Barbed hooks, are they good or bad?

[Freddie Coleman]

Many people have argued over the matter are barbed hooks good or bad?
They are better at holding bait, they grip onto fish alot better yet there are also downsides.
Ripping the fish, catching on ducks and swans and also plants and weeds.
Are barbed hooks good or bad?

What do you think???

 

[Ray Bewick]

Freddie - IMHO, depends on the type of fishing. If they are going back, microbarb or squash the barb.
If not, ( after thought) as above, I suppose your bound to catch undersize or unwanted species. Perhaps ther method of release is far more important, after all a pout released from 40ft has a lesser chance the one lip hooked on a barbed hook bucketed down!.

 

[Emlyn Forbes]

hi can anyone help me out ,im looking to get some new hooks and im wondering if theres any that dont reflect sunlight....please help!

 

[Paul H]

Freddie, my vote goes to barbed hooks. I use micro barbed or crush down the ones with larger barbs. It still gives the solid hookhold preventing the hook from moving around (possibly causing damage) but is also easier to remove.

Emlyn, ESP raptors come in a teflon coated grey and some in black. Start a new thread asking, you'll get more people seeing your question.

 

[Graham Whatmore]

There is nothing wrong with barbed hooks regardless of what anyone tells you, the fault lies with those anglers that can't get them out properly. Except.

There is a good case for not not using barbed Pike trebles but even these can be removed if you have the tool and the experience.

Match lakes, where speed is the object and damage can be caused by anglers removing the hook without using a disgorger, i.e. ripping the hook out along with part of their lip.

Youngsters and beginners are amongst the worst offenders in my experience, I used to run the junior section of our local fishing club and I made it a rule, no disgorger and you don't fish. I supplied a disgorger to every newcomer and told him/her what to expect if he/she turned up without one. The barbless only rule doesn't apply on our local lake.

 

[Paul H]

I'd totally agree with that.

I don't think the barbs necessarily have to be as big as some are which is why I use micro or crush them a little but essentially I'm barbed all the way.

Disgoger and forceps are essential!

 

[Ben Paternoster 4]

i think barbed hooks are much more fish friendly than barbless. have you ever noticed how torn up fishes mouths are when using them.With a barbed hook it will stay in place and not move.

 

[MarkTheSpark]

No, I haven't, Ben

 

[Frank "Chubber" Curtis]

I have Mark and now only use barbless when fishery rules make it mandatory. I've lost count of the number of times a barbless has gone in so deep, especially on carp, that only the spade has been visible but never had it happen with a barbed hook. On one occassion a carp was hooked in the roof of it's mouth and the hook so completely buried there was no chance of removing it without doing even more serious injury so I had to snip off the line as close as possible.

 

[stikflote]

i fish a lot of club matches all over the place, and all fisheries nine different places all state barbless only. So no choice in the matter

 

[David Craine]

I allways use barbed hooks, Barbless imho actualy cause more problems in as much as they dont seat as well as barbed, pull around and make a bigger hole in the fishes mouth,and finally and importantly, can release when the fish momentarily swims toward you and gains a bit of slack line...Barbed.. no hook pulls... Barbless... lost or damaged fish.