But, what I'm getting at here is switching out your treble hooks to a single hook. Though it may look like you're cutting out a 60% chance of not catching that fish, you're actually cutting out the chance of actually "wearing" that treble hook in your skin - preferably your hand!
Actually, this blog really is about treble hooks and the trouble they sometimes cause. If you're like me, and you fish in saltwater a lot, then you know how destructive saltwater can be to our fishing gear.
One night while fishing in Newport,RI at Fort Adams near the fog horn. I was using an 8 inch Sebile lure with two treble hooks. It was working great with multiple strikes until one strike proved to be the real deal. The fish, a 34" Striped Bass, took off with the lure with downward dives for nearly 10 minutes, until I got the fish about 8 feet from my kayak, and the lure shot straight up. It felt like the line snapped, but to my surprise when I reeled up the slack line, the lure was still attached! I thought to myself, "....what caused that sudden buzzkill???"
Upon closer inspection, I noticed that one of the treble hooks (the bottom one) was missing one of their barbs. For a $20 lure, you would think that the lure maker would've used a stronger hook material for the lure.
This is what the Sebile lure looks like with factory treble hook that they chose for this lure.
Photo Credit: Jeff Hall
I had spare treble hooks from a few surf plugs that I rarely use. I ended choosing these treble hooks for my lure. Twice as thick and way stronger than the cheap ones from the Sebile Magic Swimmer.
Photo Credit: Jeff Hall
This is the small 6 inch Sebile Magic Swimmer that lost a whole barb to what would've been a personal best Striped Bass! Several friends in our kayak fishing club told me horror stories of similar things that happened to them if they relied on the cheap trebles that came with the lure.
Photo Credit: Jeff Hall
This is the small 6 inch Sebile Magic Swimmer that I fixed with red 4/0 Gamakatsu Treble hooks. They are thicker, stronger, and more reliable than the cheap stock treble hooks.
Photo Credit: Jeff Hall
This is my larger 8 inch Sebile Magic Swimmer with galvanized steel treble hooks that I upgraded because I don't trust the cheap stock treble hooks that came with it. Though there's some slight rust on the forward treble hook, it shouldn't be a problem. In the future, I will eventually end up switching to single hooks to minimize my chances of getting multiple stab wounds from an angry Striped Bass or Bluefish! This will also add to the fish's survival rate too.
Photo Credit: Jeff Hall
To do add beefier trebles, or just trying to decrease your chances at getting stabbed by a treble, you will need a tool called Split Ring Pliers - this will also work with removing those treble hooks as well.
Hope this adds to your experience in the future when dealing with aggressive fish as it will add to your enjoyment out on the water by not having to worrying about getting cut or stabbed by errant treble hooks. Either way, you can add beefier treble hooks, or remove and replace them with one single hook, you decide which works best for you.
As usual, keep those lines wet & tight! - J
