Barbless or barbed hooks?

[ak allen]

Do you use barbless, barbed hooks, or both?

I use both depending on what I'm trying to accomplish. If I'm out for fun, or relaxation, then I try to use barbless. If I'm catching dinner that definitely barbed.

[Hardyreels]

Hi Allen,

We've been around this one before but I voted both. It very much depends on the fishery as to whether or not I use a barb. Good for you for posting a poll, you are becoming a regular and that's great! Before you know it I'll be after you to fit a trip down to the valley into your schedule. I spoke to ATEC today and the boat is finished, we had a new motor put on so I can haul people with. The old motor was a good (sorta) one man & dog rig but when you put a couple adults in the seats it couldn't get up on step. We're hoping this will do the trick.

I have an out of state trip coming next week and will be gone for 7 days. After that I need to get about the business of marauding the trout & grayling while I scout the rivers. By early June there will be Kings, how's early June look if you know that far ahead?

Ard

[mikel]

Both...but, like Allen I just fish barbs for dinner, which is rare....I try to pinch em down if I'm releasing. Don't believe I lose more fish when barbless. Just keep a little pressure on the fish and the barb doesn't seem to matter that much. It's a lot easier to let them go safely when the hook drops out in the net.

-Mike

[stenacron]

I voted "both" because I buy and tie on barbed hooks, but I pinch the barb down with pliers (leaving a little hump of a barb).

[ak allen]

Originally Posted by Hardyreels

Hi Allen,

We've been around this one before but I voted both. It very much depends on the fishery as to whether or not I use a barb. Good for you for posting a poll, you are becoming a regular and that's great! Before you know it I'll be after you to fit a trip down to the valley into your schedule. I spoke to ATEC today and the boat is finished, we had a new motor put on so I can haul people with. The old motor was a good (sorta) one man & dog rig but when you put a couple adults in the seats it couldn't get up on step. We're hoping this will do the trick.

I have an out of state trip coming next week and will be gone for 7 days. After that I need to get about the business of marauding the trout & grayling while I scout the rivers. By early June there will be Kings, how's early June look if you know that far ahead?

Ard

I figured the subject had came up, I looked at a couple threads about it. It is interesting for me to see how opinion changes through time. I have no clue what June looks like yet. I unfortunately rarely know my schedule until a week or two prior. And with me being off recovering right now, I'm clueless as to what's going on. I will definitely be looking to make a trip that way though. How's the fishing between between Nenana and you. Is there maybe a place we can meet somewhere in between sometime? In the Denali park area roughly. It may make thing easier as I wouldn't have to get permission (for a lack of a better term) to go to that area. The border as to distance I can go without a pass is around Kashwitna Lake.

[rangerrich99]

Have a 5/0 hook embedded in your neck and you'll suddenly see the benefits of barbless hooks.

Peace.

[comeonavs]

Originally Posted by stenacron

I voted "both" because I buy and tie on barbed hooks, but I pinch the barb down with pliers (leaving a little hump of a barb).

This is what I do, Seeing one 15" Brown die in my net that I planned on releasing was enough. He swallowed the fly so deep and it hooked so well I kept trying and trying to get it out but couldnt. I even went so far as to put him back in the net and put him in the water for minutes at a time to try and reduce the being handled and out of the water shock. It has been 4 years since that happened and I still feel awful about it.


Couple that with burying flies in my finger. Last year as I was tying on a Adams I slipped as I Cinched the knot and buried it to the hilt in my finger. Luckily I carry a pocket knife in a sealed bag that I sterilize after any use (as much as possible) . I tried all the tricks of push down as you pull back etc etc and nothing worked. Finally I used the tip of my pocket knife to ever so gently slit my finger. No I am not Rambo I hiked back to the truck with the fly in my finger and put it on ice to numb it first.

So in summary buy barbed flies and pinch em before I tie them up.



OH and PS Sometimes I am an idiot the old bury it to the hilt thing yeah have done that a few times and it sucks every time

[newby]

I usually use barbless. Catch rates are very similar as long as the hook set is correct and you CONSTANTLY put tension on the line. Allow it to go slack and the fish will be gone. Then again, like you, if I am fishing stcoker fish to eat I will use barbed.

[fredaevans]

Originally Posted by newby

I usually use barbless. Catch rates are very similar as long as the hook set is correct and you CONSTANTLY put tension on the line. Allow it to go slack and the fish will be gone. Then again, like you, if I am fishing stcoker fish to eat I will use barbed.

Quite right. For me the yes or no is really dependent upon the size of the hook. Size 8 and smaller I'll go barbed if reg's permit. Above that I tend to flatten them out as a personal safety matter.

That little lesson was from a Size 4 2X heavy wire hook. Cost $600.00 to get that damned thing extracted at the Emergency Room.

[webrx]

I am barbless 99% of the time. But I have noticed lately the fish are running at me after being hooked, and even with a large arbor reel I sometimes can't keep up with them so they get off. yesterday for example, I bet I lost 10 fish less than 10 feet from my float tube, since I was gonna release em anyway, it is not a big deal, and I don't usually have this issue, but yesterday I was havign a bad run with LDRs.

the 1% I don't is when I forget to pinch a barb when I am tying things up, or if I am using very small flies - I have broken a few pinching down the barbs, so anything smaller than 16 usually gets a pass.

d