I am looking for some trebles to replace the hooks on my lipless cranks. Do EWG trebles hold fish better than the round bend (normal) ones? I'm just wondering if there is any real diference between the two types.

                                         Thanks,

                                          Jake

I've gone back and forth on my lipless crankbaits and ultimately decided on Gamakatsu round bend. Gamakatsu's introduction of size 3 trebles has provided me with the ideal size for lipless crankbaits, as well as many crankbaits and topwaters.

The EWG is touted as having better fish holding ability, but they are not as  strong as round bend. I've had them bend on occasion at the intersection of the straight and curved sections. They also have a smaller bite when compared to a round bend of equal size. Some people prefer them when fishing in heavy cover because they claim that EWGs have less chance of snagging. I've used both in cover and didn't notice a difference. Round bend hooks are stronger and I haven't noticed more fish coming off. I also like the fact that they have a wider bite.

Whatever you decide make sure you upgrade the stock hooks by at least one size. The size 3 may seem huge when you first start using them, but my hookup percentage increased. I even tried a size 2 in front and 4 in back but the size 2 was too big. Small fish were destroyed by that hook so I felt bad and started using size 4 EWGs. Once Gamakatsu came out with the size 3 I found my ideal hook. I use it for both front and back hooks.