How to Replace Treble Hooks with Single Hooks
I replace all of my treble hooks on my lures with single hooks once the trebles get rusty. There are a few reasons that I like to do this.
As you can probably tell, I am an advocate for replacing your treble hooks with single hooks to protect our marine resources for many generations to come. In the article below, you will learn how and why to replace your trebles with singles. You will also learn the best inline single hook replacement brands. You will also learn how to make any single hook inline with split rings.
I am a FISHING CHARTER CAPTAIN on the Treasure Coast of Florida and have fished the grass flats and oyster bars all over the state of Florida for over 40 years. Let's get started.
Watch the video below to learn how and why to replace your treble hooks with single hooks.
I replace all of my treble hooks on my lures with single hooks once the trebles get rusty. There are a few reasons that I like to do this.
- Single hooks kill and maim fewer fish.
- Single hooks makes the lures more weed less.
- Single hooks makes the lure more hydrodynamic.
- The single hook imbeds better with bony mouthed fish like tarpon.
- Single hooks are safer to take out of the fish than treble hooks.
As you can probably tell, I am an advocate for replacing your treble hooks with single hooks to protect our marine resources for many generations to come. In the article below, you will learn how and why to replace your trebles with singles. You will also learn the best inline single hook replacement brands. You will also learn how to make any single hook inline with split rings.
I am a FISHING CHARTER CAPTAIN on the Treasure Coast of Florida and have fished the grass flats and oyster bars all over the state of Florida for over 40 years. Let's get started.
Watch the video below to learn how and why to replace your treble hooks with single hooks.
How hard is it to replace treble hooks with single hooks?
It's pretty easy to replace your treble hooks with single hooks if you have split ring pliers or those pliers with a point on the end of one side of them to open a split ring. Just make sure to go up a size when you switch out your trebles for singles.
If you notice in the picture at the top of the page the single replacement hooks hang down further than the treble hooks did. I think that you will get more hook ups if you copy that rigging technique and go a little longer with your replacement hooks.
Why should I replace my treble hooks with single hooks?
There are many reasons why to replace your treble hooks with single hooks on your lures either right out of the package or once they get rusty. In my opinion, the most important reason is because a treble hook really messes up the fish that you catch with them.
They tear up their mouths, gills and throats. They often snag them in the sides puncturing into their inner body cavities. They hook them in the eyes and blind the fish. I can go on and on but the bottom line is if you are not planning on harvesting the fish that you catch, then you should try to harm them as little as possible. Single hooks harm fish a hell of a lot less than treble hooks do.
The Florida Wildlife Commission did a study on cryptic mortality which studied the death rates of catch and release snook in the state of Florida over one year. The study found that over 40% of all of the snook caught and released died because of being damaged during their capture and release.
The cryptic mortality rates for spotted sea trout are even higher than snook. Redfish are a little tougher but the bottom line is that we should treat our amazing fish resources with care or there won't be any more fish for us to enjoy catching.
There are many reasons why to replace your treble hooks with single hooks on your lures either right out of the package or once they get rusty. In my opinion, the most important reason is because a treble hook really messes up the fish that you catch with them.
They tear up their mouths, gills and throats. They often snag them in the sides puncturing into their inner body cavities. They hook them in the eyes and blind the fish. I can go on and on but the bottom line is if you are not planning on harvesting the fish that you catch, then you should try to harm them as little as possible. Single hooks harm fish a hell of a lot less than treble hooks do.
The Florida Wildlife Commission did a study on cryptic mortality which studied the death rates of catch and release snook in the state of Florida over one year. The study found that over 40% of all of the snook caught and released died because of being damaged during their capture and release.
The cryptic mortality rates for spotted sea trout are even higher than snook. Redfish are a little tougher but the bottom line is that we should treat our amazing fish resources with care or there won't be any more fish for us to enjoy catching.
Why do some people turn the front hook forward or backwards?
I get this question all of the time when people see my youtube videos with the front hook backwards on all of my lures. I always turn the front hook pointing back towards the lure body. I do this because where I fish most often has lots of floating sea grass and other flotsam.
When the front hook is pointed backwards it does not allow the grass and other stuff to foul your presentation. This is especially true if you like top water walk-the-dog type of lures like I do. The last thing that you want to do is clean the weeds off of your lure after every cast.
Having the front hook pointing forward is a good idea if you are fishing offshore in open water or anywhere without any floating debris to foul your hooks. It probably slightly increases your hook up ratio if the front hook is pointed forward. BUT definitely turn it backwards if there is floating grass.
I get this question all of the time when people see my youtube videos with the front hook backwards on all of my lures. I always turn the front hook pointing back towards the lure body. I do this because where I fish most often has lots of floating sea grass and other flotsam.
When the front hook is pointed backwards it does not allow the grass and other stuff to foul your presentation. This is especially true if you like top water walk-the-dog type of lures like I do. The last thing that you want to do is clean the weeds off of your lure after every cast.
Having the front hook pointing forward is a good idea if you are fishing offshore in open water or anywhere without any floating debris to foul your hooks. It probably slightly increases your hook up ratio if the front hook is pointed forward. BUT definitely turn it backwards if there is floating grass.
Is it true that single hooks are better than treble hooks for catching tarpon?
I think this is true. I have a kayak fishing charter that specifically focuses on catching tarpon from May to November. When we can't find live bait we use top water lures with single hooks.
Tarpon are extremely hard to hook because their mouths are so hard and bony. If you are using a single hook it has a better chance of hooking them in the corners of the mouth and penetrating for a hook up.
Think about the amount of pressure that you will put on the lure that is in the fishes mouth. When you set the hook with a treble hook the force on the hook points is divided by three. When you set the hook with a single hook all of the pressure is on one point.
Trust me when I tell you that you will need all the force that you can get to have a good hook set on a tarpon. It just makes sense that a single hook will have a better chance of penetrating into the sides of those bony mouths of theirs.
I think this is true. I have a kayak fishing charter that specifically focuses on catching tarpon from May to November. When we can't find live bait we use top water lures with single hooks.
Tarpon are extremely hard to hook because their mouths are so hard and bony. If you are using a single hook it has a better chance of hooking them in the corners of the mouth and penetrating for a hook up.
Think about the amount of pressure that you will put on the lure that is in the fishes mouth. When you set the hook with a treble hook the force on the hook points is divided by three. When you set the hook with a single hook all of the pressure is on one point.
Trust me when I tell you that you will need all the force that you can get to have a good hook set on a tarpon. It just makes sense that a single hook will have a better chance of penetrating into the sides of those bony mouths of theirs.
How to make any single hook an inline single hook.
You don't have to run out to the store and get a bunch of inline single hooks to replace your treble hooks. All that you have to do is double up on your split rings. The lure above is one of my favorites for catching black tip sharks and tarpon off of the beach. I took the two treble hooks off and replaced them with one 9/0 circle hook in the back.
All that I did to make it an inline hook was double the split rings. If you only used one ring, then the hook would be pointing out to the side. BUT if you use two split rings, then the hook is perfectly in line. Just make sure to use stainless split rings or they will rust out real quick.
Owner versus VMC inline single replacement hooks review.
I have used both brands of inline single hooks to replace the treble hooks on my lures. They both did the job as far as hooking the fish very well. Both brands where very sharp and did not straighten out even with some of the bigger tarpon that I catch.
They are both very good hooks with one distinct difference. The VMC inline single replacement hooks cost about half as much as the Owner hooks. I think that you can guess which ones this cheap bastard buys.
I have used both brands of inline single hooks to replace the treble hooks on my lures. They both did the job as far as hooking the fish very well. Both brands where very sharp and did not straighten out even with some of the bigger tarpon that I catch.
They are both very good hooks with one distinct difference. The VMC inline single replacement hooks cost about half as much as the Owner hooks. I think that you can guess which ones this cheap bastard buys.