Beefing Up the Jumpin Minnow

First step, remove
the original hooks and
split rings.

Add the replacement
hooks and split rings.

One of the hottest plugs for me last year was a Rebel Jumpin Minnow. This inexpensive plug, under 6 bucks in a lot of places, caught big numbers of stripers and bluefish of all sizes in Narragansett Bay as well as the RI oceanfront.  It was super effective when the fish were feeding on peanut bunker.
The big problem with this plug out of the box is its flimsy hardware.  It comes with cheap and weak split rings and flimsy hooks. So, the first thing I do before using this plug is to beef up the hardware.
First step is to remove the rings and hooks with split ring pliers.  I then add new split rings which are 4H, 80 lb. test.  Next, I add VMC 4X trebles in a size #2. It all takes about 5 minutes to accomplish.  I buy my split rings and hooks online from a place called NJ Tackle.  The website is HERE.
That's about it for beefing up this plug.  The plug is now ready to take on just about anything in saltwater.

On this plug I will be adding 4H, 80 lb. test split rings. The original hooks will be
replaced with VMC 4X trebles, size #2.