going barbless

[cbrooks]

Thinking I might go barbless on all my baits.Will I lose more fish. Is it any easier on the fish or am I better off just leaving the barbs on.

[Scottie Thomas]

In my opinion its a mindset thing...

a good friend turned me on to going barbless on certain baits and looking at the fish I have hooked afterwards I don't think that more fish have come unpinned because of the hooks not having barbs.

If you get a good solid 'snap' of a hookset, keep tension all the way in, and keep the rod tip down I don't think you'll have a problem.

I truly think that pinching the barbs on the back treble of big bucktails can save many fish. At night I think it makes even more of a difference on those bucktails. We also pinch the barbs down on some big crankbaits and topwaters.

I can't think of a time when I felt that the fish got loose because of not having barbs, but I can think of many times when not having the barbs has likely saved a fish. Have faith in it!

[b1gf1sh1]

i tried some barbless this year for the first time and i did lose a few muskies. i also lost a few muskies on baits with barbs intact. only difference i really see is i get to blame the barbless hooks for thrown hooks, and not 'cause i sux at fishing ...i might just go more barbless this year.

yes, unhooking is dramaticly easier without a barb.

[wildsmallie]

I started by pinching barbs on baits I used at night, that led to me pinching barbs on all trebles on all baits. You're gonna lose a few fish no matter what you do--I'll bet you get more fish on sharp barbless hooks than dull barbed ones.

[gatorhunter]

Manitoba has been barbless since the early 1990's. Absolutely the best tackle related fishing regulation to be implemented to date. No more hospital trips or field surgery for accidental human hooking. Not losing any more fish than before either.

Good hook sets, rod tip up and proper drag. Barbless hooks are all my kids have ever known and they hammer trophy walleyes, northerns, sturgeon, lake trout, etc. all the time. They're in their early twenties now.

I'll never fish with barbed hooks again, even in jurisdictions where they're legal!

[cbrooks]

Thanks for all the replies.I think will go barbless on all my lures except for WTD lures.

[JRedig]

Things like single hook spinnerbaits or bucktails, I leave the barbs up, but I pinch on just about everything else. With or without barbs, I have a knack for losing toothies, no question about it!

[Shawn Kellett]

I think that you may lose a few more fish, but you'll get hooks in a few more too because a barbless hook penetrates better. So I would guess it's a wash.

I have some baits that I run barbless and I don't know that I've seen a difference that I can put my finger on. Properly playing a fish is more important IMOP.

[cbrooks]

I'm not really worried too much about losing a hookup on a fish as much as a fish dying on me and being stuck with a carcass. I've been musky fishing for two years now and I only had a little success. Haven't had any fish thats been hook deeply. The only thing that goes through my mind when I get a hook-up is I hope the hook isn't too deep or she's hook through the gill. There's alot of good advice on this post about keeping tension on line and fighting the fish and all that. How often does a fish die from being hook too deeply and would having a barbless hook make much of a difference?

[RK]

Hiya

Simple fact: muskies get off. Barbed or barbless, they get off. And they're very very good at it. Having been barbless off and on for quite a while now (I say off and on because I've been known to forget to pinch barbs down on new lures or replaced hooks) I can't say with any certainty the number of fish I lose has changed a bit.

I do agree with Shawn that you probably hook a few more with barbless because the penetration's better.

The main reason for barbless though is easier release. Lip hooked fish are no effort at all, and deep hooked fish are much much easier. I think delayed mortality comes more from time out of the water and handling necessary to extract hooks than hook damage itself unless the fish gets a hook right in the isthmus. Barbless hooks are a lot easier to get out when a fish inhales a bait or has a face full of hooks from a jerkbait. To me, easy release is the #1 argument for barbless hooks.

Cheers,

Rob Kimm

[dudeness]

Are you guys all pretty much just bending the barbs over or do all the major brands make barbless trebles? I don't think I've ever seen them sold.

My next question is when or if there are barbless seasons is there a gray area if you are just bending over barbs (ie: one of the barbs is sticking up a little too much)?

[b1gf1sh1]

Quote:

if you are just bending over barbs (ie: one of the barbs is sticking up a little too much)?

i'm fairly new to barbless so this might not be the best way. it is the safest best way that i found so far though. maybe some of the vets can chime in if they know a better way.. i tried pliars, cutters, grips, and assorted other tools and found the high seas crimps work best. wire strippers worked good too but the wider jaw area on the high seas works better for smashing the whole barb. i've done up to 8/0 so far and they do it in one shot. heres some pics for the heck of it.

stuff i'm useing

barb intact.

barb inside jaws. i use the size hole on the crimps that lets it crimp down tight to the shaft.

barb crimped. little blurry but you get the idea.

this works for me. the barb doesn't snap off and aim for my eyes. i like that.

[guideman]

I have had customers catch fish with barbles hooks and they weren't even aware that they were using barbles hooks until I told them.

If you are an experenced angler and know how to play a fish, you won't hardly notice the difference. Just like it was mentioned above, it's really a mind set thing. It makes releasing your fish a much safer and easier thing to do. Hooks don't get caught up in your net either.

It also makes human hook removal a much easier operation than it is with a barbed hook. You can just pull out the hooks without worring about any internal damage to your body parts...OW!

"Ace"

Ace guide service.

[RK]

It also makes human hook removal a much easier operation than it is with a barbed hook. You can just pull out the hooks without worring about any internal damage to your body parts...OW!

Yeah, there's that too I've seen at least two hook in the hand deals that would have been really brutal if there'd been barbs on the hooks.

As far as pinching them down - I'm not too scientific about it. I just mash them down with a pliers. Some of 'em break off, some don't, and just fold over.

Cheers,

Rob Kimm

[b1gf1sh1]

Quote:

I've seen at least two hook in the hand deals that would have been really brutal if there'd been barbs on the hooks

i've had this happen twice to me with barbs. gotta tell ya theres nothing worse than ''knowing'' you have to snip one, ouch, feed it through the meat on the hand untill it's free,OUCH, and then have to do it all over again with another one OUCH OUCH. the last time was over 20 years ago but i remmember it like it was yesterday. i was alone both times so i had to. with someone i could have used the old fishing line trick on one of the hooks at least. impossible alone though.

so yeah, theres something to be said for going barbless i suppose.

[dudeness]

Okay. I gotta ask, what's the fishing line trick?

[delmuts]

Do a search for removing hooks using fishing line, you will find several videos, as well as a phs. site that explains it also.

[b1gf1sh1]

Quote:

Okay. I gotta ask, what's the fishing line trick?

delmut has the right idea. probably never be understood in words or even still shots. besides i'm sure i'd have a hard time finding a volunteer to take a hook past the barb in the hand anyway ...it does work though. also works great on fabric, leather, carpet and pretty much anything else too. good luck.