Pro Tips Weekly: Terry Bolton

Upsize trebles for surer hooksets

When I’m fishing crankbaits and the fish seem to be just slapping at the lure and missing the hooks, I’ll upsize the back treble from, say, a No. 6 to a No. 4. A lot of times fish are sluggish in the spring and will just nip at a lure or barely get hooked on the front treble. Having a bigger treble on the back gives me a better chance for a solid hookup, either because the fish latches on there, or it gets hooked there during the fight. I also like to start the season out with smaller crankbaits and then use larger ones as the year progresses. The rationale is that I want to match the size and color of the actual forage available at the time I’m fishing.

—- OFF! Pro Terry Bolton, Paducah, Ky.