Feathered Of Non-Feathered Trebles

[Tuckahoe Joe]

Here's the situation.  I got my spinnerbait hung up the other day but I managed to pull it free.  When I got it back in, there was a Mepps Aglia Long inline spinner hanging off the end of it.  Nice big one perfectly sized for bass.  The hook was rusted out but I replaced it no problem.  However the original hook was feathered/dressed/whatever you wanna call it.  My question is, do you think its worth going through the trouble to re-feather it myself or would I catch just as many fish with a naked hook?  I don't have any experience tying dressings onto hooks but I did find a you tube video that seemed pretty helpful.  Any tips or suggestions?

[OneShotOneKill]

I cant offer any advice on re-tying, but i know you can get replacement trebles online pre-dressed.

 

I do fish quite a lot with panther martin and mepps inline spinners and always have much better luck with the ones that have dressed hooks.

[rockchalk06]

I love em. Every top water and jerkbait I own has them. If they don't come with it, I put them on. I know exactly squat about tying. I just buy the Mustad ones and go to town.

I'd like to learn how to tie though. Those VMC sureset hooks look cool!

[papajoe222]

If it's a Mepps, it's likely a squirrel tail hair treble and would be difficult to tie even with the material, for someone inexperienced.   I'd fish it like it is with the replacement.  Think of it as a spinnerbait.  When would you add a plastic trailer to one?  That would be the only time I would see an advantage to having a dressed treble.  Their Aglia series baits come with a treble with only a small piece of red tubing on the shaft.  You might try adding something like that as an attractor.

[SirSnookalot]

I've used them dressed and undressed, treble as well as a single hook, the catch rate seems to be pretty constant, imo the blades do more attracting.  If I had a dressed treble I may use but I don't think I'd go out of my way to buy one.  Inline spinners, beetle spins, roadrunners and the like seem to be bluegill and small bass catchers, sure you nail a good fish once in a while, but if I were wanting to catch larger fish I'd be using another kind of bait.

[shanksmare]

I'm not sure that it matters one way or the other - dressed or plain. If you decide to dress the hook it is pretty simple. All you need is an appropriately sized treble hook, the tail from a road killed squirrel, a bit of sewing thread and some super glue. You can make an impromtu vice using vicegrips. Cut a small clump of hair off the tail, use the thread to secure it to the hook shank, and a couple of drops of super glue. You don't even need to knot the thread if you use super glue.

[Paul Roberts]

It dont need no stinkin feathers

[Dwight Hottle]

I always prefer mine undressed.

[OneShotOneKill]

This guy votes for dressed! 

[iabass8]

I only used dressed feathers on a few different type of topwaters and jerkbaits. The hair pulsates in the water when the bait is at rest. I don't care for it on moving baits.

[Bass Junkie]

I prefer the hooks dressed, but that's just personal preference. I tie flies, and so I tie feathered trebles for a lot of my hardbaits during the off-season. It's not terribly hard, a few tries and you'll have something better than just about any inline spinner comes with stock 

[BrettD]

I only used dressed feathers on a few different type of topwaters and jerkbaits. The hair pulsates in the water when the bait is at rest. I don't care for it on moving baits.

Same here, I tie my own its not difficult with a bobbin tool it makes it fairly simple then a quick drop of epoxy.

[smalljaw67]

Sometimes it is good , sometimes it is bad, you just have to try it but I don't think a dressed hook is an absolute must. I have them on X-Raps and on some of them I'll replace the hook with a bare hook because I've had times when the fish will key in on the feathered hook and swip at it. I was catching smallies 2 seasons ago and I was missing some and the others were hooked on the feathered treble, I was going to change the size of the bait when my buddy said I was lucky to have those feathers on or I wouldn't be getting bit so rather than change baits I just replaced the rear hook to see if the feather was the reason I was getting bit. Turns out it wasn't, once I took it off the fish started eating the bait instead of going after the treble, now I had the exact opposite happen, well my buddy did I should say as he put a feathered treble on one of his baits and began catching fish after not getting a bite without it. So because of experiences like that I say just try them without and let the fish tell you what they prefer.

[bassguytom]

I don't like feathers on my hooks for some reason. If a lure comes with them fine but I don't actively search them out.

[Tuckahoe Joe]

Thanks for the input everyone.  I think Ill just stick with the undressed for now and maybe pick up a feathered one sometime in the future.