

If you make sure to keep a good amount of tension on the line, put a proper bend in the rod while fighting the fish, and play with your rod angles, this won’t happen. Most anglers are scared of going barbless because they feel that the fish will simply slide off their hook. Fishing barbless hooks isn’t only easier on fish, but it has a lot of benefits for you as the angler too. ConclusionĪs you can see, going barbless is so much better for the fish. Simply take a pare of pliers and crimp down the barb until it creates a smooth surface. For example, one of my favorite saltwater hooks, the Ahrex SA270 in a size 6/0, is only available in a barbed version. Luckily, most freshwater hooks are available in barbless versions these days.īut predator hooks, especially saltwater versions, aren’t available in barbless versions. If you’ve been tying flies for a long time, or you prefer using specific hooks for specific fishing scenarios, you might ask me, “But what if my favorite hooks aren’t available in barbless versions?” Now, I’m not saying that it’s always the case, but if you’re using barbed hooks it makes it a lot harder to remove your flies from bankside vegetation. Luckily I was able to remove the fly with a roll cast. MOST anglers have heard about barbless hooks in various writings in the fishing press from time to time, but when you ask around its surprising how few anglers have actually had any practical experience using them. If I had to walk over to the tree to remove it, the run would have been ruined. Barbless hooks are safer for both fish and anglers. I fished a very productive run in a river this past week and, after landing a couple of fish, overshot the cast when trying to get close to the bank. It’s Easier to Remove Barbless Hooks from Streamside VegetationĪnother benefit of using barbless hooks is that it makes it a lot easier to remove hooks from branches, trees, and leaves. Find High Quality Barbless Fishing Hooks Manufacturer Barbless Fishing Hooks Suppliers and Barbless Fishing Hooks Products at the Best Price on.

With respect to hook size, results showed that size 12 hooks caught more fish per angler per 30 min than size 8 hooks (Table 2 ). Yes, there are tricks to get a barbed hook out, but the end result is always worse than it would have been if you were using a barbless hook.īe kind to yourself and your guide, use barbless hooks. Barbed hooks caught seven fish per angler per 30 min and nine fish per angler per 30 min more than barbless hooks of sizes 12 and 8, respectively (Table 2).
#Barbless fish hooks skin#
Just as a barbed hook does a lot of damage to a fish’s mouth, getting it out of your skin can do quite a lot of damage too. I’m grateful and lucky that I’ve never had to deal with a barbed hook stuck into my or one of my clients’ skin. Only artificial lures may be used Only one barbless hook may be used Fish sanctuary - no fishing from March 1 to Friday before fourth Saturday in April. Barbless Hooks Are Easier to Remove from Skin They can, therefore, improve your catch rate.

Now, assuming you’re keeping your hooks sharp, barbless hooks penetrate a lot faster, quicker, and deeper. Because the hook doesn’t have a barb, there’s less resistance when the hook is set into the fish’s mouth. It’s not only the fish that benefit from the use of barbless hooks. Therefore many venues, states, and tournaments that try to promote good catch and release principles only permit the use of barbless hooks.

Some Venues Only Permit the Use of Barbless Hooksīecause barbless hooks do a lot less damage to a fish’s mouth, they’re better if you want to ensure the survival of the fish after capture. Nothing is more of a pain than fishing in 50 metres and hooking up tiddlers that then suffer blown-bum as they are abruptly winched to the surface.2. Here's a bit more on that from Scott Cushman at Digital Fish However, minimising the amount of time you are messing with a hook can make a big difference to a clean operation. Releasing fish is becoming far more common, thankfully. It means getting a quick photo is easier, or even better, not touching the fish at all is an option. Going barbless means that fish can easily be released whilst in the water or resting in the net, and you aren’t mucking around wrestling with the hook wasting precious time. Stick baiting is another good application where many fish end up deliberately released, and big kingfish flailing around with pair of trebles – six hook points – is a better proposition without barbs. You are in a feeding frenzy and you are going to hook big fish that you may intend releasing. Workup season in the gulf is a classic example of where using a barbless hook is just a better option all round. It took a mate, quite some time, and a good set of pliers to get this hookset out, and it still took too long as we went for a release They allow for easy and more successful release
