Question for my friends in Canada...

[troutninja 0]

British Columbia waters are listed as "barbless" in the regs. I'm wondering if mashing the barbs on your flies falls within the regs or do you constantly tie only on actual barbless hooks?

 

I'm planning a fishing trip to eastern BC. I tend to tie my flies on barbed hooks, because they're much easier to come by in my area, and then mash them when I tie them on. I'm hoping I won't have to re-tie my entire box for the trip.

 

Thanks in advance for your help!

[navigator37 0]

In Saskatchewan, barbless is stressed but is still an option.

Manitoba requires barbless hooks so when I go there I mash the barbs on

the ones that I am using.

I have found that mashing the barbs down can weaken and even break

some nice flies though.

Now, especially on smaller flies, I mash the barbs slightly and then lightly

and quickly file down the rest of the barb.

I'm not sure about B.C. but you should have no problem with simply

mashing down the barbs.

 

[Peterjay 0]

I don't know about Canada, but I've fished in a lot of jurisdictions that require barbless, and mashing them down has always been acceptable. Like you said, barbless hooks aren't that easy to come by. It's probably a good idea to do it before you hit the water, since it's easy to forget in the heat of the action. I keep forceps and needlenose pliers right on my tying bench and de-barb everything before I start tying. After four trips (so far) to the ER for hook removal, it's finally gotten through my thick skull that barbed hooks are dangerous and completely unnecessary.

[salmo-salar 0]

I'm on the east coast, and here too, we must use barbless hooks for salmon fishing. Mashing down the barbs is perfectly accpetable. No need to re-tie your boxes.

[troutninja 0]

Thanks for the help, guys. :headbang: I called a fly shop in BC yesterday and they confirmed that it's acceptable to mash the barbs.

[JSzymczyk 0]

Consider debarbing your hooks before you tie the fly, instead of out on the water.

 

Some hooks, especially some expensive hooks that are tempered to the point of brittleness, can be prone to cracking off at the point when the barb is squeezed with pliers. It seems this happens less now than it did in years past, but anyhow it is a drag when you tie a nice fly, then go to mash the barb, only to break the hook.

 

 

[BigDaddyHub 0]

Consider debarbing your hooks before you tie the fly, instead of out on the water.

 

Some hooks, especially some expensive hooks that are tempered to the point of brittleness, can be prone to cracking off at the point when the barb is squeezed with pliers. It seems this happens less now than it did in years past, but anyhow it is a drag when you tie a nice fly, then go to mash the barb, only to break the hook.

 

 

 

Have had this happen several times.....good advice...

 

[Fry Flier 0]

One thing to remember when you mash down the barb and most Conservation Officers will try this. If the hook has a mashed down barb and they pass it through a cloth(normally a shirt sleeve) and the hook gets caught on the material or pulls material with a snag you can be fined and it will stick in court. Most C.O.'s will tell you that you need to do a better job on mashing them down if you are being a respectable angler/flyfisher.

[ibian 0]

If you take a hook sharpner file and run it over the barb a couple of times after mashing it the barb is completly gone and it's nice a smooth. A couple of bucks could save you hundreds.