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Posts: 117
Location: champaign, illinois | With so many baits using a variety of hook/split ring sizes/manufacturers where do you start when buying spares?
I find myself cutting more hooks these days (which means I'm catching more fish) and am also wanting to add split rings to baits that don't have any.
Obviously I'd like to replace the cut hooks with as similar to factory as possible as I'm not into the tinkering thing yet, and the split ring addition speaks for itself.
TIA,
Jay
Lake Shelbyville Muskie Club
and
Illinois Muskie Tournament Trail www.illmuskie.com |
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Posts: 131
Location: Kalamazoo, MI | Get a good assortment. Id say 2/0, 3/0, 4/0, and 5/0 will cover most baits. As for split rings, #4, #5, #6 should cover most baits. I go with vmc 4x's (This may change, ive never had to cut a 4x and im not sure im going to be able to if i need to!) and get them all at www.staminainc.com. I believe they sell them in quantities of 10. Also, I tend to use smaller lures. If you dont use anything small (baby shallow raiders, etc), you can probably get by without the 2/0's.
On a side note, a baby shallow raider with the vmc 4x's is almost neutrally bouyant. It raises about an inch/second. |
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Posts: 2089
| I use Bucher split rings (they come in 2 sizes) and Eagle Claw 774 hooks(this is the hook that comes standard on the Reef Hawg). They are a 4x but aren't as thick as the VMC.Thorne Bros. carries both.Good Luck. Steve |
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Posts: 259
Location: Alexandria, MN | I use the Bucher split rings also, and use 3/0, 4/0 and 5/0 Eagle Claws #374 with the curved points. These are 2x hooks and are easier to cut. I have never had a hook straighten out on a fish, but I have pulled one straight to get a lure out of the bottom.
As stated Thorne Bros. has a great selection, so does Rollie's other wise check your local shops.
Good Luck -- Thanks for cutting!
Freak |
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Posts: 642
Location: mount prospect illinois | Get wolverine split rings for almost all of your lures and bucher for the eyes that are too small for wolverines. You wont be sorry. As for hooks, you get get them in quantities of 25. |
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Posts: 33
| Like many others, I rarely trust baits out of the box. The first thing I do is take off the often lame hooks and split rings, with few exceptions, and add VMC hooks, 2X or 4X strong, usually a size bigger on the front, bigger or the same on the others, but before I replace them, I also loosen and superglue back in the hook eyes and connecting eyes anywhere on the bait, but I admit I also often upsize these as well. I get the bigger eyes from Reinke Brothers in Milwaukee, and they also have the best deal on split rings and hooks. I figure why lose a fish on a bait failure. Don't think I'm weird...these baits are a sizeable investment nowadays, and I hate equipment breakdowns. Your choice. Good luck and have fun tinkering with baits. Mark |
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