These hooks feature the geometric advantage of having the points turned inward which positively affects the penetration potential.  These come in the standard shank length enabling these hooks to “reach out” at slashing fish.

3)      Gamakatsu Short Shank – This treble features the Round Bend design and the patented Magic Eye.  The wedged top of the Magic Eye makes it easier to install the hooks on split rings by pushing it between the split rings.  No pliers needed.  The shank is not as short as the Mustad KVD, however the strength is there and Gamakatsu is renowned for its sharp hooks.  This is the hook I would use if I couldn’t get the KVD.

Honorable mention: The VMC SureSet treble hooks have a great concept of combining the advantages of a worm hook with a treble hook.  However, since its use is limited, these would be great as trailer hooks to snag short striking fish.