Jerkbait Hook Replacements to Maintain that Delicate Balance

[00bullitt]

I've searched and not found any real solid info so I figured I would create it and add to it. Specifically the weights of hooks and their affect on performance.

 

I love me some jerkbaits and I love the Megabass 110 and 110jr. along with the newer Berkley Stunna 112.

To maintain that delicate balance of action and suspension, replacement hooks play a huge role in that. Of course you can use the stock hooks but they have their own shortcomings.

 

The Megabass 110 and 110jr are a suspending jerkbait whereas the Berkley Stunna is "Slow Sinking". Water temps play a huge role in this; warmer water is less dense and therefore less resistance is required for the jerkbait to float and vice versa for colder water. While Megabass does not advertise a temperature that their jerkbaits are at neutral buoyancy, it seems to be about 55-58 degrees. As the water warms, they begin to float. Similar is true for the Berkley Stunna, but being that it is designed to be "Slow Sinking", seems as if it sinks about 60 degrees and begins to get more neutral as the water warms.  All these little nuances matter for jerk plug fishing and make it a very technical technique.

 

It has been touted for the longest time that the Megabass jerkbaits are the best out of the package jerkbait on the market. I will agree to a certain extent; environmental influence matters. Turbidity is another concern that affects density. Water temp is also not consistent throgh the column. The tools we have at our disposal give us a surface measurement. Much harder to know what the temp is below the surface at the depth the bait is designed to operate. This is another influential factor that is difficult to control.

 

The Megabass 110 comes with a #6 outbarb treble hook. Its an extremely thin and light wire hook. The Megabass jerkbaits were originally designed to be ultra finesse and used on 6# diameter line. Minimal pressure was required to sink hooks into a fish using light tackle. Using those hooks on baitcast gear and heavier line, its easy to straighten the hooks out if you apply to much pressure or don't have your drag loose enough. The 110jr has too small of hooks; #8 round bends. Also a lighter wire.

 

I've really come to like the Stunna lately and it has quickly become my replacement for the standard Vision 110. I still do not care for the 112 +1 as its action is weak and it does not gain me any additional depth over the standard. It actually comes with a pretty good EWG hook too; a #6 Fusion EWG Medium Wire. 

While I will continue to use and maintain my 110's, I will most likely not be buying more unless I need a very specific color not offered by Berkley. I will still very much continue to use and buy the 110jr, but it does have its own share of challenges with the smaller hooks.

 

The following are the weights of the stock hooks and some suitable/possible replacement options (I listed Grains as that resonates a tad more accurate to me as I'm a reloader):

 

Megabass 110 - .35 grams / 5.4 grains

Megabass 110jr. - .27 grams / 4.0 grains

Stunna 112 - .39 grams / 6.0 grains

 

Replacement Options:

Owner STX-38ZN #8 (ZoWire) - .30 grams / 5.0 grains

Owner STX-38ZN #6 (ZoWire) - .49 grams / 7.6 grains

Owner STY-35MF #6 (Stinger) - .43 grams / 6.8 grains

Gamakatsu Finesse Nano #6 - .34 grams / 5.2 grains

Gamakatsu Finesse Nano #5 - .40 grams / 6.0 grains

Gamakatsu EWG Black Nickel #6 - .42 grams / 6.5 grains

Gamakatsu EWG Bronze #6 - .40 grams / 6.3 grains

Mustad Triple Grip TG58NP-BN #6 - .40 grams / 6.4 grains

 

With temps being in the mid to high 70's lately, the Owner #8 has worked very well on the 110jr and the Gamakatsu Nano #6 work well on the 110. The Gamakatsu Nano #5 is a great replacement for the Stunna 112.

 

I still intend on acquiring #8 hooks from Duo and Ichikawa to see how they work on the 110jr. I'd like to find a larger hook for the Jr. but I don't see that happening without a negative reaction. I tried the Gamakatsu Nano #6 but it impedes the action about 50%. I have yet to straighten out the Owner STX38 #8. While significantly heavier than the stock #8, it has been neutrally buoyant in the warmer water.

 

The Gamakatsu Nano #6 on the standard 110 still floats up ever so slightly in the mid 70 temps. The #5 is just about perfect, but sinks just a tad. To fix it, I put a #5 on the front and back and a #6 in the middle. Absolutely perfect suspension.

 

Anyway....hope this helps. I plan to get a few other light wire type treble hooks and will update this when I do.

 

 

 

 

[A-Jay]

Nicely Done ~

Thanks for taking the time & sharing this.

A-Jay

[Dwight Hottle]

Great post. You are using two of my favorite hook choices the owner ZoWire & Stinger treble short shank . I have found from experience the zowire STX-38ZN X+ are brittle enough to break on bigger fish. Have you tried the STX-45ZN 2X+ or the STX-58-TN 3X+? I'm sure the heavier hooks will weigh more but I don't have a gram scale to determine the difference. 

Another hook to research is Treble Magic ST-46,  the hooks Ever Green International uses on their baits. Super sticky sharp hooks like the zowires. 

[A-Jay]

1 hour ago, 00bullitt said:

I've searched and not found any real solid info so I figured I would create it and add to it. Specifically the weights of hooks and their affect on performance.

 

I love me some jerkbaits and I love the Megabass 110 and 110jr. along with the newer Berkley Stunna 112.

To maintain that delicate balance of action and suspension, replacement hooks play a huge role in that. Of course you can use the stock hooks but they have their own shortcomings.

 

The Megabass 110 and 110jr are a suspending jerkbait whereas the Berkley Stunna is "Slow Sinking". Water temps play a huge role in this; warmer water is less dense and therefore less resistance is required for the jerkbait to float and vice versa for colder water. While Megabass does not advertise a temperature that their jerkbaits are at neutral buoyancy, it seems to be about 55-58 degrees. As the water warms, they begin to float. Similar is true for the Berkley Stunna, but being that it is designed to be "Slow Sinking", seems as if it sinks about 60 degrees and begins to get more neutral as the water warms.  All these little nuances matter for jerk plug fishing and make it a very technical technique.

 

It has been touted for the longest time that the Megabass jerkbaits are the best out of the package jerkbait on the market. I will agree to a certain extent; environmental influence matters. Turbidity is another concern that affects density. Water temp is also not consistent throgh the column. The tools we have at our disposal give us a surface measurement. Much harder to know what the temp is below the surface at the depth the bait is designed to operate. This is another influential factor that is difficult to control.

 

The Megabass 110 comes with a #6 outbarb treble hook. Its an extremely thin and light wire hook. The Megabass jerkbaits were originally designed to be ultra finesse and used on 6# diameter line. Minimal pressure was required to sink hooks into a fish using light tackle. Using those hooks on baitcast gear and heavier line, its easy to straighten the hooks out if you apply to much pressure or don't have your drag loose enough. The 110jr has too small of hooks; #8 round bends. Also a lighter wire.

 

I've really come to like the Stunna lately and it has quickly become my replacement for the standard Vision 110. I still do not care for the 112 +1 as its action is weak and it does not gain me any additional depth over the standard. It actually comes with a pretty good EWG hook too; a #6 Fusion EWG Medium Wire. 

While I will continue to use and maintain my 110's, I will most likely not be buying more unless I need a very specific color not offered by Berkley. I will still very much continue to use and buy the 110jr, but it does have its own share of challenges with the smaller hooks.

 

The following are the weights of the stock hooks and some suitable/possible replacement options (I listed Grains as that resonates a tad more accurate to me as I'm a reloader):

 

Megabass 110 - .35 grams / 5.4 grains

Megabass 110jr. - .27 grams / 4.0 grains

Stunna 112 - .39 grams / 6.0 grains

 

Replacement Options:

Owner STX-38ZN #8 (ZoWire) - .30 grams / 5.0 grains

Owner STX-38ZN #6 (ZoWire) - .49 grams / 7.6 grains

Owner STY-35MF #6 (Stinger) - .43 grams / 6.8 grains

Gamakatsu Finesse Nano #6 - .34 grams / 5.2 grains

Gamakatsu Finesse Nano #5 - .40 grams / 6.0 grains

Gamakatsu EWG Black Nickel #6 - .42 grams / 6.5 grains

Gamakatsu EWG Bronze #6 - .40 grams / 6.3 grains

Mustad Triple Grip TG58NP-BN #6 - .40 grams / 6.4 grains

 

With temps being in the mid to high 70's lately, the Owner #8 has worked very well on the 110jr and the Gamakatsu Nano #6 work well on the 110. The Gamakatsu Nano #5 is a great replacement for the Stunna 112.

 

I still intend on acquiring #8 hooks from Duo and Ichikawa to see how they work on the 110jr. I'd like to find a larger hook for the Jr. but I don't see that happening without a negative reaction. I tried the Gamakatsu Nano #6 but it impedes the action about 50%. I have yet to straighten out the Owner STX38 #8. While significantly heavier than the stock #8, it has been neutrally buoyant in the warmer water.

 

The Gamakatsu Nano #6 on the standard 110 still floats up ever so slightly in the mid 70 temps. The #5 is just about perfect, but sinks just a tad. To fix it, I put a #5 on the front and back and a #6 in the middle. Absolutely perfect suspension.

 

Anyway....hope this helps. I plan to get a few other light wire type treble hooks and will update this when I do.

 

 

 

 

Forgot to ask ~ @00bullitt

What about hardware ~ split rings & lie ties ?

Do you have an after market favorite

or is most of the stock hardware on the baits you prefer sufficient for your needs ?

Thanks in advance

A-Jay

 

[roadwarrior]

I prefer the Katsuage hooks that come standard on the Vision 110.

 

https://megabassusa.com/a-guide-to-replacing-jerkbait-hooks/

[00bullitt]

26 minutes ago, A-Jay said:

Forgot to ask ~ @00bullitt

What about hardware ~ split rings & lie ties ?

Do you have an after market favorite

or is most of the stock hardware on the baits you prefer sufficient for your needs ?

Thanks in advance

A-Jay

 

Good question. When grains count, split rings and line ties matter.

 

I use the stock Megabass split rings until they stretch at all or lose tension. I remove and install all of my split rings with Texas Tackle small split ring pliers and can feel tension with them pretty good. If they feel weak or look stretched in anyway, they get replaced with an Owner HyperWire #2 or #3 split ring. Once I replace the factory Berkley hooks, they get Hyperwires as they just seem weak from the start and just changing hooks deforms them. 

 

I remove line tie split rings and use Norman Speed Clips religiously unless the line tie is protected and will not allow free movement of the speed clip. For example, I leave the line tie split ring on the 110jr. +1 and snap to that. I've been using he Speed Clips for a looooong time on trebled lures and never had an issue; easily 20-25 years.

 

I will weigh the hardware and add those weights in for comparison sakes.

1 hour ago, Dwight Hottle said:

Great post. You are using two of my favorite hook choices the owner ZoWire & Stinger treble short shank . I have found from experience the zowire STX-38ZN X+ are brittle enough to break on bigger fish. Have you tried the STX-45ZN 2X+ or the STX-58-TN 3X+? I'm sure the heavier hooks will weigh more but I don't have a gram scale to determine the difference. 

Another hook to research is Treble Magic ST-46,  the hooks Ever Green International uses on their baits. Super sticky sharp hooks like the zowires. 

For Megabass and Berkley, I stayed away from anything "X" rated as they will be too heavy.

When I get into needing a jerkbait with stouter hooks, I throw Duo Realis 100/110's, Lucky Craft Pointer Minnows or Rerange Jackalls.

 

I'm pretty interested in seeing the Duo Realis Nano and Ichikawa RC Kamikiri Light Wire hooks.

I will say that I was very impressed with the stock Berkley Hook EWG Med Shank Hook that comes on the Stunna, but the Gamakatsu Nano was 50cents more, so I just went with those as replacements.

[A-Jay]

13 minutes ago, 00bullitt said:

Good question. When grains count, split rings and line ties matter.

 

I use the stock Megabass split rings until they stretch at all or lose tension. I remove and install all of my split rings with Texas Tackle small split ring pliers and can feel tension with them pretty good. If they feel weak or look stretched in anyway, they get replaced with an Owner HyperWire #2 or #3 split ring. Once I replace the factory Berkley hooks, they get Hyperwires as they just seem weak from the start and just changing hooks deforms them. 

 

I remove line tie split rings and use Norman Speed Clips religiously unless the line tie is protected and will not allow free movement of the speed clip. For example, I leave the line tie split ring on the 110jr. +1 and snap to that. I've been using he Speed Clips for a looooong time on trebled lures and never had an issue; easily 20-25 years.

 

Thanks

Seems we are very similar in hardware preferance. 

I also use Owner Hyper wire split rings and line ties, Oval shaped exclusively on the nose.

A-Jay

[00bullitt]

I tried to go back and edit the original post, but I guess the "edit" feature goes away after some time lapses. 

 

Probably not a bad idea to revive this thread as the height of jerkbait season is upon us although its my most utilized bait all year round and has been since I got Livescope 2 years ago. Forward facing sonar has opened the door of possibility for capturing those suspended open water fish. I've caught so many 4 plus pound spotted bass in the top 10' of the water column over 70-100' of water its not even funny......and they fall for a jerkbait about every time!

 

I weighed a few more hooks from the original list:

 

Duo Realis Nano #8 = .32grams/4.9 grains

Due Realis Nano #6 = .47grams/7.4 grains

Ichikawa RC Light #8 = .28grams/4.4grains

Ichikawa RC Light #6 = .42grams/6.6grains

Berkley EWG #8 = .27grams/4.3grains

Berkley EWG Med Shank #6 = .38 grams/6.0grains

 

Norman Speed Clip, small = 1.7 grains

Megabass 110 stock split ring = 1.0 grains

Owner Hyperwire #2 split ring = 1.0 grains

Owner Hyperwire #3 split ring = 1.8 grains

 

Still loving the Stunna and the 110jr. The Berkley hooks on the Stunna have been money! I have increased my landing ratio with the 110jr. by changing stock hooks to Berkley #8 EWG's and using a Berkley #6 Medium Shank EWG on the center. 

[00bullitt]

The Megabass 110jr. +1 is easily my favorite jerkbait as it catches the large majority of my fish; mostly spotted bass on the lakes I fish, granted it gets eaten by plenty of Larry's.

 

The stock hooks suck as they bend out too easily, granted....Megabass design their jerk plugs to be used in a light line finesse application, so understandable. This is a discussion in an of itself in my opinion as several jerkbaits are designed around more of a power application with larger/stronger hooks.

 

I used to be a fall/winter jerkbait guy only. That all changed once I started using forward facing sonar (Livescope) a few years ago as I now had eyes on every suspended fish in a 100' radius of my boat. The jerkbait became my go-to bait on the deck of my boat and catches the majority of my fish on any given day. I typically have 2 or 3 jerkbaits ready to go for different situations. I target these fish and catch them! Livescope opened an entire new frontier of bass fishing in my opinion and I like to capitalize on that. And by god the jerkbait bite is just AWESOME!

 

With all that said, I throw the 110jr. +1 the majority of the time. I have finally found a hook that I trust and gets the bait to remain neutrally buoyant in summer water temps (70-90deg) and then as the lake cools, it will sink ultra slow just as I like it as I will jerk it over a school of fish and then pause it and watch it sink about a half inch to an inch per second depending on water temps. It drops into them and the school goes absolutely nuts!

 

The Mustad Triple Grip 2x short, 1x strong #8 EWG is that hook. It weighs 4.5 grains compared to the factory #8 thin wire round bend treble by VMC that is 4.0 grains.

 

I DO NOT lose fish with that hook and they rarely bend! I've never been a big EWG fan as I've always believed a round bend to hook up better, but after using the Berkley Stunna with their Fusion EWG and now this....I've become an EWG treble hook believer.

 

I do wish that Megabass would consider making the 110jr. +1 in a silent version. I think that would be deadly! I watch alot of big fish shoot up after my jerkplug and then slowly turn away. I'm quite certain its the noise that deters them.

 

Anyway, wanted to drop an update here in case it helps someone. Tight lines!

[Deleted account]

I just add and subtract weight as required, be it with the hooks, split rings, or additional weight on the lure or hooks.  I have otherwise identical lures set up to slowly rise, suspend, or rise at a given temperature. I fish suspending JBs mostly in cold water (usually below 50), so that is where I "balance" them. I have a few with double splits on the nose and/or tail hook that are usually my best producers. 

Water is at its densest at 39F, (and less so at higher and lower temperatures). Lastly some very good JBs have not so good consistency on buoyancy, so while there is some extra work involved, they are real fish catchers, and (really) lastly, sometimes you want a little more or less rise/sink v true suspending for catching results.

 

Oh, and I'm not gonna call anyone out individually, but....

"The buoyant force is inversely proportional to the temperature of the fluid in which the body is immersed"

[FishTank]

On 5/23/2022 at 2:59 PM, A-Jay said:

Thanks

Seems we are very similar in hardware preferance. 

I also use Owner Hyper wire split rings and line ties, Oval shaped exclusively on the nose.

A-Jay

That is my project for when cabin fever sets in. 

 

I bought a few 110s from Japan and they came without split rings. I had few random oval ones in a tackle box and put them on. I liked how the bait worked better. I can't tell you if it lead to more fish but I liked it. 

 

What size did you use?

[A-Jay]

3 hours ago, FishTank said:

That is my project for when cabin fever sets in. 

 

I bought a few 110s from Japan and they came without split rings. I had few random oval ones in a tackle box and put them on. I liked how the bait worked better. I can't tell you if lead to more fish but I liked it. 

 

What size did you use?

Mostly size 2 & 3

A-Jay 

[Darth-Baiter]

in my waters, I can use a slightly heavier hook.  my Vision 110 slowly come up..

[roadwarrior]

On 11/1/2022 at 7:55 AM, 00bullitt said:

The stock hooks suck as they bend out too easily

 

I don't find that to be the case at all.

[JustBassinThru]

Thanks for posting this. I am ready to try some 110JR's and was curious on hook size.  I have some ST-36 #8'S in case I accidentally bend one but I plan on fishing with lighter gear so hopefully that won't happen!

[WaterOtter]

On 11/1/2022 at 9:21 AM, Deleted account said:

I have otherwise identical lures set up to slowly rise, suspend, or rise at a given temperature.

How do you tell them apart and remember which way a modified lure will go?

[Deleted account]

10 hours ago, WaterOtter said:

How do you tell them apart and remember which way a modified lure will go?

A different color dot of nail polish, but I can tell from the rash on the paint on most of them.

[Kelvin]

I'm having trouble finding hooks for the Vision Jr and the Duo Realis rozante 77 sp.   But your guide with weights in grams was very helpful.   Got any suggestions?

[roarlionsxc]

On 11/1/2022 at 7:55 AM, 00bullitt said:

The Megabass 110jr. +1 is easily my favorite jerkbait as it catches the large majority of my fish; mostly spotted bass on the lakes I fish, granted it gets eaten by plenty of Larry's.

 

The stock hooks suck as they bend out too easily, granted....Megabass design their jerk plugs to be used in a light line finesse application, so understandable. This is a discussion in an of itself in my opinion as several jerkbaits are designed around more of a power application with larger/stronger hooks.

 

I used to be a fall/winter jerkbait guy only. That all changed once I started using forward facing sonar (Livescope) a few years ago as I now had eyes on every suspended fish in a 100' radius of my boat. The jerkbait became my go-to bait on the deck of my boat and catches the majority of my fish on any given day. I typically have 2 or 3 jerkbaits ready to go for different situations. I target these fish and catch them! Livescope opened an entire new frontier of bass fishing in my opinion and I like to capitalize on that. And by god the jerkbait bite is just AWESOME!

 

With all that said, I throw the 110jr. +1 the majority of the time. I have finally found a hook that I trust and gets the bait to remain neutrally buoyant in summer water temps (70-90deg) and then as the lake cools, it will sink ultra slow just as I like it as I will jerk it over a school of fish and then pause it and watch it sink about a half inch to an inch per second depending on water temps. It drops into them and the school goes absolutely nuts!

 

The Mustad Triple Grip 2x short, 1x strong #8 EWG is that hook. It weighs 4.5 grains compared to the factory #8 thin wire round bend treble by VMC that is 4.0 grains.

 

I DO NOT lose fish with that hook and they rarely bend! I've never been a big EWG fan as I've always believed a round bend to hook up better, but after using the Berkley Stunna with their Fusion EWG and now this....I've become an EWG treble hook believer.

 

I do wish that Megabass would consider making the 110jr. +1 in a silent version. I think that would be deadly! I watch alot of big fish shoot up after my jerkplug and then slowly turn away. I'm quite certain its the noise that deters them.

 

Anyway, wanted to drop an update here in case it helps someone. Tight lines!

what size line and which rod do you use? i've had good luck with a medium light rod extra fast rod with the 110+1 jrs because the hooks are so light wire. 

[txchaser]

On 5/23/2022 at 12:22 PM, Dwight Hottle said:

STX-45ZN 2X+

I was really hoping these would work on vision 110's, but they are too heavy, at least in 55 degree water. Really a bummer as there's a lot of bruiser-class fish and often some nasty cover too. It is december and there's still green weeds around, and they will go right into the slop. Point being the vision hooks are scary thin. If they get a whole mouthful it'll be fine, but one hook point just isn't going to be enough. 

Options on strong hooks that will leave a 110 with a suspend or a very very slow fall in 50-55 degree water? 45zn's left it with a pretty fast fall. 

 

[Dwight Hottle]

12 hours ago, txchaser said:

I was really hoping these would work on vision 110's, but they are too heavy, at least in 55 degree water. Really a bummer as there's a lot of bruiser-class fish and often some nasty cover too. It is december and there's still green weeds around, and they will go right into the slop. Point being the vision hooks are scary thin. If they get a whole mouthful it'll be fine, but one hook point just isn't going to be enough. 

Options on strong hooks that will leave a 110 with a suspend or a very very slow fall in 50-55 degree water? 45zn's left it with a pretty fast fall. 

 

 

Have you tried the STX-38ZN hooks they are X+ supposed to be stronger than regular X hooks. 

[00bullitt]

On 11/9/2022 at 6:54 AM, Kelvin said:

I'm having trouble finding hooks for the Vision Jr and the Duo Realis rozante 77 sp.   But your guide with weights in grams was very helpful.   Got any suggestions?

With the stock hooks the 110jr. slowly floats in water temps over 50 degrees. 

 

The Berkley Fusion Med Shank #8 EWG is 4.3 grains and the Mustad Triple Grip EWG 2x Short, 1 x strong #8 is 4.5 grains. The Stock VMC made #8's that come on it are 4.0 grains.

The Berkley is a much better hook than the stock #8's in my opinion and I used them for a while until I came across the Mustad. I now use the Mustad Triple Grip mentioned on all my 110jr.'s.  Our lakes are in the mid to high 50 degree temps right now and wiht the Mustads, I get a very slow sink; about .5" per second. I actually prefer a slow sink as I can often jerk it right over a suspended fish using Livescope and let it drop slowly into them often triggering a strike. I see the fish react and then watch my line jump.

[00bullitt]

On 11/28/2022 at 7:17 PM, roarlionsxc said:

what size line and which rod do you use? i've had good luck with a medium light rod extra fast rod with the 110+1 jrs because the hooks are so light wire. 

I use a few. I'm ultra picky about the action of my rods for jerkbaits. I would say my main rod for 95-112 size jerk plugs is the Shimano Expride 6'10" Medium paired with a Shimano Curado 70XG (8.1 gear ratio).  I have an Aldebaran HG but its only a 7.4:1. I specifically want an 8 or better as I just prefer the way it takes up line better for faster cadence fishing. When water temps get below 60 degrees, I use 10# Seaguar TATSU. If I could afford it, I would use it all year (I buy it when I find it on sale). I back the reel with some 30# braid (braid is lighter and gets the spool moving quicker and its less expensive when I respool expensive line as I respool pretty often. TATSU is amazingly strong. I have straightened heavy jig hooks out with their 15# test TATSU. The rest of the year I use 12# Seaguar Invisx. Invisx starts to coil badly and get a lot of memory when the water temps fall into the 50's. TATSU stays very supple with almost no memory.....an ungodly strong.

Casting the smaller jerk plugs on 10# test is much easier too. I have even considered trying TATSU 8# given how strong their 10# is. I have landed 20+ pound stripers on it. I have broken off several bigger fish on 10 & 12# Invisx. I honestly cannot think of a time where I had a fish break off on TATSU.

 

 

 

 

[txchaser]

On 11/29/2022 at 9:44 AM, Dwight Hottle said:

 

Have you tried the STX-38ZN hooks they are X+ supposed to be stronger than regular X hooks. 

I haven't. Thanks for the recommendation. 

[Fish60]

00bullitt, have you tried the new Mustad ewg inline short shank trebles on a 110+1?