Jump to content
Fly Tying
green

barbed or not?

Recommended Posts

Do you leave the barbs on the flies you tie? I usually leave the barbs on. Do you seem to lose more fish on flies without barbs?

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

I smash the barbs on all the flies I tie. I don't think I lose any more fish without the barb.

Also makes it easier to unsnag myself. This happnes a few times a year.

 

Rick

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

Debarb normally and am trying to make it a habit to do at vice each time.

so long as you keep a tight line you shouldn't lose any more fish.

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

I smash the barbs down on my flies as well or tye with a barbless hook if I have any in the size I need. As stated earlier you need to keep constant pressure on the fish and you usually will land the fish, the barbless hook will also allow you to unhook the fish quicker and easier. It also helps if you happen to hook yourself!!

 

Rodney

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites
It also helps if you happen to hook yourself!!

 

Rodney

hopefully this will not happen but with my luck it probably will

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

Read some place a while back that barbs are a holdover from the REALLY old days when hooks were carved from bone. Needed then to keep the bait from slipping off the hook. Barbless makes it a lot easier to unhook the fish, with less damage, and also to remove the hook from your finger.

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites
and also to remove the hook from your finger.

Or in the temple.

That's where a young lady got me.

Glad I was wearing shades.

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites
It also helps if you happen to hook yourself!!

 

Rodney

hopefully this will not happen but with my luck it probably will

Believe me, it will happen eventually. Someone else might hook you as well and hopefully they are using barbless hooks. And while fishing I always were my sunglasses to keep the hooks out of your eyes.

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

Barbless hooks actually penetrate easier than barbed hooks. A raised barb exerts resistance that must be overcome with enough force to drive the hook into the fish's mouth past the barb. With the barb removed, far less force is required on the hookset. That allows you to protect your delicate tippets while still getting a solid hookset. And Piker20 is right- as long as you keep a tight line, you won't lose the fish, so by using barbless hooks, you're sharpening your fish-playing skills while giving the fish a more sporting chance in the fight.

 

Barbless hooks also do much, much less damage to whatever they end up penetrating, whether it be fish or fisherman. If you're going to be releasing the fish you catch anyway, it only makes sense to do as little damage to them as possible so as to give them the best possible chance of survival. Barbless hooks reduce mortality rates of released fish because the fish can be released without touching them with your hands (just grab the fly, rotate your wrist and the hook slips right out). This reduces the chance of removing the layer of slime that protects the fish from waterborne infectious agents and parasites.

 

If none of the above convinces you, consider this: sooner or later, if you keep fishing, you're going to sink a hook into someplace on your body. If it's a barbless hook, it's an "Ooh, that smarts!" moment, and they you go on with your day. If it's barbed, and especially if it's a large hook, you could be looking at anything from real pain and blood (which, in the outdoors, is an invitation to infection) to knocking off fishing for a trip to the ER. That barb works on the same principle as a hollow point bullet--it's not coming out without bringing some of your tissue with it.

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

What irritates me the most is getting a fly stuck in your shirt or clothing. A little blood and tearing of the flesh is all part of fishing. I just can't stand it when I can't get a fly out of some cloth or a shoe lace and I have to stop and tie on a new fly.

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

For the many reasons the others have mentioned, I de-barb my hooks too. Cannot say it's ever cost me any fish. I lose fish, but don't believe it's due to the lack of a barb.

 

I even de-barb trebles that I use on lures, and again cannot say it's had any negative affect.

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

Just to add my voice to the chorus: there isn't a single reason to use a barbed hook on a fly, and there are a ton of reasons not to. I use round-jawed needle-nose pliers to mash the barbs down smooth. If you do it before you put the hook in the vise, it'll become automatic in a very short time, just like sharpening. De-barbing hooks is a no-brainer; it's safer for both the fish and the fisherman.

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

Well, Green .. I guess I am the "odd man out" on this issue. But I don't fish for trout or salmon, I fish for bass and sunfish. I use barbed hooks. NONE of my flies have been de-barbed. When I was in California, I fished the Stanisluas River, west of Stockton. I had to use de-barbed hooks on that stretch of the river. I landed one out of every 5 or 6 hits I got.

I've been fishing long enough to know that I lost most of those fish because of the barbless nature of the lure, not because of any lack of landing skill.

I also know that the barbs are not killing fish that I release ... I am careful to treat the fish correctly.

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

Loading...

×
×
  • Create New...