Dear Hook Manufacturers,

Your treble hooks are not getting the job done. Yes, I'm talking to you Owner, Gamakatsu, VMC, Mustad, and others. Swimbaits are getting more and more popular with each passing year and fishermen across the country are swapping out their hooks for premium models, 2x models, larger models, etc. There's money to be made here on treble hooks.

The problem is, big bass keep bending out and/or breaking your hooks! I'm talking about 2x Gamakatsu magic eyes, 2x Owner black chrome's, Owner ST-36's in 3/0 (yes 3/0), Gamakatsu Round Bend Bronze, and the stock VMC's on the Slammer and Triple Trout. Its happened to me and its happened to my friends. You've got a huge fish on, the adrenaline is pumping and then for no apparent reason, the fish falls off. You bring your bait in and the hook is bent straight. How can 25lb mono be stronger than your metal hook?

So please, make us a better hook. One that is available in dull bronze, grey, and flat white. Get rid of the shiny black models. Yes we all know they look pretty, but shiny is really no good. Make a hook that is razor sharp but not too thick in the shank. Keep the gap on the hook in line with a standard treble. We all know that 4x hooks are out there but shrinking the hook gap by 1/2 as a way to make the hook stronger isn't what we need.

Use the Gamakatus round bend treble as a benchmark for your hook sizing and use the Owner ST-36 as a benchmark for sharpness. Put a decent sized barb on it and sell it in 7/0 on down to #2. Test the hook with 25lb mono with 150 feet of line out and make sure that under no circumstances the hook bends or breaks, ever. If you make this hook swimbait fishermen will be forever in your debt.

Regards,

-Rob Belloni
www.calfishing.com

Nice one Rob... you speak for the masses and all of us that have openned up trebles for no apparent reason.

Well said Rob!! So is this going to be a petition? LOL!!

Rob you're going to drive the Hook Companies insane with this lol

the problem is that if you make a hook to stiff, it breaks. And, if it's to thin, it bends.

I don't fish buttoned drag so i can't jump on the bandwagon of hooks bending :7

good luck finding a good hook.

Tell me where to sign my name, I want in on this petition! Rob, you hit this one on the head.

There's no real petition (it would be funny to make one though :) ) I'm just hoping to get someone's attention with this post. The more people that climb on the better.

I'm just so tired of crappy hooks :( I haven't lost a real monster bass yet, just a couple 20lb class stripers and a few 5-10lbers, but I know it's only a matter of time and the inevitability of it kills me.

Here Here Robert!

Just like the Owner HyperWires...someone needs to step up with bigbait/bigfish fishing in mind, and come up with a truly sharp, stout, and well thought out treble hook for the bigbaits of the world.

I would do field testing as Rob suggested with 25-30 pound mono, and a sampling of the biggest stoutest rods, TE400 and TE300 reels, at close range, and at distance. I have bent out the Owner stingers with the following setup more than a couple times, costing me fish:

GLoomis 966 8' Mag Heavy
25 Pound PLine CXX Green
Owner Stingers
Owner Hyperwire #5 on belly ring
TE400 Calcutta reel

Owner has the sharpness down....just need to not have the hooks bend out or break for any reason, ever.

MP

Great idea Rob...If they build 'em, I'll buy 'em...and I'm sure I'll be standing in line.

Count me in to! I've only bent out 3 "PREMIUM" trebles costing me about 27# of fish. Let's see a 50# class hook that is sharp and not so heavy as to sink a wake bait.
Tight lines,
Wade

>The problem is, big bass keep bending out and/or breaking your
>hooks! I'm talking about 2x Gamakatsu magic eyes, 2x Owner
>black chrome's, Owner ST-36's in 3/0 (yes 3/0), Gamakatsu
>Round Bend Bronze, and the stock VMC's on the Slammer and
>Triple Trout. Its happened to me and its happened to my
>friends. You've got a huge fish on, the adrenaline is pumping
>and then for no apparent reason, the fish falls off. You
>bring your bait in and the hook is bent straight. How can
>25lb mono be stronger than your metal hook?

Rob,

What's your opinion of the split rings used on the 9" Slammer? Do you think they're heavy enough for stripers? I changed out all the hardware on my Slammers (snap, hooks, split rings) because they don't look heavy duty enough...

I use the stock snap always. I replace the split rings on most of my baits, especially for stripers with the Owner Hyperwires. Yes they hard to get on the bait but with split ring pliers it is possible. Hooks are always replaced with gammie or owner.

I bent out 2x gammies on a 12+ bass I would like to see some better hooks aswell!

Hey let that Bass go I wanna catch her some day
http://www.calfishing.com/gallery/v/members/tmcustoms/