barbless hooks?

[musky66]

Hey, this question has probably been asked, but how do you guy's feel about the use of barbless hooks on lures??. With the importance of quick releases, they would make a lot of sense, but would you lose many fish???

[musky-dude]

actually i have been using barbless hooks for quite some time now up in northern wisconsin. You may loose a few barely hooked fish or jumpers here and there but you cant beat how fast they can be unhooked. Just adds to the challenge of fishin for skies.
-dude-

[Big C.]

I asked a biologist friend of mine about the affects of barbless hooks on fish. He said although they allow for quicker releases they can actuakky penetrate deeper into a fish and potentially cause more damage than a barbed hook. Apparently the barbed hook might do some slight damage to surface skin, but relative to the barbless hook they don't pierce the fish as easily. He said this was really obvious when a fish was foul hooked along its side or in the head.

However, I have not had these problems.

[Dan Dean]

I have a hard enough time keeping them on with barbs, especially when they dance. Who knows pretty soon we may be using no hooks, just fishing for follows (peta).

Dan

[Marc Thorpe]

The way I use barbless is realy relative to fish activitie.
If the bites hot,we pinch em down.Leads to easier release and quicker and sometimes safer.So you lose some,it provides some ecxitting moments and some good stories.

When the bites tuff,well barbs are up.No need in losing fish.
Cutting hooks is by far the best and cleaness way in getting hooks out.Ligthly hooked fish can have hooks taken out by conventional angling methods.

Just my aproach to barb and barbless
marc

[Da Bears]

I gotta agree with Dan. I lost so many last year, that I will have a hard time pinching down the barbs! It seems like the minute their head gets out of the water or jump, I lose them.

Mike