Switchin out your trebles.. a must?

A highly debatable topic, It is like a religion to some, and yet others scoff at it? How important is changing out your treble hooks? Well simply put it can mean the difference bewteen hooking and landing your personal best. 

I dont want this article to be about telling you what brand is best, and why you should use a certain type of treble hook. But what I will do (as always) is give you my opinion, and that is.. well over 80% of the baits/lures you have in your box right now, would be better baits if you replaced the stock treble with a premium grade hook. 

Lets look at some of the main arguments we have with ourselves and others about why we dont switch out those trebles.. 

"It's too expensive"  

I get it, changing out hooks on your entire collection of baits is expensive, you can pay $6 and more for a quality pack or trebles, and for many of us, that is the price of a whole new bait, it is hard to ask anglers to buy a pack of hooks instead of reaching for that shinny new jerkbait. But what we need to remember is that these hooks will make a $5 bait fish like a $20 bait.

"the hooks on my bait feel sharp" 

yes of course they are sharp, but sharpness is only one aspect of a good quality hook. Strength and durability are other key components, and standard hooks are not designed to last as long or stay sharp as long as premium quality hook. 

"some companies are using very high quality hooks on their product right out of the package". 

This is a true statement, and it ties back into the old adage.. "you pay for what you get". If you spent $5 on a new crank bait there is a good chance the hooks are not premium quality. This does not mean you bought a cheap or poorly made bait, just that you may want to upgrade the hooks to make it a better bait 

Please don't confuse the above statement.  Spending more on a crankbait does not always mean the product is better, or will catch you more fish. But higher priced baits often use higher grade components, and will out last the lower priced options. Often concessions are made to get a bait to a lower price point and premium hooks are usually the first to go.

"The process is time consuming"  

yes it can be, if you dont have the right equipment. So invest in a pair of split ring pliers, you may already have a pair and just dont know it. This speeds up the process dramatically. And if you are like me, you never need an excuse to play with or sort thru your tackle.. but this gives you one

Thats it, those really are the most common complaints or arguments made by anglers who dont want or like to switch out their stock trebles.. and for those of you still not convinced, I bet one or more of the above statements rings true for you,  so what I would suggest is that you take a small challenge this season and buy your self one pack of trebles of your choice, and switch out the hooks on one of your favorite baits.  I really think you will be surprised at the difference it makes and quickly see the results of your labour on and off the water.