Are Dressed Treble Hooks Cosmetic?

[Happybeerbuzz]

So topwater is starting to heat up so I thought I would look over the hooks on my lures.  Sure enough, some of the dressed trebles are looking a bit haggard and feeling dull.  My temptation is to just switch out the dressed trebles with a plain trebles and move on especially on my $6 Pop-R since dressed trebles are about $2.50 each.  Does it make a difference in attracting fish?  Also, it occurs to me that the dressed hook probably adds drag which could affect the action.  Please give me your experiences and opinions on the matter.  

[Dwight Hottle]

Yes they are cosmetic. I leave them on new lures & don't replace them until they wear out or the hook needs replaced. I have tried them on baits that came plain without & never noticed much of a difference. If you fish baits fast they are of little consequence. If they are going to be effective it's when fishing a bait really slow.

[Angry John]

They add secondary action.  Depending on your position that might be important or not.  Some lures are designed with them in mind.  The xrap comes to mind.  Making your own is cheap, easy and you get to use the hook you already have or like.  Hook sewing thread, and a little nail polish, done.

[OkobojiEagle]

I want them on baits that will have a stop & go action... poppers, walkers, suspending jerkbaits.  Angry John mentioned it first, the feathers will give a secondary action and attraction.

 

oe

[WRB]

Hooks dressed with marabou or chicken feathers don't adversely affect the lures action and add movement when sitting at rest or moving slowly. 

I add white chicken feathered Owner treble hooks to my structure spoons and replace wornout dressed treble hooks on Splash-it's and Punkers for examples.

Tom

 

[Shane Y]

Going with what angry John said we were on some hybrids not long ago and we were fishi g x raps. My buddy had a red dressed treble and mine was white. He outfished the heck out of me that day.  I can fish to. I really think it was the red over white deal that day. 

[Spankey]

Not sure if they are really necessary or not but, I just associate them to my pop-r type topwater lures. I've just swapped them out when they get ratty looking. I use a few style dressed trebles. I'll stick to them. A spook does not have them. I would not put one on a spook. PopR more straight line action. 

[Happybeerbuzz]

21 hours ago, Angry John said:

They add secondary action.  Depending on your position that might be important or not.  Some lures are designed with them in mind.  The xrap comes to mind.  Making your own is cheap, easy and you get to use the hook you already have or like.  Hook sewing thread, and a little nail polish, done.

I have looked up vids on DIY treble dressing.  They all seem like they require an investment in fly tying equipment.  Is that what you do?  

[TOXIC]

I prefer them.  Whole techniques have been centered on the dressed hook.  Float-n-Fly comes to mind.  Nonetheless, it doesn't hurt anything and I prefer the added pulsing profile.  

[Angry John]

2 hours ago, Happybeerbuzz said:

I have looked up vids on DIY treble dressing.  They all seem like they require an investment in fly tying equipment.  Is that what you do?  

Don't know what you have at home already.  Can be done with a pair of vise grips aND a regular spool of thread.  I did get a cheap kit, but I was tying jigs.

[Mbirdsley]

I was glancing through A well known website.  You could get everything you need to tie new trailers for about 25 bucks shipping included.

 

 Bobbin 2.99, bobbin threader 1.99, Maribou( what I like to use to dress trebles) 6.99 for oz which is about a qt size bag, thread 1.99-4.00 depending on what you buy, and headcement 3.79 (trust me on the cement makes life a lot easier and the dressing will last longer) .You can find cheap fly tying vices or use a shop vice for this. 

[Brett's_daddy]

Not to thread-jack but how about swimbaits with dressed hooks...any reason for them? I have a new Jackall Gantarel Jr. and the bottom trebles are dressed...have thought seriously of removing the dressing as i don't like how they look on the bait but if they have a legit purpose maybe not.

[Happybeerbuzz]

On 6/11/2018 at 9:57 AM, Mbirdsley said:

I was glancing through A well known website.  You could get everything you need to tie new trailers for about 25 bucks shipping included.

 

 Bobbin 2.99, bobbin threader 1.99, Maribou( what I like to use to dress trebles) 6.99 for oz which is about a qt size bag, thread 1.99-4.00 depending on what you buy, and headcement 3.79 (trust me on the cement makes life a lot easier and the dressing will last longer) .You can find cheap fly tying vices or use a shop vice for this. 

I could just buy a couple of hooks for about $5.  Did I do that?  No way!  Instead, about $50 later into a took kit, vise, deer hair, hackle, flashabou, and thread, voila! This was my second attempt which I am happy with.  

 

[WRB]

Chicken feathers in lieu of deer hair for less drag in the water.

Tom

 

 

[NHBull]

The splash-it gets new ones when they die, but that is about it.  I have not noticed a drop off on any other bait where I haven't replaced the feathers......nothing scientific, just an observation 

[thinkingredneck]

On Monday, June 11, 2018 at 8:12 AM, Happybeerbuzz said:

I have looked up vids on DIY treble dressing.  They all seem like they require an investment in fly tying equipment.  Is that what you do?  

Yes.  However, you can use a vice grip that is held with a shop vice in a pinch (pardon the pun).  Be sure to use super glue or nail polish on your wraps.  You need to use half hitches or whip finish to tie off, and then glue.  

[Jar11591]

To me, they are cosmetic. I’ll switch out a feathered treble to a better hook without feathers or hackle without a second thought. Especially on smaller baits for when I’m downsizing, I like a non-feathered treble. 

[NorthernBasser]

On 6/11/2018 at 12:04 PM, Brett's_daddy said:

Not to thread-jack but how about swimbaits with dressed hooks...any reason for them? I have a new Jackall Gantarel Jr. and the bottom trebles are dressed...have thought seriously of removing the dressing as i don't like how they look on the bait but if they have a legit purpose maybe not.

I just ordered a Gantarel Jr. as well and have been contemplating the same thing. Someone here said the feathers help the hooks float some so the hooks stay closer to the body during the retrieve.

 

TackleTour seems to be on the fence.

http://www.tackletour.com/reviewjackallgantarelpg2.html

 

 

 

[thinkingredneck]

Here are some I tied while I was home with Bronchitis. 

[Mbirdsley]

On 7/7/2018 at 11:35 AM, Happybeerbuzz said:

I could just buy a couple of hooks for about $5.  Did I do that?  No way!  Instead, about $50 later into a took kit, vise, deer hair, hackle, flashabou, and thread, voila! This was my second attempt which I am happy with.  

 

That looks really good.  You will smile when you catch your first fish on it. 

[Deleted account]

NO.

[the reel ess]

Pros swear by them. IMO, they serve more of a purpose on baits that might sit still longer like a Pop R. You pause it a lot depending on the retrieve the fish prefer. I don't pause the Spook as much because it's more of a search bait. Fish just get the profile of it, not a long look at it. Sometimes fish don't smash the Pop R, but rather they kinda slurp it in from behind and only get the back hook. 

 

The idea is that bass see a lure that's in the rough shape of a fish and make a decision based on instinct. The dressed hook looks like a tail whereas a lot of baits don't have one. Anyway, they can't hurt, right?

[JustJames]

I try it on jerkbait and don't like it at all, I think it stunted the movement, but with bubble walker and pop-r can't live without it. I'm, in fact, looking for one with inline hook instead of treble hooks.

[.ghoti.]

Cosmetic. I wear "em as earrings 

[craww]

Not really.

 

They can tie certain baits together, in terms of the total package/ profile, like a mepps spinner or an xrap. But on virtually every one of the factory baits Ive observed in the water that come with the dressed hooks, beyond the mass on the hook itself sashaying on the swivel- theres almost no perceivable undulating, "alive", action at rest like is written about. Its a myth that gets regurgitated. Frankly I think it makes a mouth sized target for bluegill to key on.

 

   Maybe if a thin/pliable feather type is tied in a sparse fashion that allowed it to breathe (rapala gets the closest). Most dressed trebles have the movement of a broom. Its not like its living rubber, Now THATS action at rest.