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Posts: 2089
| I just rec. my first 2 Triple D's and they look awesome!The question I have is if I replace those skinny Mustads with a heavier hook, will the action(ability to suspend) be altered?Any info would be appreciated. Thanks. Steve | |
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Posts: 1939
Location: Black Creek, WI | Steve,
I was lucky enough to have been a part of the development of this lure and the mustad hooks were selected for two reasons: 1) I personally prefer the thinwire of the round bends and urged for them to be used and 2) because it put the lure on the light side of the range for neutral bouyancy. Thus, if you swap out the hooks... it is most likely the hooks chosen will be HEAVIER than what came standard.... yet the lure will still float or remain very close to neutral.
I fished with several different sizes, makes, models, etc. of hooks on this bait during the prototype phase (and on finished pieces) and none of them negatively impacted the lure's performance.... only the bouyancy. My experience has been that if you put 2/0 VMC Extra Heavy hooks on the lure it will sink VERY slowly. With Standard 3/0 VMC's the bait will still float with a normal sized leader.
However, one of my last conversations with the owner of ERC was in regard to changing the standard hook because some people are not real confident with the thin wire hooks and prefer the heavy stuff. Thus, it is quite possible that the Mustads may not remain the standard hook now that I'm not involved. I'm sure Matt or Bryan will confirm as soon as they see this post. Also, I wouldn't worry about your choice in hooks hindering the action of this bait. Rumor has it... a musky nut from KY fished with one without any hooks at all and it ran great. As soon as he put hooks on it... he caught a musky. Imagine that??!!
jlong
Edited by jlong 2/21/2003 2:30 PM
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Posts: 2089
| Jason,
Thanks fo the info!I was thinking of using the Eagle Claw 4x black nickel round bend, 774 I think is the model number.Can't wait to get 'em wet!!! Steve | |
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Posts: 419
Location: Appleton, WI | Hi Steve,
I just want to add a few comments about replacing the hooks on the Triple D. I had used a proto type of the Triple D this past fall that was as close to perfect neutral bouyancy as you can get with the standard 3/0 VMC hooks. I had replaced the hooks with the Xtra Heavy 3/0 VMC and didn't have a problem with neutral bouyancy. Now I want to add that I use #124 straight wire without a barrel swivel and snap. The leader was split ringed directly to the bait. I tend to use lighter wire leader material than most commercial manufactured wired leaders. Even if the bait was on the negative bouyancy side I could barely tell whether it was sinking or not. Seems like the muskies liked it also. The weight of this prototype was the benchmark that the current Triple D is manufactured at.
I also believe that the Triple D was manufactured with the neutral bouyancy on the positive side. What I mean by that is that if the bait was stopped on the pause it would rise on a painfully slow ascent. (if I was to estimate it probably is something like 1" per second or so...even that could be a liberal estimate)The bait was manufactured with this in mind due to the fact that many people may be using heavier leader material, or swapping out the hooks. The Triple D no doubt is as close to neutral bouyant than a bait can get, but no doubt you can fine tune your bait with experimenting with different hardware for desired results. Keep in mind the terminal tackle, type of line, line diameter/weight, and hardware will affect the bait to a limited degree, but the Triple D should no doubt hang nicely in the water. I also want to mention that if the bait was to ascend or descend very slowly it would be in a horizontal position.
What's also awesome about the neutral bouyancy is that you can work the bait at a super, slow crawl and not worry about it floating out of the strike zone. This is especially importanct for suspended muskies, or fish that may be in a neutral mood. You're not fighting the bouyancy of the bait, and it travels througout the strike zone more effectively.
Good question concerning the neutral bouyancy of the bait!!!
catch ya later,
Krappie | |
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Triple D Hooks