Really? Who cares! Go fish and have fun. Hooks should be barbless from the factory anyway! All you need to do is attach a very small black rubber o-ring on your hook after you put your bait on. It's very simple! Bait stay's on better than having a barb as far as i'm concerned. This works very well for walleye fishing with leeches too!!!! Give it a shot and obey the rules. Very simple.