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brianbailey1000

How do you crimp your barbs?

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As long as I remember, I've always crimped em in the vise. Just wondering what others do? It's a bit difficult with #22 and smaller and wonder if there are better options.

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was advised by my vise maker it'll ruin your jaws eventually so I use a flat nosed craft plier or buy barbless.

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You can get smooth jawed pliers from lapidary or jewellery suppliers. These are about the best. If I can though I will always use barbless hooks for barbless flies. Hooks are coated to protect them. crimping the barb causes the coating to crack. Your hook will rust much quicker with a crimped barb.

 

Cheers,

C.

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I just crimp mine in the vise. I dont tie smaller then #18 so size isnt an issue. I also dont use expensive vises so i dont worry about damaging the vise.

 

Barbless hooks can be more expensive then those with so i just by barbed hooks and crimp them, I dont worry about rust becuase the fish is more important then the longevity of your fly in my opinion.

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I use flat nosed pliers, and do a bunch of hooks all at once.

Started de-barbing 'em after I buried one so deep in my finger that I had to make a trip to Urgent Care to get it out. Lots easier to release the fishies, too.

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I typically use vise or pliers; either way, I like to debarb prior to tying for a couple reasons:

 

1. If there is a defect in the hook, I'd like to find out prior to tying and wasting that fly

2. Once on the stream, I don't want to have to worry about debarbing (and sometimes will get caught-up in the moment!)

 

TC

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I fish for smallmouth bass and everybody knows they will come out of the water with headshaking acrobatic moves, so since we are on the subject should I be pinching the barbs down on my flies? Im always afraid I will lose a good fish. Been fly fishing for about 6 years now and have never hooked my self yet. Been close a few times and I know its probably coming.

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I use very small pliers with smooth jaws. I found these near the automotive department in Kmart. The hook is a size #26 for comparison.

 

tgc9.jpg

 

I crimp the barb by putting the jaws over the hook barb (perpendicular to the hook shank), putting pressure on the barb, and then rotating the hook in either direction. This removes the barb pretty cleanly. It does remove the coating that protects the hook from rusting in that spot though.

 

I buy only barbless hooks whenever possible. Barbless hooks are harder to find in smaller sizes, and they tend to be more expensive due to the manufacturing process.

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I use a set of flat pliers to flatten the barb the hook. I do it perpendicuar to the hook.

Use the point of the plier only. Smashed the barb flat.

I smash the barbs in the box of hooks as I get them in. That way I can tie without having to worry about the hook.

I don't loose any more fish with smashed barbed hooks that with barbed hooks.

Easier to take the smahed barbed hooks out of my clothes.

I don't have many hooks break on me doing it this way. Rather have the hook break in the pliers than after finishing a fly.

 

Rick

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I fish for smallmouth bass and everybody knows they will come out of the water with headshaking acrobatic moves, so since we are on the subject should I be pinching the barbs down on my flies? Im always afraid I will lose a good fish. Been fly fishing for about 6 years now and have never hooked my self yet. Been close a few times and I know its probably coming.

 

I've been using crimped barbs lately and found that it makes me concentrate on my fish fighting ability (keeping line tight, rod tip postion, etc.) thereby adding to my skill set as a fisherman!

 

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Coinman66 - I read somewhere (a couple of places) that there is really no reason for the barb. It is a throwback to the days when hooks were made from bone (that's gotta be a while back!), and the only purpose was to keep the bait on the hook. I've been de-barbing my hooks for several years, and never had a problem (out of the ordinary) with smallies, or trout, throwing them.

 

And, yes, they are MUCH easier to remove from your body than barbed hooks.

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I picked up a pair of these from Sears when I overhauled my wife's engine.

post-43096-0-66303500-1377109267_thumb.jpg

 

I crimp the barb just before putting the hook in the vice. I use a pair of forceps to hold the hook, then smash.

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Switch has the right idea. I use a pair almost the same except the have a wire cutter at the bottom to the nose. I like it for cutting large wires, beadalon, ect.

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