Going Barbless

[ausablemur 0]

I see Yellowstone Park is requiring barbless hooks now. I have a good supply of flies but unfortunately not barbless. What's

the best way, other than buying a lot of barbless hooks to render my present supply barbless. Do you just crimp down the

barb?

Thanks,

jim

[oldtrout58 0]

I see Yellowstone Park is requiring barbless hooks now. I have a good supply of flies but unfortunately not barbless. What's

the best way, other than buying a lot of barbless hooks to render my present supply barbless. Do you just crimp down the

barb?

Thanks,

jim

Yes, that's the way to go. I often give them a little sharpening with a file as well.

[Piker20 0]

Just go easy. On most standard wire trout hooks it doesnt take much to squish the barb and you can ping the hook point clean off.

[mikechell 0]

I was told, in California, that the game wardens check for "barbless" by dragging a piece of cotton across the hook, from bend to point. If the barb grabs any cotton, it's not barbless. I used a pair of pliers and successfully crimped the barbs on several lures without snapping off a single point. If you have a dremel with a very small diameter grinding stone, you could dress the barb off. Or, you could dap a small amount of UV resin on there and just cover the barb.

As long as it doesn't grab the cotton, it's barbless.

[netabrookie 0]

I guess Im just a dumb back-woods uninformed idiot because I just assumed that a place like Yellowstone would have required that many moons ago. I think, and its just my opinion, that any catch-and-release body of water should be barbless hooks only. If I were to catch someone on a couple mountain streams where I fish for little brookies and them using a barded hook or a treble, then there would be a very serious argument started. I would fight for the little natives at the drop of a hat. The only way there is going to be anything left for future generations is for people to think about what they are doing now. Oops, I didn't mean to preach, but Im tired of seeing floating trout coming down the streams because someone just worried about the catching part of the fishing and not the releasing part.

[Kirk Dietrich 0]

On small hooks, for me that is size 8 and down, I use my hemostats. For larger hooks, I have a pair of craft sized needle nose pliers with smooth jaws; I think I picked them up from Harbor Freight for a buck. If you have a Regal, you can crimp the barb down in the vice before tying.

 

Kirk

[Piker20 0]

I am pretty convinced that poor fish handling is behind floating corpse than purely barbed hooks. A rather famous angler and author here in UK John Wilson, insists on micro barbed hooks on his own lakes. There is evidence a barbed hook makes the initial hole on puncturing and then stays pretty much in situ. Bar less hooks have been shown on coarse fish like carp to make larger holes and leave fish with unattractive mouths.

I use both bl and b hooks and think its more about keeping a fish out of water as short a time as possible, not hanging fish from the wrist of tail and not sticking fingers through gills to hold. As much as Id like to see it, bl hooks alone won't make a big dent in fish survival rates.

[Byron 0]

...................

Yellowstone National Park went barbless in 2006.............

[ausablemur 0]

Many thanks for all replies. Not exactly sure why I've been tying all these years using barbed hooks. Mostly habit I guess. Have no objection to using barbless. Not sure it makes a whole lot of difference what kind of hook is taken deep or in he gills. I've snipped off a lot of flies along the way. Regardless, I'm just thankful to be able to get out there even if I have to tie a live grasshopper on the leader:)

jim

[netabrookie 0]

Sorry to keep adding on comments, but I agree with you Piker20 about the poor handling of the fish being the biggest reason for the dead fish. Maybe the pain is making me grumpy or something. One local creek I fish was single hook, artificial lure only and then changed to just artificial lure only and even that dosn't get patroled by the local "conservation police" (don't even get me started on that subject...the old game wardens did their jobs). If I go to the local fee fishing area to catch six for dinner I don't even think about mashing a barb but if I go anywhere else I always do or better yet, I do it at the vise or buy barbless hooks.

[switch10 0]

I have only bought 2 packs of barbless hooks in my life, due to the lack of availability. I always crimp, or file the barb down on regular barbed hooks. Usually before I tie the fly. I hear GCO is planning on offering barbless hooks around the end of the year. If they were made more available, that's all I would buy. No matter where I am fishing I don't use barbs. Mostly because I don't like tearing flesh in the fish's mouth when I remove the fly. Barbless hooks fall right out.

 

I live in California, I've heard about fish and game running mono/cheesecloth over the barb. They've never done it to me though.. Mostly just a visual inspection, if they ask to see them at all. The last run-in I had with one, he just asked if our barbs were crimped.

[ausablemur 0]

I'm sure you guys are aware of this but I see Mustad has some barbless, 94845, 12-18, dry fly. Tiemco has a larger selection but have never used them, can't say. How are the Tiemco's? I see they are a bit more pricey.

[switch10 0]

I'm sure you guys are aware of this but I see Mustad has some barbless, 94845, 12-18, dry fly. Tiemco has a larger selection but have never used them, can't say. How are the Tiemco's? I see they are a bit more pricey.

 

Yeah, I have the TMC 2487BL's in size 18 and 20. They seem fine. Way too expensive though.. I'm waiting for green caddis to get some in.

[JSzymczyk 0]

I nearly always use barbless hooks-- mostly I use fine pliers to mash the barbs down flat. As stated, it doesn't take much pressure and there is one thing I've learned: use the part of the plier jaws closest to the hinge, not the tips of the jaws. Much more control and easier. It is much easier to release fish, and more importantly it is much easier to release ME because at least a couple times a year I manage to stick a hook in myself.

 

Can't say I agree with the thought that barbless hooks create bigger holes in fish vs barbed. I've seen people tear fish up and even break pieces of fishes' mouths removing large barbed hooks. I have also caught fish with obvious hook related injuries to their mouths. Over a lifetime of fishing for just about everything except blue-water salt stuff, I've seen way more fish mouths torn up with barbed hooks than with barbless.

 

I'm not a fly fishing elitist and I do a fair amount fishing with spinning and trolling tackle, and I crush the barbs on all of my lure hooks. Yes I use plenty of lures with treble hooks, and unhooking a bass or whatever with a barbless treble hook is so much easier compared to barbed. I fish a lot from my kayaks, and barbless is the rule there... enough going on in a small space to worry about sticking a barbed hook in my skin.

 

If someone is using tackle which is within the regulations, then you can yell and fight all you want but you will be the one in trouble. As to the "conservation officers" using cotton or fabric to check for barbs, I've heard the story too but never seen it. Any half-a$$ed lawyer could tear that to pieces in court. I think the regulation would have to state any hooks must be originally manufactured without a barb, and I've never seen that anywhere.

[perchjerker 0]

 

Can't say I agree with the thought that barbless hooks create bigger holes in fish vs barbed.

I've seen way more fish mouths torn up with barbed hooks than with barbless.

 

I don't think it was a "thought". Piker20's comment clearly infers that this is based on hard data. If so, then it is not a "thought".

 

I don't want to start an argument, but do you have "hard" data to support your claim relative to mouths being torn up by barbed vs barbless hooks? If so, can you provide a reference? As a retired fisheries biologist, I am curious about this claim (I turned my literary interests to other fields when I retired 14 years ago).

 

Thanks,

Frank