Barbless is B.S.!!!
 

So far this year I have personally lost over 50% of fish due to barbless through the ice and I'm damn sick of it!!! This whole mortalilty issue is for the birds, I don't recall seeing dead fish floating everywhere when barbs were legal so what gives? Common scenario this winter; fish all day for Lakers and finally get a hit, bring'em up to the hole and bam he spits it out. Yes, my hooks are sharp and yes I think I will be going back to good 'ol barbs with my snippers in my pocket at the ready, damn, I just lost my hook sir?!:evilgrin:

So...what you are saying is your going back to breaking the law. If this doesn't work for you I heard net's are working good for guy's:lol:

Ill be honest with you Hooked,

I have not noticed any significant difference in the numbers of fish lost between barbed and barbless hooks.

The Key I find is to keep your line tight. Any slack and your fish is gone.

It should only cost you $200 per fish I guess.

Controlled fisheries that require catch and release slots and limits usually accompany barbless regulations. It only makes sense. Delayed mortality due to fish hooked deep on both bait and artificial lures is MUCH HIGHER with barbs. Stats prove it, you cant argue the facts.

Losing fish when using barbless hooks is an excellent indicator of the capabilities of the angler. Give em slack and you lose fish.

I like barbless hooks my self. Beats the heck outta fighting with barbed ones when trying to unhook fish.I lose very few fish as well.

Pretty sure posting your intent to break the law on a public board is not very smart...just sayin!:wave:

A couple of years ago my buddies kid was removing a barbless hook from a fish and it ended up embeded in his hand. Good thing it was barbless.

I remember the days when barbs were legal and how much of a pain in the A** it was to remove the hook. There was mpore bloodshed then.

I understand the frustration of losing a fish but I have to agree with the tight line phylosophy which I have found to be a little tougher on the tip up. I lose more fish on the tip up than my rod.

Good Luck

CR

even if barbed hooks were legal in alberta i would probly still tie my flies on barbless hooks. I did not notice a difference between them.

soon as somebody looses a fish they always blame barbless but I witnessed a trout this year take my dry fly in the air and twist a barbless off the quicksnap on my tippet and took my last hook for the hatch. so who do I blame that on?

if you give them slack they are goin back. so keep a tight line.

I agree with most. If you are careful and keep line tight you will not lose many more fish. I guess you do not realize that they sometimes carry underwater camera's? Cutting the line is not as tricky as you think. I think you should give up fishing not just barbless hooks. You seem to think it should be "catching".

Ooooh this is going to be a good one..

use the mustad slow death hooks

I am thankful for barbless hooks. If we didn't use barbless hooks some of the whitefish that I released that sucked the hooks deep would have been killed. Like it is said before keep the line tight and take it slow to get a big fish in and you will get most of them.

Just have a spring loaded gaff ready if you see them near the hole.

Or, use your handgun and shoot them thru the hole, even if you miss, the concussion will slow them down long enough to get them out by hand.

**disclaimer**
(this reply was meant as a joke, do not touch a fish in the hole with your bare hands if it is off the line)

x2, couldn't agree with you more

When a fish takes one of my lure deep in the throat I just cut the line and let it go. Barbeless or not if you start ripping around in there there is going to be damage.

I agree barbless is the way to go, both in fish mortality and ease of release!!!!! I have experimented with replacing any where u would use a single J hook (ie buckshot spoon,drop shot rig, or even a baited snell) with a barbless circle hook and have had great sucess. With the large open c design there is no way they are gettin off. Just remember to reel to set the hook vs an agressive hook set.

I have the answer for your barbless hook concern. Strap on an underwater grenade to your leader with your bait about 6 inches up. When the fish bites KABOOM and he floats to the top of your hole.

I would suggest using cotton gloves to remove the fish so as not to cause any further harm.

It totally screws up the catch and release concept and you will likely be fined for exceeding your limit and keeping undersized fish but hey...your barbless concerns are cured.

Please be advised that this is not to be performed without the supervision of an adult and is intended for Hooked07 only.

CR

"you may also have a slight ringing in your ears, but fortunately you will not be anywhere near them" :lol:

..
 

For all you guys that are offering me fishing advice, tight lines? No sh** really?! I'm gonna try that next time I'm out, hope it works. :rolleye2:

Several years ago I got a barbed #6 streamer hook BURIED under my thumbnail:cry: I will save you the expletives that were used that day but still remember the pain, & I'm sure everyone within 10 miles heard me scream as I tore it out. I don't even care about the regs, I NEVER used a barbed hook again after that incident.

Dont pinch the barbs then.:evilgrin:

Well it should with barbed hooks! :tongue2:

plus, if you are going to used barbed hooks, no need t bother getting a fishing license, think of the money you will save

**disclaimer**

ah, you know. :D

The only thing that really ticks me off about barbless hooks is that kids have to use them as well. I'm fine with keeping a tight line but I figure if your young enough to fish without a liscence you should be able to use barbs. My kids lose interest pretty fast when they see fish after fish spit the hooks out just when they get them to the surface.

Definately a lower bite/catch ratio on tipups and bobber fishing since going barbless. Not much different on jigging/casting with rod in hand. With that said, I don't mind fishing barbless due to the ease of releasing fish.

U could try this: Hook urself through the tongue or deep inside ur throat with a barbless hook....yank out....let heal....then try the same with a barbed hook (make sure to get er all the way through and deep)...yank out....let heal....then tell us the results...if u can still talk?:D
This is an open n shut case for me. Barbed hooks do damage. The reason u don't see fish floating from this is bcuz they become defenseless in the water and simply become prey to bigger fish thus makin them an easy meal. Another reason u don't see fish floating from this is bcuz barbless is a darn good law, and i like to think, and have seen, most people follow it. Don't join the darkside young Skywalker, remain barbless, for fish sakes:lol::wave:

Hooked you may be on to something here after some serious pondering and consideration to fish lost in the past...this season I'm going to put the barbed/barbless hook to a test. I will fish with barbed hooks for 2 months and barbless for 2 months. I will report back catch vs release rates as well as mortality rates. I will post stat's on AO for all to make up there own mind barbed or barbless.

Hooked07 --when you say 50% how many fish are you talking about?

i personally feel barbless hooks add more to the sport. theres a challenge there, and that feeling of excitement that you just might lose the fish. when you got something big on the line it'll give you more of a rush(for me anyways). But that is probably only true if you treat fishing like a sport and your not doing it to feed your starving family.

Another thing thou is you gotta watch the lakers they can be pretty slippery. Barbed or not theres been times where they'll side bite the bait and carry it, or even put up a good fight and then just spit the hook. Just saying you might not of properly hooked the fish anyways. Try letting them take some line before you set in to them. it might work!! no guarantee thou cause it is fishing.

well hooked07, if you dont need the advice to keep your line tight, then your really arent loosing that many fish.........