Flatting down barbs

[SneakySnook]

I've been taking my son fishing with me lately and been worried about him getting hooked. So I took and crimped down the bards on all my treble hooks. I know saltwater guys that do this and have no problems catching fish. Wanted to know if any of you do this and do you have any problems catching fish.

[nboucher]

Some guys do, and with no problem. I've tried it a few times. The key is keeping tension on your line, so the fish can't shake the hook off.

[floridabassboy]

I ve done it because of a trout pond i fished up north made you and you just have to not let any slack in the line

[scott000]

I've been taking my son fishing with me lately and been worried about him getting hooked. So I took and crimped down the bards on all my treble hooks. I know saltwater guys that do this and have no problems catching fish. Wanted to know if any of you do this and do you have any problems catching fish.

i wish my dad did that when i first started fishing  

[RoLo]

Flattening the barb makes it easier to set the hook, but as nboucher said,

maintaining line-tension becomes imperative, and if he "jumps" that would be good,

then you may get the opportunity to release the bass without ever touching him  ;D

Roger

[Bud]

   I do it all of the time when I am stripper fishing a jump.   Just keep a tight line.

[Laggyman]

I had been fishing with barbless hooks since the day I started Bass fishing 'til just until around August.

Single-hooks are no problem. In fact I feel barbless hooks penetrate better and aid those lousy hooksets...

Trebles OTOH, not an accurate number, but I've been losing about 1 in every 3 fish. OUt of the fish I lost, I can say more than 90% of them were lost just as I was about the lip them, or net them.  Crouching down and having an arm swinging out to get a hold of the Bass, you're unbalanced and it's a great oppurtunity for the Bass to just shake loose. It doesn't even have to jump to shake it loose when you're in that position.

If you fish barbless trebles, you might want to get your fishing partner get the net for you while you keep the Bass busy.  I stopped using barbless trebles this August because I was fed up of losing fish within arms' reach... I still use barbless single hooks for worms.

[roadwarrior]

The argument supporting barbless hooks involves "deep" hooking or gut hooks. This is rarely an issue with treble hook lures. I see no reason to flatten the barbs on these lures.

[BucketmouthAngler13]

I have never tried flatting hooks for bass. I supose it has its pros and cons.

I always flatten the barb when catfishing. They have super soft mouths and it is very hard to removed inbedded barbs. I have never lost a catfish due to this, so i beleive it is a good idea.

However, catfish do not jump like bass. It is probaly a good idea to leave the barbs for bass, due to them jumping and shaking their heads.

Has anyone accualy noticed better hooksets with barbless hooks?

[Laggyman]

Not on trebles, but with single point worm hooks (I'll add finesse) barbless hooks seem much easier to hook.  Larger 3/0 4/0 5/0 I have yet to feel the difference. The fine-wire finesse hooks go through quite easily without barbs. And helps when oyu get yourself tangled in some trees.....

[CrazedL.IFisherman]

I agree this would save the bass or help in aid if they were hooked deep but like roadwarrior said i would never ever do this to lures with treble hooks, just got the december bass master mag and the front cover shows a bass hooked on a crankbait the back treble the last one, only one hook was holding this nice fish, i myself have caught many by 1 hook and 1 of the trebles, if they had been no barb id say theres better than 50 percent chance of losing the fish, just my opinion being thrown out there, lata guys Jon

[RODBENDER]

I would never do that . I purchased a dozen hooks with what was called a low profile barb once ( in a pinch all i could get at the time ) wound up throwing the whole dozen away . My young son fishes with me every week and sooner or latter he's gonna get hooked like we all have or will . It's just one of the things that happen , but i would hate to have him losing fish over a barbless hook .

[Tom Bass]

I flatten the barbs on smaller lures so as not to hurt the smaller fish that sometimes have no sense of lure size when attacking. I hate to badly injure a small fish that might just grow up to be a lunker.

Sneaky Snook,

Good on you for being a considerate Dad.

[jomatty]

id flatten em on worm hooks but not on trebles.  when pond fishing i flatten them on my worm hooks and it does make it easier on the fish as well as easier to unhook them when you are catching fish after fish.  on larger bodies of water each fish becomes more important and i rarely bother.  treble hooks need the barb in my opinion.

one thing you should definitely do is get you son some sunglasses and also some clear protective glasses for night/low light conditions.  fish chris started a thread recently that had some grizzly pictures of people with injuries.  i always make sure my son wears glasses now when we fish.  his favorite glasses are a pair of dwayn wayne style flip ups that he can make clear or tinted.  im sure you already thought of this but thought id throw it out anyways.

matt

[SPEEDBEAD.]

Perfect opportunity to teach the little guy about responsibility w/ sharp objects.

Seriously, god forbid that he get hooked, but it happens to everyone.

Wayne