Changing Hooks

Just curious how many of you change out hooks on lures before you ever throw them? I use to but rarely do now. i think the bait companies have stepped up and started putting better hooks on their lures. Just wondering! On lighting delay so I am stuck inside !

Heck yes, those owner stinger hooks are the strongest treble I've ever found....I do utilize them with my salmon gear, generally with crankbaits....but I use the smaller ones (size 12, I believe) when I float skein. Great hook....powerful yet takes almost no pressure to sink, even into the bony part of a Chinook's mouth.

I'm strictly pier/jetty/tributary fisherman however, I DO upgrade my hooks when they've reached the point of 'fair wear and tear'. My "GO TO's" are Owner ST - 36BC X Just an FYI ..

You are right, the bait companies have stepped up and seem to be using good hooks. The one bait that I do change the hooks on as soon as it comes of of the package is the Reef Runner 900 series bait. That is their largest bait, and seems to come with a saltwater hook or something. All their other baits have good hooks, but not that one.

It depends on the bait. I primarily muskie fish and have found that putting Owners hooks on jerk baits makes them stick a bit giving you a fraction of a second longer to set the hook. I have never found a hook sharper than an Owners. I shop around on-line to get a reduced price on them.

Stock hooks are of a much higher quality than they used to be.

I haven't really done it in a while as stock hooks have come a long way. The one exception is jerkbaits and a few cranks. With many I have changed out the stock hooks (which were good hooks) and replaced them with triple grips. Triple grips are the most impressive treble I've ever used. The one downside is that you must carry a pliers, because you will need it to get those hooks out just about every time, even on fish that appear to be "barely" hooked. Great hooks for when fish aren't hitting aggressively. If I could afford to do so, I would probably change out most of my treble hooked baits to triple grips, they're that good.

The hooks on new lure are razor sharp as far as I can tell (I use the thumbnail test), so I don't see any need to change to better ones. Some of the guys I know may change out stock trebles for single hooks, but that's all I ever hear of guys doing.