INDIANANGLER

Hi Owen, it's possible that the hooks were thrown due to insufficient penetration. Try barbless next time and see if it improves the hookup

Bops

The other possibility is that the fish was only hooked through a sliver of flesh.
This can just tear through and leave you with nothing on the line without the need for a dodgy hookhold - nothing to do with barbed or barbless.

Are barbless easily available ?

modify ur hooks..crimp down the barb or just file them off..

For all of my UK lure fishing, fresh and salt, I squashed the barbs on my lures.

I didn't lose any more fish because of this.
It did make it easier to unhook them and less dangerous for me.

YB.

Hi,

Filing may turn out better than squashing the barb (on HEAVY hooks), for hook penetration.


tight lines

Makarand

Good discussion. I wonder how barbless will work on trouts. They jump quite frequently.

Cheers

Sualeh

with barbless its a neat and easy hook up and release. U cant afford loose line with barbless. For trout - once hooked I lift them clean out of water .In fact u do not have to release for as the fish go flip flap on the shore-they are free.
I have tried these but do not practice these..............Ham

Hi Guys,
Many of the UK club waters & day ticket lakes have a barbless only rule, catches have not dropped, playing a fish is an art form (for me anyhow), keeping a tightline isnt hard.

barbless hooks can twist their way into the fishes lip turning over on itself & hard fishting (carp) fish can damage their mouths, i had better results with the barbs crushed down wi pliers, deeper hookup, with a little resistance.

Owner do a great heavy gauge barbeles hook.The circle hooks they use for Tarpon look interesting for mahseer, anyone used them?

paul

Prefer the Aki Twist for use with chilwa, and Jobu Big game for use with ragi. Both made by Owner. Only problem is the points get damaged easily with the snags and it is quite pointless re-sharpening them.
Also like Mustad Hooligan hooks for mahseer. All built on 3x wire of course.
Regards
Owen

Hi all, I've been reading this with interest.

In the UK there seems to be a divide in opinions with no-one able to settle the argument either way due to lack of convincing evidence.
Some clubs or establishments insist on barbless only whereas others stipulate barbed hooks.
The reasoning behind this depends on your point of view. Barbless hooks are said to be easier to unhook and so less damaging to fish particularly where inexperienced anglers are concerned. However those that favour barbed hooks do so because it has been said that in stronger fish or lighter tackle where there is likely to be a longer fight the barbless hook is more prone to damaging the mouth due to more movement during the fight than a barbed hook.

I tend to keep an open mind and use both at different times. The only anecdotal evidence I can give is a local lake which insists on barbless hooks for all fishing. If you catch bream, which barely fight at all, or smaller species there is no mouth damage. If you catch tench, which are hard fighting fish, they all have mouth damage. I have seen a similar pattern of damage at other barbless only venues but it is less noticeable at places where barbed hooks are permitted although certainly not absent.

It is indisputable that barbless hooks will penetrate more efficiently than barbed due to reduced resistance however I strike hard and check hook points routinely and rarely have difficulty removing barbed hooks so will continue to use these as a first choice in most situations. I've often wondered though why no manufacturers seem to make a hook with a rounded 'blob' instead of a barb - easy to unhook but retentive, perhaps it's about cost?

Probably the strongest argument for barbless is that they are definitely easier to remove from your clothing or fingers - most of us have done it after all !

Andy

I have done a few of those...including one on my last trip to India where my godson managed to sink his hook into a guy who suddenly made a dash behind him. I always teach the kids to look behind before every cast, this guy just charged behind and got the hook. To make matters worse the hook was not clean through with the barb imbedded in. I had to drive the hook through first and then cut it. I did not have my heavy duty wirecutter but the Leatherman Blast went through the VMC like butter.