Barbed vs Barbless Hooks ................. again

[Wildfisher]

After  we discussed this and losing fish in one of the reports in the members only section a week or so ago I tied a variety of flies on barbed hooks.

With those flies I have not lost a single fish. The fish included many small trout, a salmon that ran 100 yards and a sea trout. The hooks were large and small (8 to 16), but all normal / short shanked and all still had the barbs (I am giving up on long  shank hooks).

Last night I went back and tried barbless again and lost half of the fish I hooked.

It's a bit early to say but I am coming to the conclusion that barbless hooks are a bit of a disaster when it comes to holding onto fish. What are you thoughts on this? I have added a poll to get some idea of use; please indicate your preference and your comments are eagerly awaited.

[Highlander]

I switched to barbless but debarbed rather than out & out barbless some years ago, mainly because I put back all/most of my Trout now. I put barbless but I forgot Salmon so really answear should have been both.
I do think that you lose more using barbless but does not bother me too much unless it is a good fish but I soon get over it as I can put it down to the hook & not some mistake on my part LOL If you keep a good strain then the hook will generally stay put but give them slack & invariably they come off. Having said that I never horse a fish like some do so maybe that is why I lose a few more. I think I do it right but on ocasion it goes pear shape but another will come along.
I still use barbed hooks for my Salmon fishing, probably because I go so long before I get one I want the added security of a barbed hook even though I may put it back I bloody want to see it. Of if I fished some prolific river in Canada or Russia I would use barbless but on the River Leven where for two years running I never landed a fish though lost a few it will still be barbed & oh a wee Esmond Drury Treble to boot. double security.
What I do not do is buy barbless hooks but pinch the barb with smooth flat pliers. You still get a little bump & that indeed may well help a hook hold but hook pulls out easily with little if any damage to fish.
Tight Lines

TIP: When tying a fly pinch the barb before you tie as sure as fate you will do it after your creation & the point will break off rendering fly useless. Take it from me it does happen.

[haresear]

I have no problem with using de-barbed, rather than barbless hooks for most of my flies.

The only time I use fully barbed is on weighted or otherwise heavy flies, where I think the additional weght could work against the hookhold when a fish shakes its head.

Alex

[Fishtales]

I've been using de-barbed hooks for twenty years or more and seldom lose fish once they are hooked. I do lose fish but I put that down to playing them too hard after the take and not letting them run for a bit. If I remember to let them run then I don't lose them possibly because the hook is set better when I stop them

[Wildfisher]

For me the jury is out. I don't lose many  big fish on barbless (although I did a few weeks ago on the upper Esk) mainly just run of the mill. I am going to fish mainly barbed for a while and observe.

[superscot]

For me its a bit of both, for trout it tends to barbless or de-barbed, for sea fishing its always barbed.   

[corsican dave]

I started tying pike flies on barbless this year and I've lost count of the number of fish I've lost. I really wanted for them to be a success, but it's getting to the point where i'm beginning to get annoyed. prior to this i rarely had one throw the hook.when you have a fish on for a good 20 seconds plus, you'd expect it to stick. back to barbed, i'm afraid. :?

[east wind]

Purely from a brown trout anglers perspective like me, we know they can be tricky customers. I changed to barbless for the later part of a season about six years ago with the best intentions but quickly came to the conclusion that I was losing too many fish, something that annoys me greatly.

A half punner from a burn is an excellent fish just as much as the bigger guys and need to be landed in my world. I've put a lot of thought into not losing fish and barbed hooks are part of my set up. I give total respect to handling our trout and along with the usual care I use a suitably long and thin good quality disgorger and hope this reduces the impact of a barb.

ps. I have the occasional winter session for grayling trotting worm and maggot using a float on spinning gear. Local rule is barbless hooks, I use a really good barbless hook by G-Point and REFLO line supposed to have built in stretch.

If I get a run of fish going I don't seem to lose too many. Different method, gear and different fish behaviour. More often than not a slow pulling competition through the currents.

[Allan Crawford]

I haven't used a barbless hook since the last post on the subject but then I haven't done as much fishing as I used to. Last time I was one of the few who thought I lost more with barbless or crushed barbs so I'll stick with that.

Anyway I find that I very rarely if at all damage fish mouths when releasing by being careful.

[Wildfisher]

I did wonder at one point (no pun intended) if I was not setting the hooks well enough, by logic tells me that barbless hooks should be easier to set than barbed hooks.