I fish quite a few crankbaits, always have multuple tied on it seems. Lost a few the other day that I couldn't get freed up so I was sitting here with replacment cranks swapping trebles out. I really have started thinking about trying some inline single hooks. I have lost my share of bigger fish with trebles, I tend to use triple grips ewg and lose less fish but still happens, lost a really nice one the other day. I know the hook up ratio may go down but I also believe that the single hooks may be easier on the fish and lets face it easier on me. If you have ever buried a treble and I have its not pleasant experience, lol.

Question is anyone one running inline singles vs treble hooks, thanks.

I haven't done it for bass fishing, but have switched trebles to inline singles on topwaters and floating rat l traps for inshore fishing for redfish and speckled trout.

Not sure if it's just luck or what, but I haven't noticed any real difference in hookup percentages, especially withthe trap.

Just like @MeatHead1313 ive done it for inshore saltwater but never tried on a lure I use for bass fishing. Switch one out and give it a shot. Nothing to lose

I've never done it myself but I did see an episode of Bill Dance Outdoors one day and he was using inline single hooks on his crankbait that day. He said it was great for less hangups.

1 minute ago, VTFan said:

I've never done it myself but I did see an episode of Bill Dance Outdoors one day and he was using inline single hooks on his crankbait that day. He said it was great for less hangups.

Bill Dance lied. Gamakatsu circle hooks do not work. I fell for it. Owner single replacement hooks work but you will miss some. Circle hooks are worthless on hard baits. I tested them for 2 months last year. It's my fault, I should have known better.

@bishoptf

...might as well fish an exposed hook grub.

On 6/6/2026 at 4:35 PM, bishoptf said:

I fish quite a few crankbaits, always have multuple tied on it seems. Lost a few the other day that I couldn't get freed up so I was sitting here with replacment cranks swapping trebles out. I really have started thinking about trying some inline single hooks. I have lost my share of bigger fish with trebles, I tend to use triple grips ewg and lose less fish but still happens, lost a really nice one the other day. I know the hook up ratio may go down but I also believe that the single hooks may be easier on the fish and lets face it easier on me. If you have ever buried a treble and I have its not pleasant experience, lol.

Question is anyone one running inline singles vs treble hooks, thanks.

I have a guide friend that changes all his trebles on crank baits and top water. He likes there strength and fewer hang ups.

2 hours ago, MeatHead1313 said:

I haven't done it for bass fishing, but have switched trebles to inline singles on topwaters and floating rat l traps for inshore fishing for redfish and speckled trout.

Not sure if it's just luck or what, but I haven't noticed any real difference in hookup percentages, especially withthe trap.

1 hour ago, Joedodge said:

Just like @MeatHead1313 ive done it for inshore saltwater but never tried on a lure I use for bass fishing. Switch one out and give it a shot. Nothing to lose

Thanks, I think I am going to give it a tey and see how it goes. I had read about it for inshore like both of you were suggesting and saw a couple of reddit posts that said they had done it for bass but was wondering if anyone here had actually done it.

5 minutes ago, geo g said:

I have a guide friend that changes all his trebles on crank baits and top water. He likes there strength and fewer hang ups.

Can you ask him if you don't mind what brand of hooks he is using and size?

Thanks

It depends what size the crankbait, or top water is, but they are all straight shank 5, 4, or 3’s. All have a large bend, and the back is barb up, and the bottom is barb down. Only two hooks on a bait even if it came with three trebles. Heavy wire hooks.

I use these on my wake baits

https://gamakatsu.com/product/crankbait-circle/

Greetings All,

I have converted several 'lures' to single hook configurations. I don't have any evidence of hookup differences that I can attribute to the treble or single hooks. They both work at catching and holding on to the fish reasonably well. The biggest thing is to find hooks with the proper eye size to accommodate the split ring.

I had a bunch of bulk octopus style hooks that I decided to use for that single hook conversion. Sure, it is probably not the optimum selection. It is just what I had to try.

My example started with a Kastmaster metal spoon. This works in my area for trout, panfish and bass. I use the smaller versions because of my preference for UL angling. I had to modify the split ring to be able to use the smaller eye hooks.

The single hook didn't alter the wobble enough to tell a difference. It worked well on the fish mentioned over several years of use.

Clearing the hook from the fish does require pliers to assist with getting a grip on that single hook. Also things are less fouled up in the net as you don't have the additional hooks to snag up.

Watching many of the Japanese mountain trout anglers who use crank baits, they all use single hook configurations. (possible mandated for conservation) In some areas of AZ we have similar angling constraints to a single barbless hook.

It is worth the effort to give it a try. A good pair of pliers is helpful. A split ring tool is also helpful. I originally accomplished it using a combination of pliers (hemostats) and a not so precision screwdriver. Not elegant. It did work.

Good luck and great fishing to ya! Be well, Cheers!

On 6/7/2026 at 7:35 AM, OkobojiEagle said:

...might as well fish an exposed hook grub.

Fish catching machine right there.

I regularly swap trebles for inline singles; I am on my kayak and I don’t want to deal with extra treble hooks swinging around a thrashing fish. I usually just swap the rear tail treble (and remove the middle one entirely if needed) and leave a treble up front. I don’t really see a difference in hookups; but I wouldn’t really know; but its way easier and safer to release fish. I bought all the sizes (since I did this on big pike and Muskie lures) but for crankbaits mostly use 1/0 and 2/0. I try to match the overall size.

I know there's been a couple threads on this and I think maybe even vendor suggestions so maybe more info can be gleaned with a search. Pretty sure they were in the last few years so should be easy to find.

However.... I just had a lightbulb thought. Why not just cut two of the barbs off of each of the treble hooks currently on your lures. See how that goes before investing money and time.

1 hour ago, Kev-mo said:

I know there's been a couple threads on this and I think maybe even vendor suggestions so maybe more info can be gleaned with a search. Pretty sure they were in the last few years so should be easy to find.

However.... I just had a lightbulb thought. Why not just cut two of the barbs off of each of the treble hooks currently on your lures. See how that goes before investing money and time.

Single inline hooks are much bigger than a treble...I just need to figure out which brand and try some out. Heck I keep losing big fish on my cranks so probably cant do worse than I am right now, lol.

Most of my lures are setting with single (regular, not inline) hooks and two split rings per hook.

It works well for this kind of fish

Learning from the inshore salt guys, I change out all of my lipless traps. I can rip them through heavy grass and vegetation without hangups. Also great on spooks and mirrodines. Either Gamis or vmc, 1 or 2 sizes bigger than the trebles. I'm a believer!!

I have changed most of my lures to inline single hooks, better for and better for the fish.