I know a Musky guy that cuts 1 hook off the treble, it doesn't cut up the soft plastic on the underside of the bait or scratch a hard body thus dulling the hook. That is a tad anal to me but who knows, he catches many Musky. Can't blame the guy for maximizing the life of his bait at 20 bucks a pop or more. Our hard baits are tuned to perfection using the hooks provided. I don't know how changing the hook will effect the hardware. Do we know something that many millions of dollars of their R&D across the industry doesn't?
That is a good point as well. On some baits, with very slight actions, like a rapala original floater, you can really hurt the action by weighing it down with bigger hooks. The sink/suspend/float rate of a bait, like a suspending jerbait can also be impacted. The fun comes when you realize that your perfectly suspending jerkbait sinks in cold water and floats in warm water :/ Some baits are extensively researched as you said, but some need to be tuned out of the box, and can really be improved with alterations. Most stuff is mass produced to a price point these days, and often it's the hardware that they cheap out on because the shiny paint jobs are what 'catch' the average fisherman.
On big fat cranks, the action isn't easy to impact, so upsizing to big hooks is advantageous. Mustad KVD short shanks are great for upsizing the bite of the hook without adding weight, as the shank is shorter. The added bonus is hooks that are less likely to tangle together on shorter baits. They also make hooks in 1X, 2X, and 3X wire gauges, so you can add or remove weight while maintaining the original size, or change the size while attempting to keep the weight as close to original as possible. Want to really dial in a finicky lure? Split ring changes can often be enough to influence buoyancy and action. Want it to sit nose up/nose down? Heavier hook at the back or front. On a three hook bait, going lighter in the middle and heavier on both ends = more subtle action. The opposite will open up the wobble and dart. The possibilities are endless. Ever wonder why that one lure just seems to have 'it' when identical ones out of the box don't? Look at the hook and ring sizes, sometimes they are different out of the factory, especially on cheaper lures.
Back to trebles as difficulty with fish once landed, a good treble that will stick and hold allows you to play out a fish a little more without having to rush it in still green, especially those big smallies. Also, I love modern fiberglass rods for treble hooked baits, I haven't lost 1/10th the amount of fish I did when I used to crank with graphite...
Rubber basket nets are awesome. Rubber coated mesh, not as much. Original mesh nets are the devils work. Stay away LOL>
