Barb vs. No Barb

[N. Metz]

In a world where no regulations on barbs were imposed (hypothetical world) would you fish barbed or barbless hooks? What goes into your thinking?

If I can fish with a barb, I like to fish with one. I feel a little better knowing my fly is barbed when I hook a large fish (particularly fish that are notorious for getting off, Salmonids). I do believe it affords me a little more wiggle room during the fight.

Nick

 

[SculpinSwinger]

I always pinch my barb whether required or not. Rarely lose a hooked fish.

 

[Rob Allen]

I almost always fish barbless. I think the smaller the fish the more good it does.

 

[_WW_]

Barbless is easier to remove from your person.

 

[N. Metz]

Barbless is easier to remove from your person.

Tell me about it. I've hooked myself in the back of the head twice in the fifteen years I've been at it. A good double haul with a shooting head line and a barbed fly with dumb bell eyes is no fun when it hits you in the back of the head.

My dad got them out but the first time he spent 10 minutes pulling and was pulling hard as hell, I was all numbed up, and eventually just had to make a tiny incision to get it out. Was no way it was coming out via pulling.

The second time we just went off of prior experience and he made a small incision to begin with.

 

[_WW_]

Tell me about it. I've hooked myself in the back of the head twice in the fifteen years I've been at it. A good double haul with a shooting head line and a barbed fly with dumb bell eyes is no fun when it hits you in the back of the head.

My dad got them out but the first time he spent 10 minutes pulling and was pulling hard as hell, I was all numbed up, and eventually just had to make a tiny incision to get it out. Was no way it was coming out via pulling.

The second time we just went off of prior experience and he made a small incision to begin with.

Wind.

 

[N. Metz]

Yeah I was fishing with the wind at my back both times and it changed ever so slightly and blew my fly into me. Surprisingly, it really didn't hurt. The initial impact was very forceful but the hook itself didn't cause any sharp pain.

 

[Mr Trout]

I just pinch the barb down but the limited amount of tying I do are all barbless. Much easier to get out when I have the urge to hook myself, or someone else!!

 

[clarkman]

I crimp the barbs before the hook goes into the vise....except for tuna flies.

The last thing I want to be doing is digging around in a tiger musky mouth trying to get out a barbed hook....good for my health and good for the fish health.

 

[kmudgn]

I pinch the barb before tying as on occasion, a hook will break when you pinch down the barb.

 

[nwbobber]

Not only is pinching the barb better for the fish, it makes your flies last longer. I think there may be an argument that there are more hookups to make up for the occasional LDR. It would be a fun research project!

 

[Buzzy]

I pinch the barb before tying as on occasion, a hook will break when you pinch down the barb.

Ditto, for this reason and because I learned the hard way that sticking yourself in the back of the neck with a barbed fly isn't fun - I'm surprised by the number of flies in the "What's in your vise" thread that have barbs.

 

[N. Metz]

Not only is pinching the barb better for the fish, it makes your flies last longer. I think there may be an argument that there are more hookups to make up for the occasional LDR. It would be a fun research project!

I've got a physics professor that's a pretty smart dude, I'm gunna ask him what he thinks! Not as definitive as a research project but I do have some trust in this dudes opinion.

I wish University's gave a shit about fishing, if they did we could get a real high tech study going to solve these important fishing mysteries. Could even study whether it's more effective to fish a bead fly or a plastic bead. The most important mystery of all

 

[dirty dog]

If I'm planning to fish with a night crawler I use barbed hooks other wise always barbless.

 

[Dr. Magill]

100% barbless
Pinch it before it goes into the vise

 

[Sam Roffe]

Barbless is easier to remove from your person.

Thus the reason I pinch my barbs.

 

[Zak]

Another barbless angler here.

 

[Buzzy]

Another barbless angler here.

It's nice to see so many options for barbless hooks, they were quite rare in the 70's when I really got into tying.

 

[Tom Butler]

Tying with the regal has made it easier to get the barb pinched before tying. I've had good luck with the barbless jig hooks such as the fulling mills. I got so many with barbs though, sometimes on days I try a lot I got a bad habit of forgetting, or not getting a good pinch on the barb. Some of the micro barbs I just seem to miss I think, until the first tiny fish doesn't come off.

 

[Dr. Magill]

Also if the hook isn’t crazy sticky sharp I will sharpen also before tying
Sticky sharp
Sometimes I get poked