Barbed or barbless ?

[Marc]

Always been barbless and until there's a definitive change in stance I'll not be changing. I've never had fish with ripped or deformed mouths. The only place I've seen this a lot is on two of the commercial waters I've used and given the on bank behaviour of the majority (and it is the majority) of the anglers" it's probably more down to poor hook selection, tackle and technique.

Setting aside I've never had my books checked or EA (NRA) licence checked, no one has ever asked if I had a disgorger or forceps, which forms part of the rules of every club or water I've fished, let alone if I knew how to use them.

[Reedling]

I had a barbed hook go into my ear whilst fly fishing, I could not get it out due to the barb and had to have it cut out at hospital. If it had been barbless I could have took it out painlessly myself. It may be simplistic but that is my reason for always using barbless for my coarse angling.

[Santiago]

It was mentioned earlier in this thread about non stretch lines like braid and high test curve rods being most likely responsible for mouth damage than whether or not a barb makes any difference. However, I know from personal experience that small lures with barbed trebles do damage perch. So for lure fishing for perch I have debarbed all my small plugs and spinners.

[BeechmereLake]

Could I just ask out of curiosity how many anglers go fishing with barbless flies for trout or Salmon fishing.

[Olly]

I have to with salmon - all to be returned!

[Nobby]

It was mentioned earlier in this thread about non stretch lines like braid and high test curve rods being most likely responsible for mouth damage than whether or not a barb makes any difference. However, I know from personal experience that small lures with barbed trebles do damage perch. So for lure fishing for perch I have debarbed all my small plugs and spinners.

Yes, so have I Trevor...the last perch managed to swallow all three hooks of a treble. The thought of getting that lot out with barbs!

[N9nty]

Always barbless, micro barbed or flattened barb for me, I changed over as soon as I found out about barbless hooks. In my opinion the only place for barbed hooks is where you are fishing for the plate.
I also think treble hooks should be banned, I have not noticed any difference in using single barbless hooks on spinners etc and if you do miss or lose the occasional fish what does it matter.
Re the point about fish being able to shed a barbed hook left in it's mouth, this is surely a fantasy. The only way the hook will be removed is by the fish being caught again and the angler concerned removing both hooks. We must all have caught fish with hooks in their mouths. Imagine a fish having s treble hooks left in it's mouth, it is a death sentence.

John

[Nobby]

I was amazed, after losing a hook to a carp in a local drain, to catch the fish 3 months later and find it had shed the hook!

When it broke me it was under the rod tip...a six foot rod at that ....and I know exactly where the hook was. No one else fishes there, it's a private stretch and I often saw the fish again. There was no mistaking it..it was a pale ghost carp!

I've never fished a barbed hook again, but it's been a great comfort to me when I've lost a hook ....if that carp could shift a barbed hook, a barbless hook must be a doddle.

I did give this link earlier, but to save you scrolling back through the whole thread there's a few more details here:



http://www.purepiscator.com/forum/defau ... osts&t=554


I swear it's true, but I'm at a loss to explain it.

[BeechmereLake]

Its possible then a barb was put on a hook just to hold the bait on
Have to say on this subject my mind, AT LAST, is made up, I have fished countless big carp lakes in this area over the last 30 years many of whom dont have a barbless hook rule, the fish get caught from time to time and put back after being treated with utter respect by the anglers that fish the water, its very very rare to see a Carp with some of the deformities I have seen on smaller over stocked muddy puddles or even the odd big reservoi.

So with this in mind then I think maybe its all due to the amount of hooking these small carp take in their young mouths being caught ,some, almost on a daily basis, competition for food on these fish soup waters has to have some effect on the fish especially when the water is being match fished on a more than regular basis, good match anglers can put hundreds of pounds of them together in a 5 hour match and then these same fish will be fished for again the next day and the next, the fact that to fish these waters you need to use barbless hooks is in my mind not the problem, it is simply how many times the fish gets caught and how quick the hook hold will heal especially in a wet environment before it gets hooked again, fishing over the last 40 years has shown me pretty much everything I need to see, from minnows and Bleak to near 40lb carp, for me, as I said, my mind is made up.
Good thread gents

[Olly]

I used to fish a small pond at Loxwood but never heard of the R. Lox. I have found the following!
http://www.songofthepaddle.co.uk/forum/ ... -River-Lox

I too suspect mouth damage occurring at a young age. A reservoir was restocked after the 60's freeze. The fish were removed for redevelopment - housing - about 15 years ago and the old fish were netted restocked into their new home. The reservoir was thick with lilies and carp were caught in the lilies using barbaric large hooks to be dragged from the lilies. The mouth damage on these old fish was very obvious and dreadful compared to the respect now shown for large carp. No match man ever fished it - only carpers - how they have changed as well.