Northwest Fishing Reports

I`ve lost more fish this week then I`ve ever lost and sadly they were all big fish. I want to hear what kind,brand etc you guy`s are using on your cranks,jerks and lipless lures. I used to think for the money we pay on these lures they should come with the best hooks availible. I don`t think that is the case anymore. I`m getting ready to put new ones on all my lures and want to hear suggestions. I heard the KVD EWG short shanks are good buy don`t know anyone who has them.

I really like VMC hooks. Not only are they awesome out of the package, they have been until recently, readily available in packs of 25 for about $5.00. They have never failed me and if they're good enough for Rapala (they are stock hooks of Rapalas), they're good enough for me.

Mustad's Triple Grips, Owners, and Gammies have also worked very well, but they can't come close to VMC for performance and value. You'd be lucky to get 1/2 as many hooks for the same price. Since most plugs use 2-3 trebles each, the cost is going to add up really fast.

I used to think the same thing as you, until it dawned on me that if there is any place for a company to skimp, the hooks would be one.

I've been catching some nice bass this year on the Bandit 700 series crank bait. What's the most frustrating thing to me is getting the hooks out of their mouth. Most of the ones I've been catching has the front hook caught in a way that has the mouth sealed closed. Two of the hooks on the front treble are usually in the bottom of the mouth and the other is in the top of the mouth (or vise-versa). The bottom treble is usually hooked outside the fish around the gill plates somewhere.

In the evening there's normally about a 30-45 minute period when the fish bite well. With my old eyesight and hooks caught in a fish and a net to boot, this can be quite frustrating.

This is the Gamakatsu Treble EWG
(That one is a size 6)

I had the same problem, my crank box was stained with rust when I looked in February.
I like those VMC hooks that island mentioned, but other than the hooking of the fish I hated them
after 3-4 trips rust started appearing
I tried these EWG's and they have never rusted on me, I also am a fan of the slightly offset shank, and chrome nickel finish
Just my opinion

I first saw the new KVD hooks at the sportsman show early this year , it was love at first sight !! Im an angler that have been using reactions baits for over 12 years now and trust me when i say that these new hooks are what i consider "the perfect trebs" ..

No more worries about my hooks getting tangled on my cast , My hook-up ratio has increased without question ..
Now with that being said , i still scratch my head because i dont now why it took till 2010 before a hook company realized that by simply shorting the shank on trebs would make a world of difference for us anglers..lol

I have replaced my hooks on all jerks , traps , cranks with the KVD triple grip short shanks and im very pleased with the results , if you havent used these hooks IMO your missing out !!!!

BBD

AAHHH just one of the guy`s I was looking to chime in on this topic.

rl,

were you using the bronze ones? I only use the nickel plated ones. Please tell me they weren't the nickel plated ones.

BBD,

What's up, bud? Do you know what the differences are between the KVD and regular Triple grips? I have used Mustad triple grips with a short shank for my inline spinners and cranks, but haven't caught anything with on cranks sporting them yet to have a yea or nea on them.

islandbass wrote:rl,

were you using the bronze ones? I only use the nickel plated ones. Please tell me they weren't the nickel plated ones.

BBD,

What's up, bud? Do you know what the differences are between the KVD and regular Triple grips? I have used Mustad triple grips with a short shank for my inline spinners and cranks, but haven't caught anything with on cranks sporting them yet to have a yea or nea on them.

IB , wazz up bud ! The KVD hooks have the short shank style that are made perfect for all reaction baits , it offers the extra wide gap hook in the same size as the originals just now with the shorter shank ..read below ,I grab this right come there site ...

Mustad's extra strong 1X wire delivers additional power for minimal flex, and the shorter length of the 2X Short Shank design also allows anglers to use larger hooks, further increasing hooking potential (i.e. you can replace a stock Size 4 hook with the KVD Size 2). Perfect for replacing the treble hooks on your go-to lures, the Mustad KVD Elite Series Triple Grip Hooks are also 20% sharper and designed to stay sharp longer

islandbass wrote:rl,

were you using the bronze ones? I only use the nickel plated ones. Please tell me they weren't the nickel plated ones.

yeah they were the bronze colored ones,
I cant find where to get anything else that VMC puts out?

Dez, thanks! That is great news. I have so far like the triples on my inline spinners. They have put the hurt on the trout.

RL, there is a nickel plated (at silver colored that is definitely not bronze) version of the same bronze ones and they haven't rusted on me. They used to be readily available at Outdoor Emporium, but they have been out of my most commonly used sizes of 2-6 for the very longest time ever, and I will NOT buy the bronze ones. I do not know of any other place in the Seattle/Tacoma area that sells them.

3 rivers

Island I have to disagree on the rapala hooks. But then again it is preference. I usually buy nothing but rapala cranks. They seem to do ok out of the package but after two or thre trips to the lake they seem to dull on me. All hooks are gonna dull after time. Especially as much as I throw cranks but I want a hook that`s gonna last awhile. I personally think rapala`s cranks are the finest. Now if they would just step up there hooks. Again this is my personal opinion.

rjn,

I can agree with you on the quality fineness (is that a word?) of Rapala cranks as they are my personal favorite and I too usually buy only rapala hardbaits. You wear and tear track then is the difference as to why my hooks have stayed sharper. I just got out of a drop shot addiction for the past season and a half and so my cranks basically sat in their planos unused and therefore sharp while yours were in the fight way moreso.

It was the start of this season that I got back to crankin because my gut was telling me to go with them and because I didn't want to lose that crankin' touch I had before I got addicted to drop shotting. BTW, what trebles do you use as replacements when the VMCs go dull?

islandbass wrote:rjn,

I can agree with you on the quality fineness (is that a word?) of Rapala cranks as they are my personal favorite and I too usually buy only rapala hardbaits. You wear and tear track then is the difference as to why my hooks have stayed sharper. I just got out of a drop shot addiction for the past season and a half and so my cranks basically sat in their planos unused and therefore sharp while yours were in the fight way moreso.

It was the start of this season that I got back to crankin because my gut was telling me to go with them and because I didn't want to lose that crankin' touch I had before I got addicted to drop shotting. BTW, what trebles do you use as replacements when the VMCs go dull?

I haven`t replaced any yet. I had so many cranks and tackle it wasn`t even funny. Brought it to work one day in the boat because some guy`s I worked with wanted to look and buy some things. Long story short I had to start over this year because everthing was stolen including rods and reels. That`s why I started this topic was to see what you guy`s were using for replacement hooks.

Sorry to hear about that. I lost some stuff too, but it wasn't stolen. I stupidly forgot to pick it up and take it with me. 3 packs of tungsten weights, 10 bags of senkos and other plastics, unopened crankbaits and a few homemade inline spinners. It was my first time to try tungsten weights and I lost em.

I like the Triple Grips for keeping fish on the hook as well as quality. However, I also like the Excalibur trebles--the ones with the points kirbed (I think that is the correct term) off to the side by 15 degrees. I've fished those on a lot of baits and like the Triple Grips, once a fish is on solidly, you need pliers to get the hooks out.