Treble hook supplier

[rlcam]

Who has the best price on treble hooks?I am going to replace hooks on somr of my repaints(factory baits).I am not sure of the sizes on some of the cranks.Do most company websites give the hook size they use for a particular bait?Also,from what I read in past threads search I gather that most like the round bend in either Gamma,VMC,or Mustad.Last I heard some were not the quality they use to be.Really don't know what some use to be,just started seriously looking at hook quality in the last few months.Any suggestions on what brand to buy or not to buy.And I know this has been hashed to death,but thought some of you may have some updated info on this subject.Thanks for any advise....Robert

[ldzoller]

I tend to stay away from the Gammas because they have a very small barb. The hook itself is extremely sharp and will hook the fish no problem. But the small barb doesn't hold the fish and I think these hooks lose more fish than other brands.

[Spike-A-Pike]

I used to use Mustad all the time, but the last 2 times, I've gone with VMC. They seem pretty sharp right out of the box and I haven't had any problems with heavy bass or pike straightening out the hooks. That has been a growing problem over the past few years. I only build for me and my friends and only go through about 50 hooks a year

[Palmetto Balsa]

http://www.tackleunderground.com/forum/showthread.php?t=11924&highlight=vanfook

If you want to buy a big box of hooks, VMC short shank hooks are good for crankbaits.

About $125+ for a box of 1000

[LOZ]

I've used everything you mentioned, but really nothing comes close to Owner Stingers in my opinion...I fish for bass, so the ST-36 is plenty heavy enough. If you fish for pike or musky, I'd go with the ST-41 or ST-56, which are 2x and 3x wire respectivly. They are very, very sharp and a perfect sized barb. I was loosing quite a few fish on Gammy's...switched to Owners and now I'm doin' better.

[BobP]

http://www.buyfishingstuff.com/products.html

Here's a place I've used several times and has the best prices I've found, plus good service. 90% of bass crankbaits use either a #6 or a #4 treble, a few larger baits use #2's. I've used most brands. I settled on the Gamakatsu Round Bends because they're among the very sharpest out of the box and tend to stay that way. Plus the wire is strong compared to other brands. I use them on all the baits in my tacklebox and haven't noticed any "lost fish syndrome". Of course, experience and opinions vary! The Short Shank VMC trebles are a good solution if you have a bait whose trebles tend to tangle. Or you can use them to upsize trebles from #6 to #4's. When I buy VMC's now, I get the Rapala VMC Inline hooks sold through Cabelas. Good performance and they're designed to prevent hook rash on the sides of your crankbaits.

[rlcam]

• Forgot to mention that all baits I use are for Bass.Also on my repaints can anyone tell me some hook sizes on certain baits for example...
• DD 22's
• Deep Little N's
• Bandits,100,200,300
• Rapala,DT6,DT10,DT16

Thanks for any help on these sizes,I haven't replaced enough to be able to tell sizes from looking at them.....Robert

[BobP]

DD-22 = 2 ea #2

DLN = 2 ea #4

Small Bandits = 2 ea #6

Rapala DT6 = Short shank #4 front, #6 rear

DT-10 = 2 ea #4's

DT-16 = 2 ea #2's

Rapala sometimes uses intermediate size hooks, like #5's or #3's on some of their baits. Those sizes are not carried by most suppliers. If you liked the VMC trebles on your Rapalas, you can get them from Cabelas.

[captsully18]

BobP, thanks for that chart on hook sizes. I shall copy this and keep it on my bench. As for what hooks to use, I will only use Gammies or Owners. These two hook co.s produce the SHARPEST hooks on the market out of the box, and they WILL stay sharp for a loooong time. I started changing the hooks on all of my baits two years ago ( wow what an expense ) and the baits that I first did have just as sharp a hook as the ones I added hooks to last night. Oh well, jmho.

David

[Palmetto Balsa]

I am going to post this link on each of the questions about hooks that is going around right now. This might be too much information but I think it will answer most questions about hook sizes. It has almost every lure made by 23 different manufacturer and the original size hook that is stock on the bait, and then the pro staffs recommendation. One example of the information is Bagley, there is 110 different lures listed and all the hook information about each one.

these are in PDF format.

http://www.vmchooks.com/inc_manual.htm

[rlcam]

Thanks BobP for the web address and the info on hook sizes.This helps me out alot on the different manufacturers....Robert

[BobP]

PB, that VMC manual is a nice resource. Thanks! I do it upside-down: keep 50-100 of each size 6,4,and 2 and mix and match according to what fits. One thing I've learned - you can never have too many trebles

[northrivergeek]

Best price on hooks Ive found, unless you just get lucky on ebay.. is Captain Hook's Discount Warehouse

[baitmaker2]

Mustad Triple Grip short shank hooks. The very best treble hook ever made for crankbaits. If you hook the fish he will not get off, period. One problem is that they are a little difficult to get out of the fish's mouth after landing the fish so a good pair of needle nose pliers is a must to have in the boat.