Hooks For Spook

[Mccallister25]

I fish spooks ALOT and lately it seems Iv had a lot of fish come un buttoned, especially when I get em up to the bank. It really seems to happen more often now than it has in the past. Its got me wondering, are there treble hooks I can replace the stock hooks with that are superior as far as keeping fish stuck? Just wondering if anyone replaces their hooks.

[papajoe222]

I do and I also add split rings to my original Spooks.  On some of my baits I've put SureSets on the belly and Mustad TrippleGrips on the tail. The others get  short shanks (one size up) on the belly. I never cared for the stock hooks on the originals and would switch out hooks and add split rings before they ever saw water.

[Dypsis]

IMO the stock hooks need replaced for sure.  There are a bunch of replacement trebles - Owner, Gamakatsu, Mustad, etc.  All depends on your alliance if you have one and price.  Since in this instance we are talking topwate I wouldn't worry too much about getting better hooks since the odds of losing it are slim.  

[smalljaw67]

You have to be careful with a spook, if the hooks add too much weight it will make walking it much harder. That said, I like the new Mustad KVD Elite Triple grips and the Owner Stinger ST-36, both of these will be fine for a spook. I use to use the regular Mustad Triple Grip which is a good hook but I prefer the new KVD Elites for 2 reasons, the first is the hook gap is wider and the second is they are black nickel which means I don't have to worry that they are going to rust but that slightly wider gap makes a big difference.

[Jrob78]

I prefer a round bend hook on walking baits.  The thought behind this is they are more likely to stick a fish that just swipes at the bait.  The EWG's with in-turned hooks will be less likely to stick those fish, they will keep stuck fish buttoned better though.  I like Owner St 36's on walking baits.

[Mccallister25]

Sounds like a bunch of options lol. I guess I'll have to do a little more research.

[Bluebasser86]

I put Owner ST 36s on my spooks and they keep fish stuck really well and they hook them much easier, usually just by cranking into them.

[Kevin22]

A lot of times fish don't actually hit the spook but just swat at it or roll on it. Often times when bass are in a negative mood or very pressured they will try and kill the food before they eat it, sort of testing it out to see if its real or not. Chances are you are just catching the skin of the mouth when he "tastes" it, and he is coming unbuttoned because of the poor hook location. 

 

Only thing you can do is use super sharp lightwire hooks and take it easy until you can see where the fish is hooked. Stretchy mono will help also, gives some shock absorption when the fish shakes his head or turns direction. Sufix elite is good for this, the stuff is like fishing with a bungee cord. 

[Mumbly]

I will agree with the other folks and suggest a quality round bend is best on a walking bait due to fish swiping/swatting at the bait. I will also agree with the Owner stingers and Triple Grips in their respective styles.

 

Whether you want round bends owners or ewg's is entirely up to you but I think the most critical point here, and what will help you the most, is that you should replace the stock hooks.

[Mccallister25]

I put Owner ST 36s on my spooks and they keep fish stuck really well and they hook them much easier, usually just by cranking into them.

That's 3 for that same hook. Looks like I'll be trying them.