Barbless hooks

[Wannabe bass angler]

Many years ago I either read or was told that, if I practice catch and release, then I should render my hooks barbless. Does anyone do that anymore, or is that just an old or ill-advised practice.

[Mike L]

It is an old practice but not necessarily ill-advised.

I know a few folks who fish in golf courses and private ponds who always use them.

Personally I use them occasionally when pre fishing for a tournament but that's the only time..

 

IMHO, If you handle and release them the correct way, a barbed is perfectly fine..

 

 

 

Mike

[MassYak85]

I'm trying barbless octopus hooks for ice fishing this season, but only because the likelihood the fish will be gut hooked by the time I get to the tip-up is somewhat high. I've been using barbed circles for a while for that but last year my hookup ratio was too inconsistent for me to keep using them (some days it was 100%, other days maybe 50% using the exact same technique). 

 

For lures I've never felt the need as most lures you are in contact with and the fish generally are going to be hooked in a spot that makes removal easy and do minimal damage to the fish. 

[Burtonxj]

Usually try and pinch the barbs on my treble hook lures

[waldo567]

I pinch all the barbs on all my hooks both singles and trebles. I find it easier to remove and I also fish with my kids a lot and it is easier for them as well. I don't specifically buy barbless hooks. Just modify what I buy. Doesn't take much time.

[OkobojiEagle]

type "barbless" in the search function...

 

 

oe

[RoLo]

I for one, would love to see 'barbless' hooks become a universal law (As it is in much of Canada).

The hook barb is generally the underlying cause of most unintentional harm to fish.

Mandating barbless hooks in a tournament would also be fine with me,

because every competitor would be competing on the same level playing field.

 

Roger

[The Bassman]

Barbless hooks sure are nice when a dink bass shakes and leaves one in your hand. I crimp the barbs on all of my treble hooks.  Granted I may lose a few fish but I'm fishing for fun, not money.

[WRB]

Some studies that show advantages and studies that show barbless hooks can penetrate deeper into vital organs, take your pick.

Today's worm hooks have smaller barbs than a few decades ago. If you are serious about doing less harm use circle hooks.

Tom

[fishwizzard]

If I had the option to buy all barbless hooks I would and crimp them down whenever I think to.  I like barbless a lot in general as I enjoy the challenge of keeping the fish on as it jumps and runs.  I also fish alone and often quote far from my car and would rather not hike out five or six miles with a lure stuck to my face.  I am less worried about single hook lures, but everything with a treble either gets the barbs pinched or replaced with a single hook.  

[RB 77]

I fish barbless at a couple different reservoirs because it is mandatory, although if it was a universal law for all the reservoirs I wouldn't be that bothered at all.

[roadwarrior]

Well, I would agree this would be better for the bass and perhaps over time might make us all better fishermen, but I can assure you that if you go this way, for most guys including me, your landing percentage will plummet.  The worst part is you may lose your PB because that's just the way it goes!

 

 

[scaleface]

I use barbless for carp with good success . 

[RoLo]

5 hours ago, WRB said:

Some studies that show advantages and studies that show barbless hooks

can penetrate deeper into vital organs

 

 

There aren't too many vital organs in the vicinity of a fish's mouth  (I hope you're kidding)

More to the point, 'rippin lips' is not as innocent as it might sound. 

 

Roger

 

 

[WRB]

2 hours ago, RoLo said:

 

There aren't too many vital organs in the vicinity of a fish's mouth  (I hope you're kidding)

More to the point, 'rippin lips' is not as innocent as it might sound. 

 

Roger

 

 

Bass anatomy the month makes up most of their head as you well know. Hooks inside the month can harm the brain, eyes, tongue and gills all vital organs.

Back in the 60's and 70's the trout anglers pushed for barbless hook legislation successfully  closing over 50% of California trout waters to barbless hooks only. Today maybe 10% are barbless and those restricted to barbless fly fishing only. Trout anglers have been practicing catch & release a lot longer than bass anglers, it's their studies that show barbless hooks penetrate deeper and cause just as severe harm as barbed hooks as far as survival rates are concerned.

Bass anglers use big heavy hooks compared to trout anglers and bass tend to engulf hooks deep into the their month and throat, that is more where damage is done, not the lips.

Yes, we have all witnessed severely damaged bass lips, those bass survived.

It wouldn't bother me if hooks were all barbless, but I don't flatten down or file down hook barbs when bass fishing.

Tom

[Angry John]

I sure hate it when the hook goes in or around the eye.  Seems to happen on dinks a lot more, and i hardly ever hook them deep.  Barbs are useful when frogging and working in heavy cover.  I don't think you would do very well punching without a barb.

[Team9nine]

I've read a good many of the published studies comparing barbed to barbless hooks, and in a nutshell, here's what they've suggested;

 

• There is basically no difference in actual mortality of fish when comparing barbed to barbless
• Barbed hooks cause more tissue damage than barbless, in some cases up to twice the rate
• Barbless hooks result in about a 20% reduction in handling time of fish (time spent trying to remove hooks, etc.)
• On average, barbless hooks are about 10% less efficient in landing fish (you'll lose about 10% more fish)
• Certain lure types simply have higher landing percentages than others, so in some cases it's not the hook per se (barbed or barbless) but instead the lure type the hook is on
• More experienced anglers will land a higher percentage of fish on barbless lures than less experienced anglers
• The bigger effect on mortality is not barbed vs barbless, but instead seems to be the size of the hook. Larger hooks simply kill more fish. This is because they can reach/puncture deeper, penetrating vital organs or arteries that smaller hooks simply can't reach
• Despite the commonly thought idea that barbless hooks penetrate more deeply than barbed hooks, it is not quite that simple, as studies have shown that small barbed hooks with proper cutting edges will actually penetrate much easier (much less force required) allowing for deeper penetration than barbless hooks given the same force applied.
• When you do finally bury a hook into yourself, overall, barbless hooks will be much easier to remove

 

-T9

[WRB]

8 minutes ago, Team9nine said:

I've read a good many of the published studies comparing barbed to barbless hooks, and in a nutshell, here's what they've suggested;

 

• There is basically no difference in actual mortality of fish when comparing barbed to barbless
• Barbed hooks cause more tissue damage than barbless, in some cases up to twice the rate
• Barbless hooks result in about a 20% reduction in handling time of fish (time spent trying to remove hooks, etc.)
• On average, barbless hooks are about 10% less efficient in landing fish (you'll lose about 10% more fish)
• Certain lure types simply have higher landing percentages than others, so in some cases it's not the hook per se (barbed or barbless) but instead the lure type the hook is on
• More experienced anglers will land a higher percentage of fish on barbless lures than less experienced anglers
• The bigger effect on mortality is not barbed vs barbless, but instead seems to be the size of the hook. Larger hooks simply kill more fish. This is because they can reach/puncture deeper, penetrating vital organs or arteries that smaller hooks simply can't reach
• Despite the commonly thought idea that barbless hooks penetrate more deeply than barbed hooks, it is not quite that simple, as studies have shown that small barbed hooks with proper cutting edges will actually penetrate much easier (much less force required) allowing for deeper penetration than barbless hooks given the same force applied.
• When you do finally bury a hook into yourself, overall, barbless hooks will be much easier to remove

 

-T9

We're any of these studies on bass?

[fishwizzard]

49 minutes ago, Team9nine said:

I've read a good many of the published studies comparing barbed to barbless hooks, and in a nutshell, here's what they've suggested;

 

• Barbless hooks result in about a 20% reduction in handling time of fish (time spent trying to remove hooks, etc.)
• When you do finally bury a hook into yourself, overall, barbless hooks will be much easier to remove

 

-T9

 

Even of only these too are true, it is worth it to me to switch over.  There are plenty of fish in the sea, as the saying goes, I don't mind losing the occasional one.  

 

Another "feature" of barbless hooks that I like is that they can keep my hands warmer.  When wading in cold rivers I will often fight the fish to my legs, then slack the line to let them pop off.  I still "won" the fight, but my hands stay dry as I don't have to grab the fish.  

[iceintheveins]

Barbless only regulations are silly, as just about all studies in all species show no difference in mortality. So no, I don't use nor believe in barbless hooks.

[IgotWood]

Barbless hooks are more for the protection of the fisherman, than the fish. As mentioned, if you properly handle a fish, barbed hooks aren't much of a problem, in most cases. Of course there are instances when they do damage a fish, but unfortunately, that's a part of fishing. 

I fish barbless hooks for trout and striped bass because the places I fish for them are often extremely remote, and I'm usually alone. I do not pinch the barbs on my LMB gear, because even with barbs, they seem to throw the hook so often. 

[Crestliner2008]

I can tell you this much. Since I've changed over ALL my lures with barbless hooks, I have not noticed any disadvantages. I seem to land fish just as successfully when barbs are not present. I've gone this way with trebles as well as with spoons and jigs. In my opinion, a safer option for both the fish and the fisherman.

 

The only hooks I retain with barbs are my DS hooks. Reason being is that with the weight below the hook, it gives bass more leverage to tossing it when they jump. And DS hooks normally catch in the roof of the mouth anyway, so it's not that bad for the fish.

 

The main reason for barbs is to insure that you land every fish. To me, at my age, this is no longer of paramount concern. I fish purely for enjoyment and C&R every fish bring across the gunnels. This even goes for landing giants like this with the lure it was caught on:

 

 

[junyer357]

Only time i pinch the barb down is when fishing senkos or a few finesse tactics. I have had too many hooked deep before i realized i had a fish. Im much better now about line watching (yellow braid helps) and its less of a problem but i still prefer it barbless. 

[Team9nine]

12 hours ago, WRB said:

We're any of these studies on bass?

 

I'm aware of about half a dozen studies done on largemouth and/or smallmouth. As you would guess, there are nearly a  couple dozen more on trout/salmon, along with a handful of misc studies on walleye, panfish and various saltwater species. In total, around 3 dozen published papers.

 

11 hours ago, Bunnielab said:

 

Even of only these too are true, it is worth it to me to switch over.  There are plenty of fish in the sea, as the saying goes, I don't mind losing the occasional one.  

 

Another "feature" of barbless hooks that I like is that they can keep my hands warmer.  When wading in cold rivers I will often fight the fish to my legs, then slack the line to let them pop off.  I still "won" the fight, but my hands stay dry as I don't have to grab the fish.  

 

I've played with barbless off and on over the years, and haven't noticed a huge difference in landing rates. Have a couple friends that are 100% barbless on everything. As a side note, given the popularity of the "Ned rig," but  even Ned himself is nearly 100% barbless with his fishing, too.

[J Francho]

12 hours ago, Team9nine said:

When you do finally bury a hook into yourself, overall, barbless hooks will be much easier to remove

 

So much optimism! LOL.