I bought one of these, 3/8 oz, crystal shad.  I'm thinking of adding a feathered rear treble, doing this shouldn't throw off the action of the lure, should it?

 

The stock hooks are a bit on the thin side and I'm thinking of switching out to Owner ST-36 black nickel, size 4 with same hook in a feathered treble for the rear hook.

 

I normally use X-Raps and I like how those jerkbaits work, but the crystal shad color, it has specks of glitter that catches light, looked to me like it would catch bass. And I've not tried a Strike King KVD jerkbait before.

if the bait sits correctly in the water w/o the feather, then yes, adding a feather may or may not hinder its balance or how it suspends. you're just adding weight. as the water the water warms, this becomes less of an issue than when the water was cooler and the fish were more lethargic.

if the bait sits correctly in the water w/o the feather, then yes, adding a feather may or may not hinder its balance or how it suspends. you're just adding weight. as the water the water warms, this becomes less of an issue than when the water was cooler and the fish were more lethargic.

Spot on here^

In the late winter I fill up my bathtub and submerge all of my jerkbaits individually and see which ones float to the top, or sink to the bottom, and adjust the baits as needed. Thank baby jesus for making suspend dots and other lure customizing tackle.

The only thing you need to be concerned with is adding too much weight. I don't think the dressed treble hook is going to be a problem but the Owner stingers may be, from all the hooks I've used and the tweaking I did to jerkbaits, I find the stinger to be heavier than most stock hooks and it isn't bad on a bait that floats but if the bait is a really slow floater or sinker then you'll ruin it. If you are concerned with the hooks bending out then look for a bronze 2X strong, yes, they will rust if put away wet but they weigh less than blak nickel finished hooks. The other thing is with just about every jerkbait I see, the hooks are thin for a reason, just like the Megabass out barb hooks, the bait is designed to be used with light line, so adding the heavier hooks can change the action and sometimes it isn't for the good. I'd check the bait and see how it works first with the stock hooks, then add a dressed treble and check again and then finally add the other hooks and give it a final check, this will be the best way to mess with it. Also, SK has a habit of using junk hooks to begin with so the stingers may not be a problem at all but if you are changing them of for sharpness rather than strength, go with the Daiichi death traps, these are super sharp, strong but are light wire and aren't going to be a heavy as the stingers.

If you have two, maybe try one with and one without to see if any difference to the fish. Sometimes the "wrong" action works better....

I put a feathered treble on all of my jerks. I tie my own so there is really no cost at all for me to take the treble off and dress it and then put it back on. I only fish jerks early in the spring and real late in the fall so I like the slower action the feathered treble gives it.

 

In the summer time you will want it plain. Not that it makes too big of a difference in # of fish, more so that the panfish and tiny bass will be hitting that feathered treble and driving you nuts!