Barbless hooks

[Wild]

Do you use barbless hooks? If you are going to catch and release is it so important to land your catch - other than to take a pic of course. Or do you value handling your catch?

 

Just wondering

[shane]

I pinch down the barbs on all my lures. There's still a little bump there on the hook but it makes it a lot easier to get out of the fishes mouth. Or out of my finger.

[timmeh]

I tend to use barbless hooks on the rare occasions I fish with live bait. This is simply in case I hook a fish deeply, I have a much better chance at getting the hook out and saving the fish. For those who don't use barbless hooks, it's so much easier to unhook fish.

 

It's nice to get a pic of the fish but I try to handle fish as little as possible. I generally do not mind if a fish shakes a hook out as long as it's close enough that I get a look at the fish - just so I know what it was. Unless of course its a big fish and then I try to get a pic if possible.

[Ramble]

I really do prefer barbless hooks, or at least less hooks. Three sets of trebles on a lure ...."annoys me" shall we say. At the lodge its a single barbless policy, sure we loose fish due to the barbless, BUT technique is everything, you have to keep the pressure on at ALL costs. Bass fishing i went to barbless, then back to barbed hooks. With all the jumping they tossed so man baits it was unreal.

 

I like using inline spinners for certain species and all of those i have are single some barbless. I fish lakers twice a year, those i intend to keep, so i use barbs their as well.

 

My williams spoons are mostly single hooks. They take a 3 inch grub so much better and the action is incredible.

 

Any lure with 3 sets of trebles quickly becomes 2 sets, and i still glare at the 2 remaining clusters of trouble.

 

Barbless lures have their place, but so do barbed lures. A better question might me SINGLE or TREBLES?

 

As for handling i pride myself with knowing my trouphies still swim. I handle them with respect and they are out of the water as little as possible. Even most of my bass get a 2 hand hold. As my Limno teacher at fleming once said "A bass was NOT ment to support its entire body weight on its lower jaw." He has a point. Big fish dont respond well to verticle holds well. SO i dont do it. How you handle a fish is more inportant then that hooks you are using in my books.

 

-R-

Edited September 11, 2008 by Ramble On

[Reef Runner]

Bass fishing, yes I use barbed hooks. Pike fishing, I dont really care if I loose one so no.

 

I am really a stickler when it comes to getting the fish back into the drink. I keep fish out of the water for as little time as possible and give it all the time it needs when reviving it. Nothing makes me happier than seeing a catch swim away for another day.

[bbog]

Barbed vs. barbless depends on my intentions. If I'm keeping then I'll use barbed. If I'm C&R OR the fishing action is hot, I'll go barbless.

[BillM]

When my dad and I were up at the French River for the muskie opener, we pinched all our barbs down because of the incidental SMB's that kept on smashing our lures.. Other then that, I never pinch the barbs down..

 

If I am trout fishing a small stream, then the trebles will either get pinched down and taken off with a dremel, or a single si-wash hook will be installed and also shaved down with a dremel.. I got a soft spot for those pretty fish

[lookinforwalleye]

All my Musky baits have the barb`s pinched down for my safety aswell as the fishes.

[Jigger]

Like Lookingforwalleye, I pinch the barbs down on all my muskie baits. Also have to agree with RambleOn as far as treble to single hooks goes. I've never understood the reasoning behind three sets. My jerkbaits have one treble at the head of the lure and one at the back. This also gives you spares to use on lures with inferior hooks.

[fish_finder]

99% of the time I use barbless, regardless of the method of fishing. Even if you are fishing to keep, chances are you won't be keeping everything you catch.

[steve barrett]

Sure pinch all my hooks give the poor fish a fighting chance to get away. I like to catch brook trout and let them go with little or no damage to them.If the hook is too deep I guess trout is on the supper menu tonight.

[Cookslav]

Gotta be honest...

I do not fish barbless most of the time.

 

When I fly fish I do, simply because not one of my flys have a barb...I fish a No kill zone 90% of the time so its the law, and I pinch the barbs the minute I buy the Fly.

 

I pinched the Barbs while Fishing for Brookies in Algonquin Park this past spring because we were catching a TON of them, and I wanted to release them in as good a condition as possible, and not limit out in 2 hours LOL!

If they were bleeding they became Dinner...simple as that

But we had every intention of keeping a few to begin with so I guess thats an entirely different scenario.

 

But if I'm out and about fishing Pike, Bass, Musky, steelies or what have you...I always have the barbs on.

I guess I like the back up Saftey net?

 

But that being said I do carry cutters, and I'm not gun shy at all when it comes to a sticky hook.

I'll cut it and put a new hook on with out a hesitation should the situation call for it...

 

I could care less if it was a regulation...if Ontario went Barbless I wouldn't complain, but then again being its not I'll take advantage of the benefits were I feel morally justified

 

All in all I think I'm pretty experienced in the art of a tricky hook removal, and actually kinda Pride myself on it

So ya...thats me Just being honest

Edited September 12, 2008 by Cookslav

[danc]

I've been fishing barbless for the past several years since it became law in the waters where I fish. Fishing barbless doesn't change a thing. You still have to keep pressure on your fish at all times while fighting it. Not a big deal. Like Manitoba, I'd like to see Ontario go totally barbless.

[addict]

tried barbless the first time this year for pike and it was great made releasing the snot rockets o so easy and the giants didnt get off.our spring pike trip will continue with barbless all other ocasions barbs.

[denisk]

Barbless 100% for steelies It's so much easier to remove scarf and spent bags not to mention removing from rag wool and cold fingertips. Try it you'll like it. The best hook I've found is the Kamasan B981 Specimen

[bassjnkie]

I mainly use barbless Kamasan, Korda, Fox hooks for carp, float, and match fishing. I find no difference between barbed and barbless.

Edited September 12, 2008 by DanielM

[Rich]

I gotta admit, I take advantage of my legal right and use barbed hooks almost all the time. Why? For the same reason I use a flippin' stick for bass, braided line and sharp hooks - it increases my odds of putting fish in the boat.

 

However for trout I often do go barbless, and any of my musky lures with trebles have the barbs pinched down. Safety thing for the muskies, and trout tend to get injured easily and I don't really care so much if I land them or not.

[MCTFisher9120]

I have never used a barbless hook. And i have never bent down the barb on a regular hook. After reading a few replies on this thread i am definately going to give it a try next season. If using no barb or simply pinching it down makes it that much better for releasing and health of the fish, i figure why not. Thanks and i will be sure to give this a try next year(my year for fishing is done )

[Rich]

my year for fishing is done

 

What?! Why?! Mine just started!

[NBR]

I've pinched the barbs down for nearly 30 years. I don't think I lose any more than when I used barbed hooks. The hook comes out of the fish easier and out of me, clothes and the like much faster.

 

When you are on a real hot bite I think you might catch more fish because you are back at them so much faster.

[ehg]

I modify small spinners for little trout creeks where no live bait and barbless is the rule.

I've caught the small trout this way but have a WAY lower hooking percentage.

Felt that the need to set the hook and keep pressure on the fish actually was more stressful for it.

 

Try my best to go to areas where barbs are allowed for this reason.

 

ehg

[Rich]

I've tried something similar on spinners and spoons too egh but I found it impeded the action of the bait to some degree.

[Wild]

Thanks for all the reply's guys! I am convinced that barbless is the way to go and with a longer rod maintaining pressure there should be a reduced chance of losing the fish. Looking at my assortment of plain hooks I found an assortment of really small ones, were talking micro hooks! I think I picked up the technique from Al Lindner years ago, barbs are so small you would think they were insignificant but they always held strong yet really easy to remove.