barbless hooks v barb hooks

[seth49]

Sure there was something on one of the Korda videos about damage that can be done by the eye of the hook catching in a landing net and the fish moving in the net before unhooking, if that is the case it wouldn’t matter if the hook was barbed or not.

Some rigs incorporating a swivel etc attached to the hook, would be worse still, makes sense to me.

On one of the waters I fish one of the carp gets caught a lot, it has a damaged mouth, I caught it six times last year and so far this year I’ve caught it three times,
The damage was done before I started catching it by the way, this fishery has a barbless hook only rule, don’t think it makes much difference to losing or catching the fish, although the roach do seem to come off more.

 

[thecrow]

When I fished barbed only it was because I had the thought that I would loose fish if I used barbless, I hadn't seen any scientific evidence of this nor had I seen any scientific evidence that barbed were better for fish welfare than barbless, I still haven't seen any evidence other than what different anglers think is best which is opinion not fact, I would be grateful if anyone can point me in the direction of any scientific please.

Perhaps mouth damage on fish say's a lot about the type of anglers fishing a water far more than whether a hook is barbed or not.

 

[steve2]

We anglers whether using barbed or barbless hooks damage in some way every fish we catch. Not just in the mouth. It’s part and parcel of angling.
We just have to accept it and move on or give up.

 

[fishcatcher60]

We anglers whether using barbed or barbless hooks damage in some way every fish we catch. Not just in the mouth. It’s part and parcel of angling.
We just have to accept it and move on or give up.

Well said i agree with you 100%.

 

[thecrow]

We just have to accept it and move on or give up.

Spot on comment, while we do by the nature of what we do leave the fish with some damage that should heal imo we owe the fish that give us so much pleasure a measure of respect in how we treat them when we catch them.

I haven't got any time at all for the anti's but imo if any of them read this thread (are all members anglers?) some of the comments are just ammunition for them to spout about while ignoring the bigger angling picture and the benefits that angling can bring.

 

[daniel121]

Spot on comment, while we do by the nature of what we do leave the fish with some damage that should heal imo we owe the fish that give us so much pleasure a measure of respect in how we treat them when we catch them.

I haven't got any time at all for the anti's but imo if any of them read this thread (are all members anglers?) some of the comments are just ammunition for them to spout about while ignoring the bigger angling picture and the benefits that angling can bring.

Absolutely spot on, we should be speaking about the good that anglers do not the harm. Cleaning of waterways, caring for wildlife etc.

 

[tigger]

When I fished barbed only it was because I had the thought that I would loose fish if I used barbless, I hadn't seen any scientific evidence of this nor had I seen any scientific evidence that barbed were better for fish welfare than barbless, I still haven't seen any evidence other than what different anglers think is best which is opinion not fact, I would be grateful if anyone can point me in the direction of any scientific please.

Perhaps mouth damage on fish say's a lot about the type of anglers fishing a water far more than whether a hook is barbed or not.

If you use barbless hooks for grayling, roach, rudd etc you deffo loose fish, or I should have said I deffo lost fish.
I personally think the bumping fish on the strike can be increased by using barbless hooks also. As soon as you hit a fish the first thing most of them do is shake their heads and they can easily throw a barbless hook.

 

[mikench]

I have never tried barbed hooks and do not possess any! One club card prohibits them completely and I have never looked at the PAAS view ! I must do so !

 

[daniel121]

I've had this debate in the past, the notion that a barbless hook can possibly do more damage than a barbless hook is a strange one to me. The general sense of opinion seems change from the point of view of the different genre's of fishing.

I personally cannot understand how a barbed hook can possibly be tare a wound less than a barbless hook?

 

[daniel121]

Adding to my above post, I have barbless and barbed hooks, the only time I opt for barbed is in rivers for dace, roach, grayling etc.

 

[tigger]

I've had this debate in the past, the notion that a barbless hook can possibly do more damage than a barbless hook is a strange one to me. The general sense of opinion seems change from the point of view of the different genre's of fishing.

I personally cannot understand how a barbed hook can possibly be tare a wound less than a barbless hook?

The point of a barbless hook isn't fixed like a barbed hook. Because of this it can move about easier and cause more damage under the surface of the flesh. A barbless hook also penetrates much deeper than a barbed hook.

 

[thecrow]

If you use barbless hooks for grayling, roach, rudd etc you deffo loose fish, or I should have said I deffo lost fish.

The waters I was fishing at that time were very weedy and I had this idea in my head that I would loose fish in weed through not having a barb, I shall never know if I would have or not as I didn't use barbless then, bites on these waters were few and far between and I didn't want to take what I thought was a chance.

Having now used barbless on weedy waters and had fish go into weed without loosing them I know that the thought I had about not loosing fish because of a barb was wrong, I do however keep pressure on any fish but I did that with barbed.

Without any scientific evidence either way all we have is anglers opinions formed through time and experience, are any of them correct? who knows but one thing I do know is that the angler needs to be confident in the hooks they use barbed or not.

I don't purposely fish for those species you mention but have caught plenty of silvers while Tench fishing, I have dropped very few but again I may have dropped them with a barbed hook, no way of knowing.

 

[tigger]

The waters I was fishing at that time were very weedy and I had this idea in my head that I would loose fish in weed through not having a barb, I shall never know if I would have or not as I didn't use barbless then, bites on these waters were few and far between and I didn't want to take what I thought was a chance.

Having now used barbless on weedy waters and had fish go into weed without loosing them I know that the thought I had about not loosing fish because of a barb was wrong, I do however keep pressure on any fish but I did that with barbed.

Without any scientific evidence either way all we have is anglers opinions formed through time and experience, are any of them correct? who knows but one thing I do know is that the angler needs to be confident in the hooks they use barbed or not.

I don't purposely fish for those species you mention but have caught plenty of silvers while Tench fishing, I have dropped very few but again I may have dropped them with a barbed hook, no way of knowing.

Graham, if your happy to use barbless that's great for you but I know from my own experiences that I lost fish using barbless hook. Tench don't fight the same as grayling and so you might be ok winding them in. I can assure you if you went grayling fishing using a barbless hook you would have a number of fish wriggle off the hook.
I don't need scientific evidence I have my own .

 

[thecrow]

Tench don't fight the same as grayling and so you might be ok winding them in.

No they possibly don't fight the same as one is entirely river based and the other is mostly still water based, one has a harder mouth than the other so I don't see the comparison.

Winding them in? anything but, these fish are in 12/13ft of water and do not give up easily, its why I go back each week. Believe me I know what it is to say a fish pulls back, I wont however go into the size of fish I have caught to allow me to know suffice to say they were big enough :wh

Have you ever thought that loosing grayling could be down to the barb having to work harder to penetrate? if as you say (I disagree ) a barbless hook goes in further it must be going in easier. I don't understand how any damage that is deeper because of a barbless hook can be seen as you said yourself I wouldn't see it.

This thread has run its course for me as anglers will never agree, it is as I said all opinions which can apply to most things in angling.

 

[fishcatcher60]

A barbless hook also penetrates much deeper than a barbed hook.

How on earth do you work that one out.
The barb stops the hook from coming out not going in.
Lets have some examples, when matchmen are on commies they use barbless because thats the rules then as soon as they go to a canal or river where they have a choice they use barbed.
Specimen carp,barbel anglers etc use barbed and it's purely because they all loose less fish not for any other reason.

 

[binka]

I'm a bit behind on this thread as I am with FM on the whole at the moment due to this, that and the other but I remember switching to barbless hooks with great reservations back in the mid to late eighties and I can honestly say that I've never looked back.

My recollections in particular were of how little mouth/tissue damage there was after removing the hook in comparison to barbed hooks which often and in the main had penetrated beyond the barb and I was converted.

I agree that some species are more prone to wriggling off of a barbless hook but that's not my primary concern.

That wasn't always the case though, I think I initially tried barbless hooks after reading an article about them penetrating further and gaining a better hold than barbed which to my mind stands to reason as there's a smaller diameter at the point of the barb and the hook continues to penetrate without resistance and in turn gaining a better hold.

I always use barbless hooks when Barbel fishing and I very rarely lose a fish.

Everyone's a winner...

 

[sam vimes]

Specimen carp,barbel anglers etc use barbed and it's purely because they all loose less fish not for any other reason.

I know that plenty of folks don't believe it, but there are a reasonable number of big carp syndicates and day ticket waters that have banned barbless hooks. The owners being convinced that barbed do less damage to their stock.

 

[fishcatcher60]

I will believe it when i see actual evidence that barbless cause more damage than barbed hooks.
I just cannot see the logic in it at all.

 

[daniel121]

The point of a barbless hook isn't fixed like a barbed hook. Because of this it can move about easier and cause more damage under the surface of the flesh. A barbless hook also penetrates much deeper than a barbed hook.

I've not read other replies below yours yet however I want to respond with my thoughts before I do

I don't get how you can say a barb hook is more fixed, it's a barb mate it's not cemented in I can understand your thoughts that a barbless hook penetrates further into a fishes mouth but surely that would make that more secure?

The hooks going to move about, particularly with fish that bolt about all over the place like little carp. I always like to keep my rod at the same angle when playing a fish to keep the best hook hold I can, something I've done since...well too long mate lol!

You might be right but I just can't see it, a clean wound is bound to heal better than a torn wound, that's my opinion anyway

 

[daniel121]

I will believe it when i see actual evidence that barbless cause more damage than barbed hooks.
I just cannot see the logic in it at all.

Plus one mate