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de-barbing pliers

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What kind of pliers do you use for de-barbing your hooks? Are the Tiemco specialty pliers the answer? Has anybody tried Rising Bob's de-barb pliers? I currently use a small pair of pliers with a broad (2mm) flat jaw. It works, but I have to crimp the barb four or five times to really flatten it out. Certainly not an earth shattering problem, but I appreciate your suggestions.

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Are the Tiemco specialty pliers the answer?

 

not @ $40+ dollars

 

hemostats

 

or

 

debarb your hooks with your vise prior to tying your flies

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I 2nd flytire, $40+ dollars is better spent on material or dinner for that matter. Make a pair out of inexpensive pliers is you want smooth jaws or use your vise.

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I have been using these needle nose pliers for years. They work on very tiny and large hooks. Not having seen them online or in fly shops, I don't think they are available anymore :

 

Xv30Vua.jpg

 

 

PT/TB

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I've always used whatever pair of pliers was closest at hand. I used regular or needle-nose pliers out of the toolbox for years. More recently, I've "adopted" a pair of my wife's "beading pliers", very much like the 2mm flat-jaw type you described. All have worked just fine.

 

FWIW, I don't actually try to flatten the barb entirely. I like to smush it down just enough that it forms a little "bump" of steel where the pointy barb previously was. I find that this kind of gives me the best of both worlds: it makes the hook a little harder for the fish to shake (assuming that the hook is impaled in the fish's mouth past the "bump"), but keeps the release quick and easy.

 

If you're looking for greater barb-crushing or -flattening power, I believe the longer the handles on your pliers, the greater their leverage and therefore the greater the power you can transfer to the jaws. (Physics types on here, feel free to correct me if I'm wrong on that! :) )

 

I can't imagine spending more than just a few dollars on any pair of pliers; certainly not $40. But that's just me.

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Like most I use whatever is at hand - but I do benefit from working with larger hooks, so almost any pair pliers will work. I do make a point of absolutely flattening any barbs on flies I hand my anglers (but always left them intact when filling orders for shops or individuals..). Don't believe we ever lost a fish because it "shook the hook" (except for ladyfish and tarpon - both exceedingly skilled at coming un-buttoned.. usually because the hook hadn't hit a spot it could penetrate..). I actually believe that flattening the barb assists in "setting" a hook since all you're doing is pushing the hook in past the barb when you "set" it... With that barb flattened the hook just slides in place like it was greased... All that's needed to keep it in place is keeping the line tight at all times.

 

For guides and anyone else on the water continuously - flattening the barbs on hooks is also pure self defense - I've been to the ER twice over the years to have hooks removed. The last time around it was a 7/0 hook absolutely buried under my scalp...

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I use a pair of pliers I purchased from BassPro shops. They call them a Barb Crusher all for the tidy sum of $8.99.

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$3 needle nose about 4" overall length, I bought special, or on occasion forceps

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All that's needed to keep it in place is keeping the line tight at all times.

 

 

 

There have been several times that I've purposely given snook slack to demonstrate to people that barbless hooks hold. Only once did I lose a fish!

 

I use a pair of smooth jaw (non serrated) Mac pliers.

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Be careful crushing down the barb from the side. It can weaken the thinner cross section of the hook just below the barb. You can avoid this by coming at the barb from the front of the hook and resting the lower jaw on thicker sections of the hook.

 

Rocco

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On larger nymph & streamer hooks #10+ I have the same issue as the poster. I'm not sure you can really solve that with pliers without damaging the hook, although if those Tiemco pliers actually do the trick they're worth the $40... I just doubt they can do better than regular pliers... The Reference suggests filing it down, but I've never yet bothered. I suppose I'll finally do that when I get busted by forestry for not having a fully debarbed hook...

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I use ... ha ha ... I use th ... HA HA ... whew ... oh

 

I can't even think about de-barbing my hooks without crackin' up.

 

tongue.png

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Small sharp-nosed, flat jaw (non-serrated) as others have said. I've flattened tens of thousands of hooks of all types from the side with almost no breaking or damage. USE THE PART OF THE JAW CLOSEST THE HINGE, NOT THE TIPS. In this type of work, the leverage AND control is at the hinge, not the tips. ONLY USE ENOUGH FORCE TO DO WHAT YOU WANT TO DO... no need to be a gorilla and keep squeezing once the tiny little piece of metal is folded over. Even on relatively large hooks, when using the part of the jaw as near the hinge as possible, it doesn't take much to flatten the barb. GENTLY INCREASE THE PRESSURE UNTIL THE WORK IS DONE. Don't try to do it with a quick snap of pressure. Same as with nearly everything else in this world, if you approach it with a tiny bit of thought and understanding, it goes well. If you break a hook by flattening a barb CORRECTLY, that hook was garbage before you started. Flatten the barb before you tie the fly; find the garbage sooner rather than later. Look at a supplier such as Techni-Tool for the right type of plier.

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