Barbed Or Barbless Hooks? Let's Clear The Air 

Re: barbs for keeping bait on, I have heard about that actually! I knew this topic would ruffle some feathers. I like to think of the comments like this.....We are all at the campfire after fishing and just having a good ole discussion about the topic. Who knows, you may learn something. I certainly do, that's why I read them. Even the nasty ones!!! ahaha!

The entire province of Manitoba is barbless, you probably knew that. They have very compelling reasons why too. I am not proposing we get rid of barbs, but to a lot of us, it just makes sense. Also, for decades companies have manufactured fly hooks with micro-barbs, making it easier to flatten down the barb without breaking off the point of the hook (common problem with older hooks). I do understand that even with barbed fly hooks, fly fisherman are probably not damaging fish nearly as badly as treble hooks and multi-hook lures. Good release practices really help but heavily fished waters and those with lots of tournaments have large numbers of “marked” fish, and this does turn people off - I have been to bass lakes after a tournament, there can be numerous fish that died due to hooking mortality - it does happen, and fish biologists have recognized this for years. I just find that no barb means an easier release and safer casting. I flatten barbs on fly hooks even before a hook goes into my vise, best time to do it if you are a tyer.

Oh Buddy! Appreciate that like you wouldn't believe! Keep er' tight! :)

You are a fishing God! Barbless is just fine. Barbed hooks are fine too but definitely increase handling time and that’s what hurt fish.

Funny you mention that. After reading this, I recall doing a film called “It’s A Brook Trout” and i experienced this exact situation. It happened twice in one week on that river. I remember feeling the weightlessness and thought oh he is running towards me! So I stripped hard and whammo! Thanks for watching and great comment🤘

Honestly as an inexperienced angler I lost many fish to slack line on barbed hooks. What I wonder now is if those got more damaged getting off when they were going to get off anyway

I feel like I heard something on this(the nets) on a podcast. If I were to bet, it was the Orvis one with Tom Rosenbauer. My apologies for not knowing more but I am sure a google search will find it.

Appreciate you sharing your experience. Definitely a personal choice(if laws allow it) and I wouldn’t bash anyone using either or. Thank you for watching. Good luck this weekend👍

I agree, those trebles are wild! Keep er' tight! Best of luck this weekend :)

Yeah, BC has some laws for sure eh! In Ontario there are some barbless places especially the popular rivers. Funny you mention the social media side of things. I have noticed the same thing. I rarely ever get an opportunity for a grip and grin, i just put em back quickly. Maybe with some more experience i can do it ethically but still a ways off from that. Thanks for sharing your thoughts 🙂

The science on the matter has authoritatively dismissed that theory. There is no question that barbless hooks do less damage. Now smaller than size 16 hooks, the benefit of barbless diminishes significantly.

Had to google barotrauma😆! Now i know. Who knew that a little tick on the hook would get us anglers all excited. I have had good and bad experiences with both but just prefer taking barbless out of fish, me and my gear! Thanks for stopping by and appreciate the comment 🤘

@greenhornflyhorn barbless are better for removal no doubt.

I tend to agree. Poor handling is likely what harms the fish most. Fishing with barb or not a hook can be removed efficiently and with little actual touching of the fish.

There are quiet a few studies about pike-perch available. Not only do they react very sensitive to barotrauma, but also to air exposition: Only lifting a young fish out of the water can increase the mortality up to 50%. Older fish can handle it much better.

Thank you Eric! Tight lines this weekend eh!

@greenhornflyhorn just got skunked in the Lehigh River tonight after work. Streamer fishing. Supposed to warm up down here tomorrow. Only fished about an hour and a half. Numb stripping fingers. Lololol. Its gonna be a good weekend. All the part timers are still at home waiting for spring. Life is good 👍🏻

@@Ericbyhookorbycrook things over here are getting good. Saw a lot of fisherman out today. Guys were catching, i was practicing my casts and missed one. But it was still good to get out and lose all feelings in my legs! Ha!

Very true!

Interesting comment, you got a little heated there but I get it. Anyways, I use both. The thumbnail photo is a question hence the question mark. Fishing is a bloodsport. If you’re not comfortable killing a fish, then take up golfing. Hope you get things sorted out with your fishing in Europe. Tight lines eh!

this is just plain wrong, barbs do harm fish because it is harder to remove the hook and you end up ripping lips when pulling out the hook or stuck in bellies. barbless harm fish FAR LESS and often pop out when the fish is netted

@@greenhornflyhorn Sorry for the heat, it was absolutely not against you personally! You made a very differentiated video and, as I said, I mostly agree with you. I was thinking a lot about this issue and I guess, the English speaking world is by fare more tolerant in this point... So, let me explain, why I got so emotional: In German speaking Fly-fishing forums is it so bad, that many flyttiers won´t even show pictures of their barbed flies any more, because they get attacked and canceled. Our fly-fishing scene was very "exclusive" for a very long time. There were very few good waters and they all were in hand of private clubs... Well, the situation is much better now: Clean rivers make fly-fishing possible for everyone now. But there is still this old mentality, of being something very, very special, in the head of a very loud minority... These people act, like a combination of high nobility and vegan: How do you know, that they are fly-fisher, and fly-fisher ONLY, and ONLY use BARBLESS hooks? Don´t worry: They will tell you! And you will feel very guilty and very little, beside their high morality... You get, what I mean?!? Now, to the political situation: Sportfishing is under enormous pressure in Germany. The green party (which is in the Government right know) would LOVE to ban it at all! But intentional C&R has always been completely illegal. If you want to go fishing, you need to have the intention to kill! You don´t know what to do with a 2m 50kg catfish, which took your perch-lure on a 5lbs gear, because you are single without a fridge (and not even the cat would want to eat it)? Well you should have thought about this risk before... Do I exaggerate? NO! Depending of your jurisdiction, this all is or can be your legal reality. Don´t worry, in reality is there no big problem: Fishing is not a public sport and most anglers struggle to hold a slippery fish in their hands, anyway... They just slip out of our hands and we will go to bed hungry. At least you cannot be sentenced for clumsiness (yet)! But you should be really careful, what you post online. It is almost impossible, to proof that a fish on a photo is alive. So, be careful, what you comment! Because if there was a case of legal releasing a fish, and you would have taken a picture of the living fish - it might be a case of animal cruelty. Even if it only lasted a single second! (I was fishing semi-professional for a certain time, and you always feel, like having one foot in prison, when your pictures are publicized) And the worst in such a situation are other anglers, who accuse us for some (imaginary) wrong-doing! We don`t need an in-fight between meat-harvester and C&R or barb and barbless. But that´s what the situation we have. Unfortunately this is NOT a German phenomena: I live in Norway for almost a decade now (just think for a moment, how old my story already is...) and it is almost exactly the same here: C&R is already heavily restricted in most salmon rivers and many want to ban it at all. It are often other anglers, who advocate for a complete C&R ban. Well, this got way longer than intended, but still shows only the tip of the iceberg... But I hope, you understand a little bit better now why this topic was triggering me. My comment didn´t address you, but those people, I expected, to turn up, to scare newbies and intermediates from making their own choice, how they want to fish! I can absolutely agree, that barbless hooks are better for the fish! And as long you manage, to keep your line tight, you won´t loose (many) more fish. But, the percentage of fish, who are only killed by a barb (and not by bad handling) is so small, that you have to catch really good, before it becomes statistical relevant. Anyone, who catches so good, will be able to make his own decision (using all the pros ans cons, you mentioned). For newbies in flyfishing (like I am myself) I recommend: Decide, what is more important for you: Safety or fish?!? What is more painful for YOU personally: Getting a barbed hook out of your own flesh, or loosing the fish, you worked so many hours for? If it is the latter: There is no need to feel guilty about anything! My opinion, as a former semi-professional specimen-hunting baitfisher: For (almost) all other fishing disciplines: What the hell is barbless??? And believe me, the last thing, a specimen-hunter wants to do, is harming a fish, that needed maybe decades to become so big. We always want them see them again...

@@exilbayer6377 what I am gathering is, Europe has some very strict rules. I can understand where you’re coming from. You give the activists an inch, they take a mile. It would be a shame if they banned salmon. We have strict rules in certain provinces for Atlantic salmon here too. I have seen a lot of mangled fish from barbs and I feel for the little guys. This was just my opinion and didn’t think it would stir the pot like it did. But it certainly got the attention of some anglers! I still use both but for certain types of fishing. I lost a steelhead today on barbless, my line when slack and she popped off. I worked for hours just for a bite and it was over in 2 seconds. Just the way she goes sometimes. Would I have had a better chance with a barbed hook? Maybe…..Maybe not. Your opinions can be loud and clear in my comments section, I won’t stop anyone from speaking their minds here. Unless RU-vid stops it due to inappropriate language. Best of luck out there👊

Interesting, I take it you see this a lot? We talking about the handling the fish? Bringing it to shore on the rocks and they bonk their heads(kills a lot of fish)? Loads of things can do it. I see experienced anglers doing these mistakes too. Maybe there’s more to it?

I absolutely disagree with you BUT!! That's what is great about the comment section. I allow anyone and everyone to voice their opinions. Even-though your delivery was off putting, I can appreciate your side of the story. I wish you the best out there, good luck this weekend :)

My apologies for being off putting. I agree It is good to disagree, but there is no scientific data that shows the results to only fish barbless. I have friends that guide more than 180 days a year on the water, I'm on the water over 75 days myself. And have over 40 years plus fly fishing and tying. We all donate our time and money to fish conservation working hand to hand with full time biologists that all say barbless is complete nonsense. It's all how you handle and release the fish. So best of luck

​@@bradcorrea9963true. I watched a couple of videos showing how to remove barbed hooks without damaging the fish. The main reason I pinch the barbs is because I took a hook in the thumb once, removed it without issue, but I did have to explains to my son how to do it. And I took one in the side of my face once and had to remove it my self. That one took a chunk of flesh with it. But the trout police being what they are, wives tails will persist.

@@tl56kmair trout police!?!? Haha! I am sure they will find me soon after my steelhead video. When those barbs get into you(especially a pike fly) it ain’t pretty! Thing I can’t stand which I mentioned in the video is when i stick it to my clothes or waders etc. It really sucks cause those fibers hold onto barbs hard. Tight lines bud🤘

@@bradcorrea9963 i honestly cant believe a person who guides 75 days a year believes barbed hooks do no more damage than barbless. it took me catching about 3 fish to realize the difference. the hook comes out without any ripping or tearing lips and often pops out on its own when you net the fish. every guide i have been with over the last few years exclusively fishes barbless or pinched barbs

Is that your final answer?🤔