Changing out new hooks??

[Dan N]

So my 12 year old nephew is asking if he should be changing out hooks on newly purchased lures?? I know many do, but he is a kid , fishing ponds and such. This seems ridiculous to me. I know maybe pro fisherman might have reason to. But cmon, this seems foolish. Any thoughts???

 

[GreenPig]

I change hooks on my big swimbaits before ever fishing them. Standard baits I'll change them as they bend or break. With the big baits I'm grinding them in with minimal drag to prevent thrown baits. Standard baits I'll play them and give them more drag which reduces bent hooks. 

[Revival]

After losing multiple 4lb-5lb fish on Strike King lures stock hooks, changing out the hooks are far from foolish.  It’s mandatory for me and  I also prefer triple grip EWG over round bends.

 

It all depends on the brand.  Brands like Bill Lewis and 6th sense already come with good hooks so i don’t change those out.

 

 

[Dan N]

I’m talking about a kid. Should he really worry about spending his money changing hooks to catch 2 # bass ??  

[islandbass]

Absolutely not necessary unless you know that said stock hooks suck out the gate. If that is the case, then this is where you, the uncle step at least the first couple times. 
 

To be honest, reputable companies tend to use reputable hooks. After all, their bottom line is on the line so it behooves them to provide them. 

[Deleted account]

Great life lesson opportunity. The stock hooks on 80+% of lures are more than adequate and fishable out of the box, and with a little sharpening, all but the worst offenders can be made so. This doesn't just apply just to children, but also to adult LMB guys. "After loosing fish because of [fill in any equipment here]" is just an excuse, and they are all like the 7th planet from the Sun, so No.

So much easier in the old days, no YT videos, and a quick smack in the back of the head and a stern "No you moron, just fish the d**n thing" and back to your Rheingold Extra Dry and Pall Mall red...  

[Deleted account]

4 hours ago, Revival said:

It all depends on the brand.  Brands like Bill Lewis and 6th sense already come with good hooks so i don’t change those out.

Really liking the Crush 50, but not the stock hooks, a little beefy for me.

[Mike L]

Inspect the hook and check for sharpness first, if they need to be touched up do it.

(teach him how to do it correctly) 
 

Age doesn’t matter. 
If he looses a fish because of a thin, cheap, bent hook who’s gonna feel worse?

 

 

 

 

 

 

Mike

[flyfisher]

If they need to be replaced, then replace them if not then don't.  Most stock hooks are decent and ike has been mentioned, can be touched up a little and be fine.  I replace hooks as needed or in the case of jerk baits, to change the buoyancy.  This is especially important on baits like jigs that you cannot replace the hook and get banged around and dulled up much quicker than one would think.

[FishTank]

It depends on the lure and the stock hooks. 

 

Does he have to.... probably not but most stock hooks are not that great and at some point he will need to change them anyway. Maybe it's a good time to learn.  It will definitely improve his hook ups. If you change them, the Owner Stinger ST-38s are an excellent upgrade. 

[Boomstick]

Some stock hooks are poor quality and may bend out of the gate. But many brands ship lures with quality hooks out of the gate so you don't have to change them. Strike King is an example of a brand that ships with poor quality hooks. You can catch fish on them, but if you hook a big one, you might lose it but if you throw on a quality hook (Owner Stinger ST-36 is my hook of choice) then you're good.

 

[Cbump]

I’ve never changed a hook in my life. I say no way a 12 yo needs to. 

[Sphynx]

Depends on the bait, Rat-L-Trap lures have finally made the switch to premium hardware, so they stay, Rebel Pop-R do not, those hooks will bend out on a 2lb river smallmouth no problem, and that is just the high end of the average fish I catch out there. If he's fishing ponds with trophy class fish in it, he'll have the best chance of landing them if he upgrades substandard hardware same as anybody else...if he's fishing for dinks and tons of cookie cutter sized fish, I'd probably leave it alone.

[Bankc]

I change out the hooks, only if they are bad.  Most all lures I've bought in the last 5 years come with good enough hooks to fish with, right out of the box.  If they're dull, I'll sharpen them.  If they're bent, I'll straighten them.  I have very rarely lost a fish due to a hook malfunction.  Almost all of my lost fish can be traced back to bad technique.  

 

If you're livelihood depends on it, then I would take every advantage you could get.  If you're a professional, then leave nothing to chance.  But as a person who just enjoys the sport of fishing, I'm going to miss all of that money a whole lot more than the one, maybe two fish I lose a year due to bad hooks.  Quality hooks aren't cheap!  

[Choporoz]

I do not change any out of the box.  I do sharpen many before using.

I have changed hooks on lures that became bent and even that exercise is painful for me.  I cannot manipulate split rings worth a crap.  And i have screwed up the action by having too big or too small a replacement hook. I don't think I have ever lost a bass because I bent a hook out.  

  So, I will replace hooks that get bent or won't stay sharp, but I refuse to change out hooks on a new bait.

  (I just remembered one exception....a family member gifted me some no-name jointed swimbaits.  May have come from Dollar General, but I liked the action and paint.  However, the hooks looked to be about 40 guage and bent when I looked at them.  I did change them out and used the lures.)

Edit....just remembered a bass lost to a bent hook, but it was on a homemade Ned head....not a brand name crank

[BassNJake]

If he doesn't change the front hook to a red one , he'll never catch a fish [/sarcasm]

 

[Jar11591]

If it’s an Arbogast, Storm, or Rebel, change out those hooks. 

[suzuki2903]

Definitely not a bad idea to change out hooks! Strike king, cotton Cordell and many other popular but lower end lures come with pretty weak and dull hooks.   They work yes but can be problematic. 

[Cbump]

I think it’s interesting that hundreds of thousands, if not millions, of people go to Walmart, buy a cheap lure and go catch fish just fine, never even thinking about changing hooks or even knowing It’s a thing. For YEARS. People don’t know what they don’t know and there’s no problem until they make It a problem in their own mind. 
Forums/YouTube, etc. are good and bad in this sense. It definitely makes you think you have to have the best of the best just to go catch a bass. 
Hunting forums are the same. I grew up killing loads of deer with Simmons scopes. Never even knew that was a cheap brand. I joined my first hunting forum in 2006 and back then you apparently couldn’t kill a deer unless you had a Leupold. These days only a $800-$3000 SFP, target turret model will do. 
Go on any forum and say you have a $150 budget for a scope, someone will say that’s trash, save your money for a $400 scope. Say you have a $75 budget for a rod, someone will say save your money for a $150 rod. Ask if a cotton Cordell will work, someone will say change the hooks. 
just funny. 
 

Also funny how crappie fisherman use little gold Aberdeen eagle claws and catch double digit bass without straightening the hook. My daughter caught a 5lb bass this way. 
 

-Thoughts by Chris

[throttleplate]

2 hours ago, Choporoz said:

I cannot manipulate split rings worth a crap. 

 

I did away with the allmighty split ring pliers and use my thumbnail and its working out for me.

[fishballer06]

4 hours ago, Cbump said:

I’ve never changed a hook in my life. 

 

I feel bad for you. 

[Cbump]

6 minutes ago, fishballer06 said:

 

I feel bad for you. 

Why? 

[NavyToad]

A 12 year old beginner doesn’t need to worry about hooks. Leave the hook worries to the OCD adults. 
Change out hooks when and if YOU think it’s necessary and we’ll all go to heaven in a little row boat.

 

[swhit140]

Certain crankbaits etc. that I know have low quality hooks I replace immediately out of the package.

[The Bassman]

Five buck mini split ring pliers from Wal-Mart's craft aisle and even a challenged senior like me has no problems changing hooks out.