Barbless hook question

[lensgarage]

Can anyone give me info on whether you have to pinch the barbs here in alberta. Found past thread on subject but no govt site info

[Richmuiz]

Can anyone give me info on whether you have to pinch the barbs here in alberta. Found past thread on subject but no govt site info

Lol no you don't have to

[lensgarage]

Heard that but couldnt find it in regsregs

[EZM]

You are not required to pinch the barbs. It is perfectly legal to fish with barbed hooks in Alberta. This is your choice and I respect your choice to do what you want.

I would, however, suggest it's a good practice to make hook removal easier on yourself and the fish.

Although some would argue with me, and people will support both viewpoints, it is commonly accepted that barbless hooks will reduce mortality in fish if you look at real bonafide credible scientific studies.

As a result, I generally pinch (or grind off) my barbs when fishing.

.......

And before some "smarty pants" challenges this position ..... and asks for "evidence in the form of credible scientific studies" ....... just look up one of the dozens of threads on this topic ..... the studies are there for you to draw your own conclusion from.

There is far more credible evidence to suggest this is a good practice versus the opinions and magazine articles cited by the "it doesn't make a difference crowd".

My 2 cents ........ now Huntsfurfish and I are fighting again !!!!! ........ great !!!!! :)

I need a snickers .........:mad0100:

[DiabeticKripple]

i pinch sometimes, sometimes I dont

trebles i will pinch, singles i wont.

ill run a single with a bard and a stinger treble without on the same rig

[huntsfurfish]

You are not required to pinch the barbs. It is perfectly legal to fish with barbed hooks in Alberta. This is your choice and I respect your choice to do what you want.

I would, however, suggest it's a good practice to make hook removal easier on yourself and the fish.

Although some would argue with me, and people will support both viewpoints, it is commonly accepted that barbless hooks will reduce mortality in fish if you look at real bonafide credible scientific studies.

As a result, I generally pinch (or grind off) my barbs when fishing.

.......

And before some "smarty pants" challenges this position ..... and asks for "evidence in the form of credible scientific studies" ....... just look up one of the dozens of threads on this topic ..... the studies are there for you to draw your own conclusion from.

There is far more credible evidence to suggest this is a good practice versus the opinions and magazine articles cited by the "it doesn't make a difference crowd".

My 2 cents ........ now Huntsfurfish and I are fighting again !!!!! ........ great !!!!! :)

I need a snickers .........:mad0100:

Me too. So I wont mention the "little significant difference" in the studies.:);)

[tight line]

Fishing C&R Waterbodies or targeting Bulls Or Pike i Pinch for Easy removal and Help Mortality( read the studies as well) i still believe it slightly reduces stress to the fish. But when im sightfishing for whites or Targeting Larger Light Biting Walleye in a Keeper Lake, im Barbed all the Way. Glad they quit enforcing it.

[WayneChristie]

Compare the tiny barb on a quality hook like an Owner or Gammakatsu and tell me how much difference it makes to a fish. (Hint) bugger all. All it does is let you ease off on stressing the fish while you are getting ready to handle it versus keeping the pressure on it (stressing it) while fighting it and prepping to land it. Except for trout as wel all know pictures kill trout. Barbs dont mean squat and quit bringing it up as anyone who has caught 2 fish knows the answer

[Sundancefisher]

If people took a breath and held it upon removing a catch and release catch from the water until they put it back in the water I would be tickled pink.

Hooking mortality from barbs is not significant when the fish are handled properly. However when handled improperly I am sure problems occur. However those same people mishandling a fish with no barb will do just as much damage.

Remember...fish breath in water to get Oxygen. In the air they suffocate. You may see them swim away but brain damage will of occurred if you kept the fish out of water longer that a 30-60 seconds depending upon stress level, fish condition and water temp.

[Delverdude]

It is perfectly legal to fish with barbs in Alberta, but in my opinion, I believe that you should still mash barbs, it only takes a second, but it can really help when removing hooks. Every singly fly I tie I mash the barb with the vise, that way I never have to worry about it while I am fishing.

[58thecat]

It is perfectly legal to fish with barbs in Alberta, but in my opinion, I believe that you should still mash barbs, it only takes a second, but it can really help when removing hooks. Every singly fly I tie I mash the barb with the vise, that way I never have to worry about it while I am fishing.

And they come out of your body parts if things go wrong, safe an angler, pinch your barbs.:sHa_shakeshout:

Or at least prevent him from squeezing like a little girl:)

[Delverdude]

And they come out of your body parts if things go wrong, safe an angler, pinch your barbs.:sHa_shakeshout:


Haha, been there done that!! [emoji1]

[Rdamours]

I started running a stinger hook setup with pinched barbs and was finding that this is much harder on the fish. I'd rather use barbed hooks and lose the stinger setup to get them off easier.

[stubblejumper01]

You sure make it easier on the fish when you are releasing most of them anyway. At Slave in the summer you can easily catch a lot of walleye. With the barb pinched the hook will fall out as soon as you net them and give some slack. You would have to handle each fish, trying to hold it to remove the hook. With barbless you just let the hook fall out and dump the fish out of the net. No handling. It's got to be easier on the fish.
Yeah, you may occasionally lose a big fish but that just makes it more challenging. We release the big ones anyway.

[huntsfurfish]

You sure make it easier on the fish when you are releasing most of them anyway. At Slave in the summer you can easily catch a lot of walleye. With the barb pinched the hook will fall out as soon as you net them and give some slack. You would have to handle each fish, trying to hold it to remove the hook. With barbless you just let the hook fall out and dump the fish out of the net. No handling. It's got to be easier on the fish.
Yeah, you may occasionally lose a big fish but that just makes it more challenging. We release the big ones anyway.

Its nice you have a choice.:) And I bet you use bait, it has a much higher impact on mortality rates.

[EZM]

Its nice you have a choice.:) And I bet you use bait, it has a much higher impact on mortality rates.

I'm pretty sure most people would agree .....

Bait increases mortality at a rate far greater than a barbed hook.

Trebles also present a higher mortality rate versus single hooks.

Handling the fish out of the water too long, improper handling etc... are also far worse for the fish than a trained hand promptly and properly extracting a barbed hook.

I think it a good practice to use single hooks where practical, and using lures as opposed to bait whenever practical/reasonable to do so.

I choose to go a step further and use barbless hooks for the overwhelming majority of the fishing I do. It's my choice to do so.

There is no doubt, in reviewing quite a few credible studies the spectrum of "how much of difference" it makes is pretty broad. It ranges from "statistically insignificant" all the way to "clearly significant " in terms of mortality. We can spend days arguing the strengths and weaknesses of each study. It`s pointless to do so. We have proven it many times before on this forum.

The variable results are also likely to do with the species and the controls used .... which, often, play a factor in measuring the results.

People read and cite the studies they want, believe what they want to hear and that's cool. A good scientist (and or person who seeks the truth) will make an effort to look at as many data points, as many studies, etc... to draw a reasonable conclusion. Opinions, magazine articles and good ol' Willie's years of experience don't count here ......

To each his own .... I pinch them most of the time because they are easier to get out of the fish, I'm removing them quicker, with less force, and reducing the risk of injury to myself or fish (everyone has had a hook in their finger and knows what I'm talking about lol). Barbless has some big merits in this case doesn't it .... lol.

It stands the reason this is the same merit it has in the fish`s lips. That`s all I`, saying.

[huntsfurfish]

I'm pretty sure most people would agree .....

Bait increases mortality at a rate far greater than a barbed hook.

Trebles also present a higher mortality rate versus single hooks.

Handling the fish out of the water too long, improper handling etc... are also far worse for the fish than a trained hand promptly and properly extracting a barbed hook.

I think it a good practice to use single hooks where practical, and using lures as opposed to bait whenever practical/reasonable to do so.

I choose to go a step further and use barbless hooks for the overwhelming majority of the fishing I do. It's my choice to do so.

There is no doubt, in reviewing quite a few credible studies the spectrum of "how much of difference" it makes is pretty broad. It ranges from "statistically insignificant" all the way to "clearly significant " in terms of mortality. We can spend days arguing the strengths and weaknesses of each study. It`s pointless to do so. We have proven it many times before on this forum.

The variable results are also likely to do with the species and the controls used .... which, often, play a factor in measuring the results.

People read and cite the studies they want, believe what they want to hear and that's cool. A good scientist (and or person who seeks the truth) will make an effort to look at as many data points, as many studies, etc... to draw a reasonable conclusion. Opinions, magazine articles and good ol' Willie's years of experience don't count here ......

To each his own .... I pinch them most of the time because they are easier to get out of the fish, I'm removing them quicker, with less force, and reducing the risk of injury to myself or fish (everyone has had a hook in their finger and knows what I'm talking about lol). Barbless has some big merits in this case doesn't it .... lol.

It stands the reason this is the same merit it has in the fish`s lips. That`s all I`, saying.

Agree.

And to each his own - would be/should be their choice.:)

[stubblejumper01]

Its nice you have a choice.:) And I bet you use bait, it has a much higher impact on mortality rates.

I catch a lot just using a jig and power bait bodies. When that doesn't work I will add a minnow. I stay away from worms and leeches as the fish usually swallow them a lot deeper. Parker minnows are big and it is very rare that a walleye takes one deep. As I said the hook usually falls out as soon as you net the fish and give some slack. I rarely have to touch a fish, except for the one we eat for supper.
Also I have been snagged by a careless fishing partner and had to push the point through and cut the hook off. A barbless one would have just pulled out.

[huntsfurfish]

I catch a lot just using a jig and power bait bodies. When that doesn't work I will add a minnow. I stay away from worms and leeches as the fish usually swallow them a lot deeper. Parker minnows are big and it is very rare that a walleye takes one deep. As I said the hook usually falls out as soon as you net the fish and give some slack. I rarely have to touch a fish, except for the one we eat for supper.
Also I have been snagged by a careless fishing partner and had to push the point through and cut the hook off. A barbless one would have just pulled out.

:);)

[spinN'flyfish]

i'd say remove the barbs from the smaller hooks but keep the bigger ones to increase landing chance