5 Best Treble Hooks For Bass, Trout, And Predator Fish

Sometimes when you buy a new lure the treble hooks that come with them just don’t cut it, or you need to replace them after a solid season of use. 

In either case, you’re going to want to add some of the best treble hooks for fishing to your lures so that no matter what fish bites, you can guarantee the hooks aren’t going to fail. 

But, when you look for treble hooks online, you can easily become overwhelmed by the hundreds of choices available. Not to worry, I’ve done the work for you and found some of the best treble hooks for fishing for you to choose from. 

Best Treble Hooks For Fishing

• Gamakatsu Round Bend Treble Hook – My Best Overall Pick!
• Mustad UltraPoint KVD Elite Series Triple Grip 2/1 Treble Hook – My Best Pick For Large Lures
• Owner 5636 ST-36 Treble Super Needle Point Hook – My Best Pick For Small Lures
• Owner American Tournament Trailer Treble – Best Pick For Crankbait & Spoon Lures
• Mustad UltraPoint KVD Elite Series Triple Grip Treble Hook – My Best Pick For Predator Fish!

Gamakatsu Round Bend Treble Hook – My Best Overall Pick!

When it comes to quality hook manufacturers there aren’t many as good as Gamakatsu and if you ask any fishing guide or skipper worth their salt, they’ll tell you Gamakatsu hooks are all they use. 

The Gamakatsu Round Bend Treble Hook is built from high carbon steel, material most hook manufacturers stay away from due to expense. This material provides an incredibly durable and strong hook that can handle saltwater with ease and it won’t bend under a lot of pressure either. 

Not only are these hooks extremely reliable but they are incredibly sharp, and chances are, they are sharper than any other hook you have used before. If a fish bites these hooks they are going to go in quickly and they’re not coming out either. 

Overall, these are the best treble hooks on the market in my opinion and they come in a range of sizes to suit most fishing applications. The sizes might be a little off from what you’re used to but they will be close enough. 

Pros

• Incredibly durable hook 
• Will not bend under a lot of pressure 
• Super sharp for good hookups 
• Made from top quality carbon steel 
• Once hooked they don’t come out 
• Natural bronze color doesn’t spook fish
• Excellent in saltwater 

Cons

• Sizing can be a little off compared to what you’re used to 

Specs 

Sizes: 1/2/6/8

Material: High Carbon Steel

Color: Bronze 

Mustad UltraPoint KVD Elite Series Triple Grip 2/1 Treble Hook – My Best Pick For Large Lures

The Mustad UltraPoint KVD Elite Series Triple Grip 2/1 Treble Hook is made a little differently compared to other treble hooks as they come with 2 shorter hooks and one extra strong hook.

This design is meant to provide better hookups and when combined with how sharp these hooks are, they really do work well. If your lure gets eaten with these hooks on it, that fish is going to stick but this hook does bend under pressure so don’t tighten your drag too much. 

These are built from a blend of materials using Mustad’s Wire Technology and Nor-Tempering Process meaning they are 20% lighter but still quite strong – this might be why they bend though. 

You can find these hooks in a range of colors and they will handle saltwater corrosion well too but the colored hooks do chip and lose their color quite fast. 

Pros

• 2X Short 1X Strong hook for good hookups 
• Light while being strong 
• Extremely sharp for solid hookups 
• Handle saltwater well 

Cons

• Can bend under pressure 
• Paint can chip off 

Specs 

Sizes: 1/0 – 8 

Material: Blended 

Color: Nickel/Red 

Owner 5636 ST-36 Treble Super Needle Point Hook – My Best Pick For Small Lures

Owner as a hook manufacturer is regarded as jumper 2 behind Gamakatsu and their Owner 5636 ST-36 Treble Super Needle Point Hook is pretty fantastic. 

This treble hook is built from top-quality chrome stainless steel making it about as tough as hooks get and it will handle saltwater with ease and a long fight with a fish. 

But, these hooks can also bend under pressure so be careful when it comes to how much drag you put against these in the fight. 

What makes anglers love these hooks so much is how sharp they are, and they are super sharp, but it’s not just that, their sharpness lasts too. This means you can guarantee good hookups all day and week-long without resharpening. 

You’ll find these hooks come in a large range of sizes to match your needs but the sizes run a bit large for some so be aware of this when ordering. 

Pros

• Super sharp for good hookups
• Stay sharp for longer than most others 
• Very durable and strong 
• Last well in saltwater 
• Large range of sizes to choose from 

Cons

• Sizes run a bit large 
• Can bend under lots of pressure 

Specs 

Sizes: 3/0 to 8 

Material: Chrome stainless steel 

Color: Silver

Owner American Tournament Trailer Treble – My Best Pick For Crankbait & Spoon Lures

Another great treble hook is the ​​Owner American Tournament Trailer Treble which comes with a feather mylar tail. This makes it the ideal hook to add to a spoon or spinner as the feathers and mylar look like the tail of a baitfish to predators. 

The feather/mylar tail also comes in an excellent range of fishy color options including white, white/chartreuse, and white/red. 

The hook itself is durable and strong being built from stainless steel and it handles saltwater with ease. The hook also comes super sharp and stays sharp, plus when you hook up to a fish, they stay put so won’t be losing anything due to hook failure. 

The one downside to these hooks is that they don’t come in a large range of sizes so you will have to choose from the three listed below in the specs. 

Pros

• Comes with a feather/mylar tail 
• Good feather/mylar tail options 
• Very sharp and hooks fish well 
• Strong a durable 
• Sticky and don’t slip out of fish 

Cons

• Limited size options 

Specs 

Sizes: 2/6/8

Material: Stainless steel 

Color: Black with mylar & feather tail 

Mustad UltraPoint KVD Elite Series Triple Grip Treble Hook – My Best Pick For Predator Fish!

The Mustad UltraPoint KVD Elite Series Triple Grip Treble Hook is a little different from the other Mustad hook featured as it does not have the 2 short 1 strong hook design. 

All three hooks on this treble hook are the same length and of equal strength. Being built from a blend of materials and using Mustad’s Wire Technology and Nor-Tempering Process, the hooks are durable, strong, and they are light too. 

The hooks are very sharp on these treble hooks and they penetrate hard mouths, making them the perfect choice for predator fish. They penetrate the fish’s mouth with ease and stay put once they have pierced into the jaw. The one issue with this hook, and with many Mustad hooks, is that they can bend under pressure so be careful with your drag settings. 

Pros

• Super sharp and hook fish well 
• Hold on once hooked 
• Durable and handle saltwater 
• Lightweight while being tough

Cons

• Can bend under pressure 

Specs 

Sizes: 1/0 1/2/4/6 

Material: Blend 

Color: Nickel 

What Are Treble Hooks?

A treble hook is a fishing hook with three hooks that are joined together on a single shank.

Treble hooks are used mostly for predator fishing in both freshwater and saltwater. Most lures use a treble hook and can be used for attaching live or dead bait. The three hooks create an improved hook-up capability and can improve your catch rate significantly.

Pike, Musky, and bass have large mouths, with a more bony structure which is harder for single hooks to penetrate. In addition, these fish attack lures or bait aggressively from multiple angles, using treble hooks in these scenarios can improve your catch rate significantly.

What Size Treble Hook Should I Use?

When choosing the right treble hook size to use, you always need to know two criteria.

• What species are you targeting to catch?
• Your target fish size?

The fishing conditions and the type of bait you are using have less of an effect. If you are unsure of the fish in the area that you are targeting then start with a mid-range #8 to #10 size. A crappie is unlikely to go for your lure with a #6 treble on your line!

What Treble Hook Is Best For Bass?

The best bass treble hook is one with a round bend, so it enters the bass mouth easily. A round bend treble has a wider gap between the hook shank and the point. These round bend hooks have a greater spacing between the hook point and the end of the bend.

This characteristic makes the hook-up stay in place and more importantly penetrates the bass mouth from the inside or gill plate area from the outside.  

The best round bend treble hook for bass fishing is the Gamakatsu Round Bend Treble Hook.

Check out my article on what are the best lures to use for bass here!

What Treble Hook Is Best For Trout?

Trout are a smaller species than bass and their mouths are much smaller. Therefore a size #14 would be the best starting point for most trout. If you are targeting larger trout, then the largest treble you should use for trout would be a #8.

Small size trebles are best to use with powerbait, a maximum size of a #12 would be the ideal hook size.

Check out my article on the best lures for trout here!

What Are Treble Hook Sizes?

Treble Hooks follow the same chart aught system as normal hooks. The smallest being a #20 and a Size 1 hook the largest. 

Following the size #1, then the “aught” system is used (such as a 2/0 or a 1/0) these are very large hooks and are more typically used for saltwater game fishing. In freshwater fishing, there is no need to use treble hooks larger than a size #2.

Treble hook sizes range from a large 2/0 to a #20, the most common treble size is usually a #6 to a #10 treble. Most fish under 10lbs can be caught using a #8 to #10 size.

Predator fish such as Pike are likely to take a larger size bait and hook due to their mouth size, a # 4 to #8 are best for targeting pike, walleye, zander, and Musky. 

Treble Hook Size (Smallest First)	Hook Length	Hook Width
20	7.35mm	4.53mm
18	9.25mm	6.35mm
16	10.16mm	7.62mm
14	13.20mm	9.14mm
12	13.20mm	10.16mm
10	13.97mm	12.19mm
8	16.20mm	13.46mm
6	19.55mm	16.51mm
4	22.60mm	19.05mm
2	26.16mm	20.82mm
1	28.70mm	23.36mm
1/0	31.24mm	25.90mm
2/0	35.13mm	28.25mm

Treble Hook Size Chart vs Species

Below is a general guideline for species vs treble hook sizes. For example, the best treble size to use when bass fishing is using a #4 to a #12 hook. In most cases, you should start using the number 8.

Fish Species	Treble Hook Recommended Size
Small Bass	8 to 12
Large Bass	4 to 8
Northern Pike	2 to 6
Musky	2 to 6
Walleye	4 to 8
Zander	2 to 6
Small Carp	10 to 14
Large Carp	6 to 10
Perch	8 to 12
Crappie	12 to 14
Catfish	2 to 4
Small Trout	10 to 14
Large Trout	8 to 12

Are Treble Hooks Bad For Fish?

Trebles are a very popular fishing hook for predator fishing. Whilst they are a great way to catch more fish they can also damage the lips and mouths of bass, pike, and walleye, if not handled correctly. It takes some skills and experience to be able to manage the unhooking process.

When Not To Use A Treble Hook?

Only use treble hooks when you plan to keep the fish. If you are catch and release fishing, then for most species it’s always best to use a normal single hook. In inexperienced hands, trebles can cause damage to the fish and are not necessary when fishing for trout.

When To Use A Treble Hook?

Large predators such as pike, musky, and zander are always best targeted with treble hooks. Their mouths are much larger and most robust. Also, presenting dead bait or live bait can be far easier if you are using treble hooks. 

If you do use trebles, then species such as bass and trout can be caught using smaller lures and treble hooks.

Treble Hook Safety

When using treble hooks make sure you use forceps to unhook any fish. Serious injuries can happen if a fish moves about without any warning and can lead to damage to the fish and also the anglers’ hands.   

Hooking Out

Thanks very much for reading my article. I hope you enjoyed it and have found the right treble hook for you. If you’re still unsure about which one to go for, you can not go wrong with the Gamakatsu Round Bend Treble Hook as it’s stronger, sharper, and more durable than any of the others. 

Please check out my article regarding types and styles of fishing hooks here, and also an in-depth article on the differences between barbed and barbless hooks.