Barbless Hooks/ Flys

[EPCJMC]

Hi folks - We have a special pre-season fishing season here in WI, but since it is pre season, it is only catch and release - which is not a problem for me. However, we have to also use barbless hooks.

I have never seen barbless or flies for that matter. Is this simply a matter of filing down the barb. I hate to do that as I could not use the fly with a barb again, but I figure I will ask the pros her on the forum
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[macfly55]

a barbless hook is used so you can remove the hook from the fish cleaner.. making it less traumatic for the fish and thus increasing its chance of survival.. in my experience you can still catch fish to keep with a barbless hook..

.. if I am not mistaken you can buy hooks and maybe flies that are already barbless.. but if not you can make it barbless very easily.. you can use small needle nose pliars.. or a hemostat to gently "crush" the barb back down into the hook.. one tool I bought for tying flies is called a barb crusher.. it has a special head on it to crush the barb down yet reduce the chance of damge to the hook or breaking it all together.. that is why I said gently crush.. you dont have to strong arm it to flatten the barb...

..hope this helps..

MacFly
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[Dryrod]

[font "Pristina"][green][size 4][cool]Hi there EPCJMC - As MacFly stated they do make barbless hooks and you can also purchase barbless flies. With all the flies I tie I flatten the barb in my fly vise jaws or I use a very small pair of pliers. I practice C&R only. After hooking up, if you permit the line to slacken there is a good chance that the fish will throw the hook.
There is another, frequently overlooked, reason to fish barbless which has nothing to do with protecting fish and everything to do with increasing your strike to hook-up ratio. Simply put, it is easier to achieve a solid hook set when using barbless flies because you are freed from having to overcome the resistance of the barb. Admittedly, a barbed hook will hang on to a fish better than a barbless hook, but you have to bury the barb in the tissue of the lip or mouth first. The other advantage of a barbless is that many times I don't even have to net the fish as I can release the hook without even having to touch the fish.[/size][/green][/font] [center][font "Pristina"][green][size 4][/size][/green][/font][/center]
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[flygoddess]

[font "Comic Sans MS"][black][size 4]Needle Nose pliers and even forceps on some of my smaller hooks. Squish the bown enough that when you run your thumb nail down tit doesn't catch. This is Barbless enfourcement, or at least the way F&G showed me, to have a LEGAL barbless hook.[/size][/black][/font]
[font "Comic Sans MS"][black][size 4]You can certainly buy them but not hard to make your own except on occasion you can break a hook.[/size][/black][/font]
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[font "Comic Sans MS"][black][size 4]Not only is it easier to release a fish ( I am not convinced it is any easier on a fish, a caught fish is a caught fish and stress is involved, plus handling) it is also easier on PEOPLE. Specially guiding![/size][/black][/font]
[font "Comic Sans MS"][black][size 4]But do remember to keep tight line or they will throw it.[/size][/black][/font]
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[macfly55]

I was not trying to say there was less stress on the fish..

when I said easier on the fish I meant it is easier to remove the hook and therefore "damage" to the fish is minimized.. I have ripped the mouth off of a small gill because I could not get the hook out with the barb intact... since I started trying to fly fish I go with barbless hooks only.. on the rare occassion that I forget to debarb my hook and on the very very very rare occassion I catch a fish.. I will take that extra moment to debarb the hook before trying to take it out of the fishes mouth..

..and thats my story and Im sticking to it.. [sly]


MacFly
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[flygoddess]

[font "Comic Sans MS"][black][size 3]Easy little bro. I know you know what you are doing. It was a general comment on my part, but you are right about damaging a fish with barbs. But, like I said, in my case, a 26 to a 32 does little damage[cool][/size][/black][/font]
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[macfly55]

....sorry,..... must be one of those days.. I just remember having to hide that fish I mentioned from my grandson so he would not think I was a cruel ol papa.. lol.. since then it has been barbless only..

.. I remember once on a different site a topic of fatality even after proper release with barbless hooks was discussed.. it amazed me that the numbers, even when all things are done right to try to take care to not cause undue harm to the fish, were high.. I think that was when I started getting skunked so much.....LOL>. (yes I am trying to blame it on Mr Murphy).. []

MacFly [cool]
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[Dryrod]

[font "Pristina"][green][size 4][cool]Hey there MacFly - you have to look on the positive side of life. When you get skunked and your objective was to catch 10 fish that day, you have saved all of them from a potential disaster. You are truly a good man mi amigo.[angelic] I would like you to know that I try to do my part in conservation too.[/size][/green][/font]
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[flygoddess]

Proper handling is a big part, but I don't feel fish are SUPER fragile either. Look at our Uinta lakes. These fish are dropped unbelievable distance and they survive. Plane drops to a lot of these high altitude lakes.
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[Dryrod]

[font "Pristina"][green][size 4][cool]You have got that right FGD. Over handling is probably a major factor in fish mortality. Particularly when every one wants to have their picture taken with the catch. Like the fisherman, the aunt & uncle, the kids, Gramps & the family dog. I mean the poor fish is not a Hollywood celebrity. Get the darn thing back in the water ASAP. I watch a lot of Fly Fishing shows made for TV. These guys will look at every inch of the fish holding it out of the water for what seems to be an eternity. I have notice where the guest guide will say lets get it back in the water now. Kudos to him.[/size][/green][/font]
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[macfly55]

wow... I had no idea lakes anywhere were stocked like that...as far as I know/knew it was done via truck and they were pumped out of the truck into the lake..

... I know fish are not all fragile.. I have seen some in person and on tv that get handled pretty roughly.. I am one of many who try their best (with my limited experience) to handle the fish properly.. tbh.. I learned most of what I know from this and previous boards from experienced anglers like you and dr and tn2 among others on how to handle fish.. if I make a mistake.. I try not to do it again..

..lol.. now here is a memory test for you.. a long time ago I used to post the picture of the very first fish I caught with a fly rod and was "yelled" at (and dont remember who by) on how I was holding that bass.. I then asked how it should be done and you were one of few that answered that question in a way that made any kind of sense to me.. :-)

MacFly
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[Scruffy_Fly]

in Colorado there are hundreds of high altitude lakes that are stocked by airplanes and helicopters. It is dangerous flying. the plane has to make sharp decents and climb outs with varying weather conditions. A few years ago one of the planes and pilot did not make the climb out.
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[macfly55]

I am sorry to hear that the pilot did not make it.. but.. I have to say that this is one of those days that ya'll have taught this old dog something new... [sly]

MacFly
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[Dryrod]

[center][cool][font "Pristina"][green][size 4]They seed some the northern California high altitude lakes by plane too. Particularly those that are inaccessible by stock trucks.[/size][/green][/font] [/center]
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[Dryrod]

[center][#005000][cool] & by copter too.[/#005000][/center] [center]
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[macfly55]

[left]and as Paul Harvey used to say.. and now I know the rest of the story.. [][/left] [left] [/left] [left] [/left] [left]MacFly [cool][/left]
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[Thudpucker]

I'm a fan of Barbless hooks. Once you start fishing with them you wont go back.
You have to be real careful not to snap the point of the hook off when flattening the barbs.
In Manitoba all the Fishing was Barbless. The Fish Mounties checked with the edge of a thumbnail. If it caught, they then checked all the hooks in your tackle.

Fly Goddess said she works with "26 to 32?" Huh? Do they make such? Jeez, I cant work with 20's any more.

I had an old fishing partner in Washington state who told me of stocking High lakes back in the late 30's and 40's.

Two guys, one with a backpack that held 5 Gallons of water and a bunch of Trout fry.
The other guy walking behind him with an Aireator pump.
A hand crank model, with a hose running up to the Backpack with the water and fish in it to keep the little buggers alive for the trip.
Sometimes it was miles up there.
Several guys went along. He languished in his early efforts when relating all those tales.
It sounds like a fun thing to do even now.
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[Dryrod]

[font "Pristina"][green][size 4][cool]I read a story in a magazine recently about this same thing. Can you imagine hikng up a trail with 40 lb of water + the weight of the fish & tank?[/size][/green][/font]
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[macfly55]

cool picture... []

MacFly
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[hartz]

I have a mix of barbless and barbed flies and use them indiscriminately unless I'm at a place that requires barbless. I'll just take my needlenose and crimp it down. I don't really have much of a preference either way though.


On a side note, those people that hiked the fishi in in the tanks are some very dedicated people! The weight is one thing, but think about carrying a 5 gallon barrel full of water. The water sloshes around and completely throws off one's balance.
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