Short Shank Treble Hooks

[Tackleholic]

I fish a lot of wake baits;  prefer them to most forms of topwater.  The only downside I have is the front treble often hangs up on the lip of the lure, especially in windy conditions.  Do any of you change out the stock front treble to a shorter shank or even a single hook to prevent this?  I would like to hear about your modifications, if any.  Thanks y'all.

[GetFishorDieTryin]

I try not to swap out the lead hook to singles on pencils and poppers unles its designated for bluefish.  Try going to a 2x short EWG style treble and see how that works out.  If that doesnt work you can try going to a duo hook or clipping off the lead hook on the treble. 

DO you know what the name of the bait is off the top of your head? 

[Tackleholic]

50 minutes ago, GetFishorDieTryin said:

I try not to swap out the lead hook to singles on pencils and poppers unles its designated for bluefish.  Try going to a 2x short EWG style treble and see how that works out.  If that doesnt work you can try going to a duo hook or clipping off the lead hook on the treble. 

DO you know what the name of the bait is off the top of your head? 

I have a lot of wake baits, but yesterday I was throwing a Berkley Wakebull and 6th Sense 4" jointed whatever the name is.  I have the problem with most wake baits due to the straight up and down short lip;  sooner or later that front treble hangs up on the lip.

[gulfcaptain]

Yes, run a lot of the Manns 1 minus and have swapped the stock hooks to mustard short shank triple grips.  Believe a 4 on the fronts and a 6 on the backs. Some wake baits get both 4s, just depends on the bait 

[GetFishorDieTryin]

16 hours ago, Tackleholic said:

I have a lot of wake baits, but yesterday I was throwing a Berkley Wakebull and 6th Sense 4" jointed whatever the name is.  I have the problem with most wake baits due to the straight up and down short lip;  sooner or later that front treble hangs up on the lip.

I would think that the 6th sense bait comes with KVD short shanks stock.  If they're hanging up, then you have to go with a smaller hook and or split ring and see how it goes from there.  

[FishTank]

I have been using the Owner STY-35MF (had to look this one up). Great short hook. I can use it on small baits and they don't get hung up. They also have an unequal gap between each point.  Supposedly it allows the hook to ride between the bait. All I know is it works. 

[wdp]

I fish a lot of wake baits & sub 1 ft crankbaits, and yes the hook tangling is a common issue. I started replacing trebles with short shanks & it helps a lot. There is still the occasional issue with it tangling on the front lip, but it happens far less often. 

[F14A-B]

I’ve seen some remove the front all together and even others remove both and put a large single hook on the rear. 

[Bankc]

Yeah, if it's hanging up, it's not doing you much good. 

Though, sometimes going longer can help, as they usually only hang up on the lip if the point of the hook just reaches the lip so it can jam itself in place.  Or shorter works too, so it doesn't reach the lip.  Just something different.  I don't purposefully keep a stock of treble hooks on hand, but I do have a few in random sizes that I've swapped out or bought for other reasons.  So if I'm having a problem like that, I usually just pick one out of the pile that'll solve the issue, and not worry too much about it. 

[Tackleholic]

3 hours ago, Bankc said:

Yeah, if it's hanging up, it's not doing you much good. 

Though, sometimes going longer can help, as they usually only hang up on the lip if the point of the hook just reaches the lip so it can jam itself in place.  Or shorter works too, so it doesn't reach the lip.  Just something different.  I don't purposefully keep a stock of treble hooks on hand, but I do have a few in random sizes that I've swapped out or bought for other reasons.  So if I'm having a problem like that, I usually just pick one out of the pile that'll solve the issue, and not worry too much about it. 

Interesting, Bankc;  I never would have thought about a longer hook.

[VolFan]

Yeah I was going to say - a longer hook works, or often times you can just add another split ring to get the hook you have to hanger slightly longer.

[Tackleholic]

Thankyou for all the ideas;  I will try them one at a time and post back when I find the solution.  To begin, I have swapped out the front treble on one lure.  That lure already had short shank #2s and I could not find a shorter shank so I replaced the front with a #2 wider gap.  Happened to have the exact hook on hand that FishTank recommended.

Edited September 30, 2024 by Tackleholic
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