That’s no rumour, the broken plastic cut bar loops on my GP-9s have been replaced with Red Wolf (Sprit Lake, USA) #6 fish hook loops. I bought 10 for a buck at Canadian Tire.
What diameter wire are you using for the cut bar? It should be 3/64”. When I bend my own cut bars, grab irons, railings, etc., I use the wire for suspended ceiling grids. It has a 3/64” diameter, comes in 4 foot lengths, cuts easily, bends well, solders well, paints well, and is a fraction of the cost of hobby store brass rod. You can buy it at Home Depot. Don’t try to find it on-line, their search function will drive you crazy.
I visited a Bass Pro Shop. They didn’t have a Berkley Grey Ghost Frenzy Popper or a Mepps #3 Black Fury, and their US$ prices were no better than Le Baron’s CDN$ prices here. On the plus side, the aquarium kept the boss and her sister amused while I looked around.
BTW: If you fish, that popper is a great bass lure for calm water close to shore. Toss as close to the shore as possible, let it sit a bit, a quick little tug to make it chug, and boom, bass on!
I add a worm hook and a Yum 3” red bloodline walleye grub to a Mepps #3 Black Fury similar to what they show on the bottom of page 10 of their catalog.
Black Fury
I have caught everything from sunfish to a 7 pound muskie on that rig. Absolutely the best bait in my tackle box.