Most lures on the market are rigged with unfriendly treble hooks, or hooks that are of unacceptable strength and quality, so it sometimes becomes necessary to change these.
This small tut is designed to try help overcome some of the issues in replacing hooks on a lure. This is aimed at
spinning techniques - light and medium tackle fishing using spoons, plugs and small poppers. Note that rigging lures for Offshore Heavy tackle Popping and Jigging require a completely different approach.
If you are a conservation minded angler and wish to release your catch, then trebles need to be replaced with single hooks. Some of the reasons singles are preferred over trebles:
- Trebles cause much damage to a fish's mouth, usually by becoming imbedded in both the top and bottom jaws, making hook removal very difficult without causing significant damage.
- Trebles have much more wind resistance through the air, decreasing casting distance.
- The gape of the hook (the distance between the hook point and the shaft) in trebles is much smaller than a single.
- There is evidence to support the theory that single hooks improve hook-up rate.
A decent pair of Split Ring pliers is essential to do the job properly. There are many different makes on the market that are suitable for light tackle split rings. Rapala make a nice spring-loaded pair. (These pliers are not suitable for heavier split rings used in Popping and Jigging)
Connecting the hooks to the lureSingle hook lures have an attachment loop in front for the leader, and one at the back for the hook.
Some attachment loops are horizontally positioned, but most are vertical. (Strange that so few lure-makers have cottoned on to the idea of Single hooks instead of trebles!). Basil Manning's Iron Candy spoons and plugs have horizontal loops...
The orientation of this loop affects the way the Hook will attach to the lure... critically affecting it's positioning in the water.
The Hook needs to lie vertically behind the lure, and it's point should be at the top. A hook facing downwards will snag everything it comes across and will end up in a lost lure.
Split RingsAre the rings used to connect the Attachment loop to the hook. There are many different makes available. It is important to spend the extra cash and get good quality Split Rings! Owner are amongst the best...
Be careful what you buy when it comes to Split Rings. Always look for Forged rings that have been 'stamped' out in the manufacturing process - these rings have a kink in the middle of the ring, allowing the ring to be 2 wire diameters thick. The unstamped versions are 3 diameters thick, making them essentially useless, since they are too thick to fit through the eye of the hook!
It is important to also choose a size split ring that fits loosely through both the attachment loop and the eye of the hook.
Attaching the hookDepending on the orientation of the attachment loop on the lure: 1 ring is needed on horizontal attachment loops and 2 are necessary on vertically orientated loops...
In a Vertical attachment loop, if only one split ring is used, then the hook will lie sideways...
Using a second split ring, the Hook can now be positioned correctly, with the hook point facing upwards...
When working with Split rings, it is very important to make sure that you do not permanently bend the wires apart. This often happens when trying to stretch a split ring over too big a gap. It bends the wires and leaves a gap where a swivel or hook can slip in between the wires and work its way loose.
Horizontal attachment loops
Another alternative in Lure-Hook setup, is to use INLINE hooks, which have the eye of the hook turned at 90deg - this allows the use of only 1 split Ring on Vertically orientated Attachment loops.
These are, however, quite difficult to get hold of in the smaller sizes. JigStar Africa stock them in 7/0 and upwards...
Wire ringsSome lures, including most spoons, do not have attachment loops fitted inside the lure, but rather have holes drilled through the lure, which are used to attach hooks etc.
The distance between the hole in the lure and the edge of the lure is too big to try use a Split Ring! This is where split rings are deformed and warped, by anglers trying to force a split ring over the gap.
When you have a hole in the lure for attachment, then you need to make your own wire ring out of American fishing wire /Piano wire.
Click here for a tutorial by Fritz on how to do these...
Stinger HooksOther ways of attaching hooks include the Stinger-type hook setup, which Basil Manning uses on all it's plugs - the GT Ice cream and the Chisel nose plugs. These are very effective for long casting, and can even be attached to the front of the lure as is the case with Jigging hooks. But when they are used in this way (to the front of the plug), then some heat shrink needs to be placed over the knot joining the hook to creates ome stiffness in the Stinger rig.
Using Line clipsWhen spinning for an extended period of time, it becomes very useful to use a Line clip, which is attached directly to the leader with a Fig 8 knot. This way, lures can simply be clipped on and off in a jiffy, without having to retie the knot.
There are several different types available...
The best clip is the
Swannell Clip. Strong, sturdy and locally invented and made by Doug Swannel.
There are many other types, some interesting designs...
This is the recent Fastach Clip from Mustad. I have found it to be very user friendly - easy to use even with wet slimy hands!
