Replacement Barbless Hooks

Before I closed the shop with the intention to retire (I failed retirement, so I'm back), I carried a variety of replacement single hooks, both barbless and barbed. This time around, I intend to stock only lures that come from the factory with single hooks. I had thought that would eliminate the need to stock replacement single hooks.

Well, that lasted only until a long-time customer said he wanted to replace the treble hooks on lures he had purchased elsewhere and couldn't get the single hooks he wanted from any other US based shop. Paying overseas postage for just one package of hooks purchased from Japan made no sense. Plus, they were hooks I used to stock, so he thought I might be persuaded to stock them again. They're not here yet, but they will be in stock, hopefully before too long.

Replacement Barbless Hooks are necessary if you fish in the growing number of areas that allow spin fishing but require barbless hooks. Some areas require single hooks. Cover both bases with replacement single barbless hooks.

Even where they are not required by law or regulation, a growing number of anglers are switching from treble to single hooks, and from barbed to barbless. I know a guy who has put a barbed treble hook in his hand three times now. All three times were completely accidental and not caused by carelessness. All required a trip to the emergency room for removal. All would have been trivial (however painful) had the barbed trebles been barbless singles. Actually, given the different orientation of single hooks compared to trebles, had the lures had single hooks instead of trebles, it is possible that he wouldn't have gotten hooked at all in any of the three instances.

Also called "single hooks," "replacement single hooks" or "in-line" hooks, they are available barbed as well as barbless, and for both spoons and plugs. 

replacement-hook-comparisonHook eye orientation for spoon and plug hooks. The number following the SBL (S for barbed hooks) gives a relative diameter of the hook wire. The number following the # is the hook size.

Replacement single hooks intended for spoons have eyes that are horizontal when the hook is attached to the spoon. The hook on a spoon is attached with a split ring, and the horizontal eye on a single hook for spoons will orient the hook properly. When replacing a treble hook with a single hook on a spoon, attach the hook so that the hook points up when the convex side of the spoon faces down, as shown in the following photo.

Spoon showing proper "hook up" orientation when the convex face of the spoon is down.Proper single hook orientation

When retrieved slowly, a spoon will wobble rather than spin, and the convex side of the spoon will face downwards most of the time. That causes the hook to face upwards most of the time, greatly reducing the chance of getting snagged on a rock or log.

Replacement single hooks for plugs have eyes that are vertical to orient the hook properly with the plug. The tail hook should point up. There is a difference of opinion on whether the front hook should point forward or backward. Forward will give more positive hook sets, but it also increases the chance that a plug will get snagged on a rock or a log. In most cases, though, the bill on the lure will hit the log or rock but the hook will be above it and will not get stuck, even if the hook point is forward.

WooDream minnow plug showing forward pointing front hookWooDream 50MD
"PKO"
Palms minnow lures showing backward pointing front hooksPalms Alexandra
AX43HW
AX50HW
"Yamame"

Single Hooks - Barbless

Nothing in stock at the moment.

Header photo: Tenryu Rayz RZ4102B-UL, Shimano Calcutta Conquest BFSHG ('17)

Warning:

The hooks are sharp.
The coffee's hot.
The fish are slippery when wet.

Whatever you do, do it with finesse!