The venue ive recently been fishing has a barbless hook policy,a river venue,my personal preference for most larger hard fighting species is barbed,particularly barbel,I know its a well documented subject but what do you prefer and what is your reasoning behind your choice?
Your views on barbless or barbed hooks?
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Generally good Ian,odd fish with damage,you have to remember there are three swims that are fished virtually every day,with people jumping into the graves of people packing up,I have fished two of these now and wont attempt to fish them again till next season,my itch has been severely scratched...
wetthrough
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Barbless for me. Barbed are just a bad memory from my youth. It's just so much easier to get barbless out.
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Good to hear you had some enjoyable fishing
.Ok, I asked because damaged mouths and barbles only waters seem to go hand in hand with fish and mouth damage.
Personally I always use micro barbed hooks and have no problems removing them. Repeat captures in later fishing trips show no signs of the fish ever being hooked.
I agree mate,but there are anglers still using the stock of old au lion dor fully barbed hooks that remove mouths,there are also anglers that find it difficult to remove hooks period,thats fishing for you,there is no one size fits all...
sam vimes
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I'll use whatever I think most appropriate provided that the rules allow me the choice. I've fished waters that don't allow barbless and waters that don't allow barbed. I will tend to use barbed on a river and barbless on stillwaters. However, it's no hard and fast rule where I have the choice. Much depends on the water concerned and the type of fishing I'm doing.
Over the years, I've become increasingly convinced that significant mouth damage has more to do with absolute idiot anglers than whether a hook is barbed or not. Though it's intuitive to believe it should be so, I don't particularly believe that barbless hooks are less damaging. Idiots can still cause terrible mouth damage when unhooking, regardless of a hook being barbed or barbless. Far too many anglers don't carry disgorgers of any kind.
Over the years, I've become increasingly convinced that significant mouth damage has more to do with absolute idiot anglers than whether a hook is barbed or not. Though it's intuitive to believe it should be so, I don't particularly believe that barbless hooks are less damaging. Idiots can still cause terrible mouth damage when unhooking, regardless of a hook being barbed or barbless. Far too many anglers don't carry disgorgers of any kind.
mikench
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My first club and one I remain a member of only allow barbless hooks so I only have experience of those. I have too many hooks and they are all barbless.
For the venues I fish = microbarbed. Modern hooks with barbs (in the main) are so much better, smaller, neater than barbed hooks of old. Occasionally I will pinch the barb down when I need to. I'll use barbless if that is the rule of the venue. But I don't fish many at all where that is the case. I can get microbarbed out very easily. I've had 40+ years of practice !
theartist
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As you know Alan I've fished that stretch for a good 20 years now and the rules there (which are admittedly many) have safeguarded the stocks of what has to be the most prolific small river in the country for barbel.
You also got to remember that other species are being fished for so there will be hooks left in fish, from those after chub, dace and roach, barbless do drop out and I can remember only catching one barbel with a barbless hook in it in all that time, so thats a ratio 1/5000. On the flipside there's been about 50-100 I've caught with a barbed hook left behind, maybe from club members breaking that rule or most likely from the free stretch upstream where the fish go sometimes. Sometimes these hooks staying in form a growth round them, old fashioned barbed hooks have no place in catch and release imo, micro barbed are far better, whether they would be better than barbless long term who knows, maybe if it ain't broke....
Any hook's tearing should also be negated by not fishing too heavy, it's not a hit and hold venue and pretty snag free anything over 6-8lb isn't really necessary, as you say the mouth damage is pretty limited aside from the odd fish, when you consider how heavily fished it is it's quite a credit to the anglers fishing it compared to some places.
Ps well done for getting in those swims so often, I't takes me ten years to get in those spots as much as you have in the last two weeks
rich66
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Mine are all barbless, I’ve just got so used to using them most of the venues I’ve fished have a barb ban in place that I just buy barbless as default or on my lures etc flatten the barbs.
Plus the distinct memories of trying vainly to unhook a barbed hook in my youth.
They are a lot easier to unhook especially as I get older and fingers get less nimble.
I wonder if it’s the way a fish is played or yanked in that does the damage or the silly over hard strike maybe the angler being kack handed on the bank.
How do people decide when to use a disgorger? I usually have 1 maybe 2 attempts by hand then reach for them and only if it’s a lip hook. Anything else and the disgorger is bought straight into play.
Plus the distinct memories of trying vainly to unhook a barbed hook in my youth.
They are a lot easier to unhook especially as I get older and fingers get less nimble.
I wonder if it’s the way a fish is played or yanked in that does the damage or the silly over hard strike maybe the angler being kack handed on the bank.
How do people decide when to use a disgorger? I usually have 1 maybe 2 attempts by hand then reach for them and only if it’s a lip hook. Anything else and the disgorger is bought straight into play.
steve2
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I go along with the fishery rules but use micro barbs where no rules. All my lures hooks have barbs but have changed many to small barbs.
theartist
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Funny thing is we got ponds on the same ticket that have pretty much the same barbless rules but the mouth damage on the carp is pretty bad, but then you see people hitting and hauling, almost reeling the poor buggers straight in, think this gives barbless a bad rep.
As for unhooking most the time it drops out in the net or pushed out with the finger, a discourger job takes a second even deep hooked tiny perch. And the old hook in the finger when young? I had that when I was 15, dad took me to the hospital and I had a doctor who didn't have a clue how to unhook, but also had a really fit nurse holding my hand - every cloud......
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I use a disgorger 99 % of the time. Forceps are naff for smaller hooks (or any hooks imo, better to use long nosed pliers) and far too often people fiddle about with their finger, pushing, twisting and tugging at the hook in an effort to remove it. Even a perfectly lip hooked fish is best unhooked using a disgorger.
I use micro barbed hooks.
I once belonged to a club which had a pool stocked with lots of carp. Later a new barbless rule was introduced and it was very noticeable that the fish mouths deteriorated. The barbless rule was reversed and the fish regained mouth condition. Barbless hooks are ok for small fish.
I once belonged to a club which had a pool stocked with lots of carp. Later a new barbless rule was introduced and it was very noticeable that the fish mouths deteriorated. The barbless rule was reversed and the fish regained mouth condition. Barbless hooks are ok for small fish.
This is an odd debate, because there are are people who are entirely convinced on either side, and point to the condition of fish for evidence. But we don't know for sure if it's the hooks or the differences are circumstantial, like how fish are played or unhooked. It would be nice to be sure, one way or another.
I use microbarbs most of the time, but I've found there are microbarbs and microbarbs, and some patterns in some brands I won't use any more because you can feel the difference, both putting the hook in a maggot or taking it out of a fish.
When obliged to use barbless, I always have the thought they'll prove less secure, but it's never the case, and even though it's easy to remove microbarbs, I have to say it's easier still to remove barbless, and I have to wonder if it's me rather then the fish that's more securely hooked on microbarbs.
I use microbarbs most of the time, but I've found there are microbarbs and microbarbs, and some patterns in some brands I won't use any more because you can feel the difference, both putting the hook in a maggot or taking it out of a fish.
When obliged to use barbless, I always have the thought they'll prove less secure, but it's never the case, and even though it's easy to remove microbarbs, I have to say it's easier still to remove barbless, and I have to wonder if it's me rather then the fish that's more securely hooked on microbarbs.
As you know Alan I've fished that stretch for a good 20 years now and the rules there (which are admittedly many) have safeguarded the stocks of what has to be the most prolific small river in the country for barbel.
You also got to remember that other species are being fished for so there will be hooks left in fish, from those after chub, dace and roach, barbless do drop out and I can remember only catching one barbel with a barbless hook in it in all that time, so thats a ratio 1/5000. On the flipside there's been about 50-100 I've caught with a barbed hook left behind, maybe from club members breaking that rule or most likely from the free stretch upstream where the fish go sometimes. Sometimes these hooks staying in form a growth round them, old fashioned barbed hooks have no place in catch and release imo, micro barbed are far better, whether they would be better than barbless long term who knows, maybe if it ain't broke....
Any hook's tearing should also be negated by not fishing too heavy, it's not a hit and hold venue and pretty snag free anything over 6-8lb isn't really necessary, as you say the mouth damage is pretty limited aside from the odd fish, when you consider how heavily fished it is it's quite a credit to the anglers fishing it compared to some places.
Ps well done for getting in those swims so often, I't takes me ten years to get in those spots as much as you have in the last two weeks
To be honest Rob,most anglers fishing the two main spots are fishing around 8-10lb line and at least a 1.5lb tc rod,the guy downstream of me Friday never had a bite,but he fished pellet and as the river had a little snow melt and there was ice in the puddles due to frost when i arrived,pellet was a non starter imo,midday after it had been raining for three hours or more the temperature must have lifted a little...
As for those swims,be sure they are both safe from my attention this season,i might try two down one day just to say ive fished it,higher up the next time i go....
S-Kippy
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Given the choice I prefer microbarbs....but I'm often not given the choice. One of my clubs allows microbarbs in the smaller ( 14 and below) sizes which I think is a sensible compromise. I carry both.
The mouth damage thing I accept is an issue though I cannot say with any certainty from my own experiences that its barbless hooks or rank bad handling that causes it. Modern microbarbs are a lot better than the barbed hooks of my youth which were dreadful things.
The mouth damage thing I accept is an issue though I cannot say with any certainty from my own experiences that its barbless hooks or rank bad handling that causes it. Modern microbarbs are a lot better than the barbed hooks of my youth which were dreadful things.