Tiny trebles + locked drags = ?

[Shortlite]

Please fill in the blank. I've no doubt that everyone who has ever fished in the bushes, oyster racks or amongst rocks will give the same answer.

It's very simple. The size lures we use are not designed with that kind of fishing in mind. As such, they have more delicate actions and are matched with little split rings and light wire hooks. Finesse baits, for finesse fishing (you know, where you actually use the reel drag!).

Heavy wire trebles are not made in those little sizes because they are heavy and take away from the action of the lures. We don't want that. Basically, a 3X or 4X strong size 12 short shank treble is a mythical beast, a Holy grail, etc.

For the record, I happen to rate the Owner ST36 very highly. As my friend and fellow UL addict piscineidiot has mentioned, I used to make all my own lures, and particularly enjoyed the challenge of producing the little "jellybean" diving lures. For an all round combination of strength/size, corrosion resistance (for crazy people like us who put "trout" size lures into saltwater) and price, they are VERY good. I also like the gamakatsu's, but they are too expensive to even think about trying them in such situations. you'll find yourself spending a small fortune just to keep the lures you have left fishable. Daichi? Good hooks, very strong, but bronze? Nah mate!! Even with TLC, they don't last more than a couple of trips, and even miscroscopic corrosion that you can't see will weaken them severely.

So, yes, you are in a mexican standoff, but please don't slate products because they don't fit into what you want it to do.

[yellow door 1]

Fair call - I've been bagging these small trebles since I started using hardbodies. Some are better than others. But I've been expecting too much from them coz I have never had fish bend hooks before. Might have to start using bigger lures.

I havent stopped searching for the "holy grail" but I am losing faith.

The owners that come standard on the eco gear sf40x are as close as I've come. The stingers I bought as replacement trebs were much finer than the original ones

[Shortlite]

Best of luck there my man. I feel your pain. let us all know how you fare on this, your greatest quest!

That's why I mostly rig SP's for that kinda work. It's easy to make your own jigheads on stronger hooks, and a pack of placcies is way cheaper than a $15 SX40.

hot topic of the month latley, trebles to suit the strike pro's i has thinking yesty bout getting a heavier gauge owner hook as the front treble, and a owner stinger (fine guage hook) on the rear, not sure whether it will sink or not but it will be font heavy and not sure if it applies to bream, but somebody was telling me about squidjigs not sinking head first, and not catching any fish on them, maybe it could be the same as bream, immitating a close to dead fish sitting there with his body all out of balance.

just a thought but its worht a shot, because so far i havn't seen anybody come up with the perfect replacement yet............

Originally posted by Shortlite
, and a pack of placcies is way cheaper than a $15 SX40.

, holy crap where did you get a $15 SX40, i was working out the retail price for those on saturday and they retail at $23, majority of the shops have them under 20 or 19 dollars tho.

cheers greg

[Piscineidiot]

Is it just me, or has the price gone up lately? I thought Ecogears used to sell at around 15 bucks back in Melbourne a month or two ago, but I could just be dreaming...either way, I remember the price putting me off and lunging for a strike pro instead, too bad I lost it before catching a decent fish on it. Ah well.

On the subject of trebles...I got myself some high carbon VMCs today to replace the trebles on my poor, unfortunate gold/orange scorp. They're size 8 though, so occassionally, I end up with the hooks meshing together...Still, haven't tested them out to the full extent yet, so I can't say much about them, just that I have 'em. Maybe I'll hook that bastard fish that stole my prototype crab jig...

Owen

[Conehead]

Originally posted by Piscineidiot
Is it just me, or has the price gone up lately? I thought Ecogears used to sell at around 15 bucks back in Melbourne a month or two ago, but I could just be dreaming...either way, I remember the price putting me off and lunging for a strike pro instead, too bad I lost it before catching a decent fish on it. Ah well.

On the subject of trebles...I got myself some high carbon VMCs today to replace the trebles on my poor, unfortunate gold/orange scorp. They're size 8 though, so occassionally, I end up with the hooks meshing together...Still, haven't tested them out to the full extent yet, so I can't say much about them, just that I have 'em. Maybe I'll hook that bastard fish that stole my prototype crab jig...

Owen

Owen, wot the hell is a ''prototype crap jig''?

Nice theory u have mate. Will keep it in mind 4 next time.

[Piscineidiot]

prototype=first of its kind

crab jig=exactly that.

I've been tying up some small crab imitations and using large amounts of epoxy, they work too, can't wait till I land a decent fish on one and can show them off...

[Conehead]

I see.

r u using them on ur spin rod?

[Piscineidiot]

Yep, and the way I make 'em up, they cast pretty well too. The buoyancy of the epoxy and the large surface area means it sinks fairly slowly too, they're also very snag resistant for God knows what reason, probably because they're so broad and kinda oval shaped. you can grub them across the bottom in hideous terrain and if you're slow and gentle, they won't snag up.

[Conehead]

any pic's mate?

BTW, u got the pic's of the treva's yet? PM sent.

[Shortlite]

Conehead, no pics of the trevallies: we cleaned and filleted the ones we kept before we remembered the camera. Hopefully the fish''ll be on the bite Wed. or Thurs. Daybreak tides, low wind early morning. Small window, but hopefully we'll get some. Gunning for whatever will bite hard enough to feel steel.

The prototype crab is O's creation. Basically a weighted epoxy crab fly. According to his report it draws a lot of attention on the fall, and beacuse of the weight location, it rides hook up and is pretty snag free. we'll be fishing it properly soon. And yes, it is superlight, and only castable on LIGHT spin gear.

[Piscineidiot]

I got around to using my smaller crab patterns today. Cod love them, but the bigger bream are somewhere else for the time being...odd how they've just buggered off after being there for a day. Still, it works well enough, bream were picking them up and running with it after I twitched it once or twice and left it sit, thing is, they were just small pikeys, so I can't be sure they'll work on everything. They'll cast well on light bream spinning gear, but wind, like always screws up the sink/retrieve.

Owen

[yellow door 1]

Gave the dynatecs their first run to night. No real test here

[yellow door 1]

or here -

The dynatecs look very similar to the owner stinger 36. They are pretty tough and about 10 times cheaper.