Barbless Hook Performance - lost fish

[flyminded]

I read a blog where the angler compared the performance of “name brand hooks” and what I will call “newer competition/tactical” hooks, all barbless. The comparison was apparently done over a couple of full seasons, tracking the percentage of fish that came unbuttoned.

Based on their results the number of fish that got off was reduced by some 60% with newer hooks.

Does anyone else have any similar experience...I know while fishing last week I had some barbless flies that just didn’t want to hold fish ....and after close inspection I’m still at a loss to understand why. (Yes, there are many variables and maybe slack occasionally).

I have not yet tried any of the newer (in the USA) brands ie. Firehole, Hanak etc. but my next hook order will be for some of these ...looking at the online images these styles of hook have a definite up turn to the point which I would imagine helps stay attached to a fish.

 

[boisker]

I only tie with barbless and use a range of hook manufacturers..... hanak, tiemco, fulling mill, demmon, daiichi, hends varivas....
All have fine point and are incredibly sharp, offset or slightly upturned points.
Can’t say I have ever had a problem with dropping fish.
Not sure whether all are stocked in the US but certainly I would have thought most would be.

 

[mcnerney]

I've given up on using TMC barbless hooks and have moved to the competition style: FullingMill, Hanak, Firehole, Hends, Dohiku, etc. If you look carefully at how the hook point turns back upward, I think that helps with retaining the fish. Yes, they are more expensive, but I get better results. See this link:

http://www.tacticalflyfisher.com/fly-tying-hooks/

 

[flyminded]

I've given up on using TMC barbless hooks and have moved to the competition style: FullingMill, Hanak, Firehole, Hends, Dohiku, etc. If you look carefully at how the hook point turns back upward, I think that helps with retaining the fish. Yes, they are more expensive, but I get better results. See this link:

http://www.tacticalflyfisher.com/fly-tying-hooks/

This is exactly my observation when looking at the images of these style of competition hooks, prior to trying them.

 

[knotjoe]

Does anyone else have any similar experience...I know while fishing last week I had some barbless flies that just didn’t want to hold fish ....and after close inspection I’m still at a loss to understand why. (Yes, there are many variables and maybe slack occasionally).

I know what you mean and have speculated a bit in the poll thread linked below. It's frustrating so I've become careful about pinching on certain sizes and species, sometimes that little barb is a big help on jumpy fish.

pinch or not

Not a bit surprised to see barbless hook styles evolving to remedy this type of occurrence and may even try a few of the ideas myself.

 

[mikechell]

There's lots of arguments for barbless hooks. But I'm convinced barbs help hold onto fish.
I'll stick with my barbed hooks. (Pun intended)

 

[bumble54]

I tend to stick with Hends barbless hooks now, sure a few energetic jumpers shake the hook but most find a good hold.

 

[ia_trouter]

I admit I am still pinching barbs. I'd be interested in trying a few packs of the hooks you guys are describing. Thanks for sharing the info.

 

[Unknownflyman]

I don’t flatten the barbs on tiny hooks, 16, 18, 20.

On streamer hooks 10 on up I do, and yes I lose fish, but you are right I don’t think it’s the barb but the shape of the hook.

I’m releasing fish anyway so it doesn’t annoy me losing fish, ok it does I lied but what’s a guy going to do.

Barbs are just there to keep the bait on, and we don’t do that, well I don’t anyway so there really isn’t a point to barbs for Fly Fishers.

 

[weiliwen]

I guess I haven't noticed a difference between barbed and barbless hooks. I tied up a bunch of pink squirrels on Firehole hooks and caught about 15 trout last weekend without losing one fish. Lost pink squirrels, that's another story! I'm glad they're so cheap to tie.

I think there's something to the theory about the shape of the hook. The Firehole hooks I used are wide gape hooks, and are also curved for scuds, etc. I've heard that it's easier for fish to throw long, straight streamer hooks than shorter hooks.

 

[brownbass]

I pinch the barb on all of my barbed hooks but prefer barbless competition hooks as I believe they penetrate deeper and hold better. On some flies, the pinched barbs and excess hackle may prevent full penitration.

Bill

 

[pnc]

I fished barbless for a long time. Don't loose fish.
If study was done targeting trout. And concerns are trout throwing barbless hooks. How these fished are being played needs addressing.
Both old & new often are mistaken thinking a trout threw a fly. Not to say it can't happen. But chances are greater that a hook is pulled through and loose from what was holding it. Once called ripping lips in the Poconos.
Trout are soft flish. Flesh, mouth, lips, soft. Fine wire in a trouts lip Is like a knife in butter. I'm sure any regular trout fisher has at some time caught a set of lips with no fish. This ripping lips was often a topic at an outfitters in Pa. One of the guides refered to some clients as "lip ripper". It was not people new to this, but his older regular clients thag drove him to tirades. Some were funny, maybe why I remember this.

........ pc

 

[flybri2]

My state changed the wild trout regs in 2018 to barbless only. I haven't noticed losing more fish yet, but I have noticed that most fish get unbuttoned after I net them and the line goes slack. Barbed hooks are definitely harder to remove, and seem to stay hooked to the mouth longer.

 

[flav]

I bought my first box of barbless hooks 20 years ago, and I've used barbless or pinched the majority of my barbs ever since. I've never noticed any significant problem with losing fish because of the lack of barb, but I have noticed some hook designs are poor at hooking or holding fish whether they have a barb or not. The new competition hooks definitely don't seem to have that sort of problem, they hook and hold quite well in my experience.

 

[Bigfly]

Since we are barbless on the T, we can't depend on a barb to do the work..........and I haven't needed a barb for my entire career....
We learned to keep a fish on with tension, it's partly why the rods have flex.....
Like Unknown, I'm gonna release them anyway, and find it heartening that not every fish will be coming to hand....that way I don't feel so much like a consumer. "I pays my money, I wants my fish...." Although, I played a really nice big 7lb bow to hand (almost),the hook fell out at the last second. That's what I get for dropping my tip.......
I figure it's not supposed to be a sure thing. My feeling is to give them a 50/50 chance.
If they can get away....OK by me....But not too many do.....I believe it's called a sporting attitude..
Comp hooks are nice and heavy in addition to the improved gape...gets the fly down.

Jim

 

[triggw]

I've given up on using TMC barbless hooks and have moved to the competition style: FullingMill, Hanak, Firehole, Hends, Dohiku, etc. If you look carefully at how the hook point turns back upward, I think that helps with retaining the fish. Yes, they are more expensive, but I get better results. See this link:

http://www.tacticalflyfisher.com/fly-tying-hooks/

By the time you select the appropriate hook for the fly, do you end up with the same gap as the conventional hooks, or is the gap bigger?

 

[littledavid123]

When I first started fly fishing about 8 years ago a big part of the decision was being able to tie my own flies too. Yeah, it was an expensive buy in to get started but was having a hoot. After a month of picking my flies out of the weeds, trees and anything else that could grab a hook my casting started to get better. Perhaps eight good casts before sitting down to pick out a wind knot. What happened next was purely The Lords work as I had no clue about anything. I was walking down the river thru a poison ivy patch for a place to fish alone while working out the details and this led me to a hole that was full of brook trout. My little Zebra midges were producing strikes but getting one to hand was a different matter.

This was a barbless section of the river and those Brookies were driving me nuts, maybe one fish to hand for every 10 hook sets. If not having such a hoot I would have quit (my Yogi Berra impersonation). Fished that spot three times a week for about 6 weeks and each time I went the odds improved in my favor. I can't explain in detail what I was doing differently because it was a slow progression. Obviously I was doing a better job of keeping a tight line but that's not the point of this discussion. If you want to get better at fishing barbless, find a place with lots of brookies and practice, practice, practice. Without a doubt those little suckers will make you a better barbless fisherman.

Dave

 

[barham]

Just consider losing a fish with a barbless hook an "automatic release."

 

[jbcissell]

I pinch everything down. I don't lose very many fish. I hate having to dig a barbed fly out of a fish's mouth.

Sent from my SM-P900 using Tapatalk

 

[tcorfey]

Been fishing barbless since the early 90's for all kinds of fish. I have not had many problems with lost fish even the larger ones. True, I have lost a few fish here or there but nothing that worries me. Main thing is to keep tension on the line and not let the fish get at an angle that can cause the hook to back out.