There have been several posts over the past few years about removing the treble hooks that come with a hard plastic lure and replacing it with a J-hook. I believe that treble hooks are damaging to a fish's mouth. If you plan to release the fish anyway, why use a more damaging hook. Also, I get nervous if I catch a fish using a lure with two or more treble hooks. I am worried that while unhooking the fish, the second hook can hook my skin or clothing.
Since I rarely use hard plastic lures, I never devoted too much thought to how the conversion should be done. I would like to try some new techniques and lures this season, and wanted to gain more insight on how to make the hook conversion. Here are several questions I pose to the Snaggedline membership. Feel free to answer any or all of these.
1) Inline J hooks are available from several hook companies. Compared to using an ordinary J hook as a replacement, are these: a) desirable, b) absolutely necessary, or c) it does not matter.?
2) When replacing a treble hook how can you choose an appropriate sized J hook?
3) Assume the lure has two hooks (belly hook and rear hook). Should you: a) replace both hooks, or b) replace one and leave the other one empty? If you answer b), do you put the single hook in the belly position or the rear position?
4) Is there any advantage or disadvantage to tying bucktail or other hair onto the rear hook?
5) Can you accomplish an equally safe (to the fish and to the angler) hook modification by some other means? Examples I have heard of include cutting off 1 or 2 of the prongs on the treble hook (I have used this technique) and bending 1 or 2 of the hook points inward so they are less likely to jab the fish or the angler (this is more difficult than it sounds -- I have never had success trying this option).
6) Assuming you do replace one or both of the treble hooks with a J hook, do you want the hook bend and point to be facing upward or downward? I have seen lures rigged both ways. In fact the new Cabelas Saltwater catalog that came yesterday shows various Rapala lures on page 22 with the rear hook facing upward and the belly hook facing downward. (see http://www.cabelas.com/product/RAPAL...2.uts?slotId=5).
I would appreciate learning from others about hook replacement -- this is also a conservation issue that should benefit the fish.
Since I rarely use hard plastic lures, I never devoted too much thought to how the conversion should be done. I would like to try some new techniques and lures this season, and wanted to gain more insight on how to make the hook conversion. Here are several questions I pose to the Snaggedline membership. Feel free to answer any or all of these.
1) Inline J hooks are available from several hook companies. Compared to using an ordinary J hook as a replacement, are these: a) desirable, b) absolutely necessary, or c) it does not matter.?
2) When replacing a treble hook how can you choose an appropriate sized J hook?
3) Assume the lure has two hooks (belly hook and rear hook). Should you: a) replace both hooks, or b) replace one and leave the other one empty? If you answer b), do you put the single hook in the belly position or the rear position?
4) Is there any advantage or disadvantage to tying bucktail or other hair onto the rear hook?
5) Can you accomplish an equally safe (to the fish and to the angler) hook modification by some other means? Examples I have heard of include cutting off 1 or 2 of the prongs on the treble hook (I have used this technique) and bending 1 or 2 of the hook points inward so they are less likely to jab the fish or the angler (this is more difficult than it sounds -- I have never had success trying this option).
6) Assuming you do replace one or both of the treble hooks with a J hook, do you want the hook bend and point to be facing upward or downward? I have seen lures rigged both ways. In fact the new Cabelas Saltwater catalog that came yesterday shows various Rapala lures on page 22 with the rear hook facing upward and the belly hook facing downward. (see http://www.cabelas.com/product/RAPAL...2.uts?slotId=5).
I would appreciate learning from others about hook replacement -- this is also a conservation issue that should benefit the fish.
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