Foam hook point protectors

Author: josh

Category: Kayak fishing tackle

Created on Thursday, 15 December 2011 17:32

Written by Josh

If there's one thing I hate (there's actually loads of things I hate) it's treble hook points and barbs getting tangling up with other lures, which among other things, can make it a clumsy affair extracting a certain lure. I don't like to have my tackle boxes open for very long out on the water, so eliminating the potential for tangled lures has been a habit of mine for some time. Up until recently I'd been using ciggarette butts as simple barb protectors and for the most part they have worked quite well, though they tend to fall off eventually and are only really good for one use... just like ciggarette butts used for their intended purpose. It wasn't long before I started thinking about a better way that wouldn't involve a disposable solution.

I can't claim credit for coming up with this as I've seen lure manufacturors take a similar approach for packaging lures, which is to use a small foam bed for the hook barbs. These are very easy to make for treble hooks by cutting out small pieces of closed-cell foam into squares. You then snip a small slit from one edge in towards the centre of the square. Slide the piece of foam onto the stem of the hook into the slit and then push the piece up into the points of the treble. If your hooks have barbs they'll wedge in place nicely. With all of your lure hooks protected this way you won't suffer any frustrations by having to unhook clusters of lures just to get the one you want.

I have used 8mm closed cell foam which I acquired in the form of a cheap foam bedroll mat, which are typically used by hikers and bikers that can't afford something better (or don't know any better) and are available at most camping shops.