Last week, after having problems removing hooks from sunnies, I bent the barb down. I did not lose any fish and it was easy to remove the hook without a barb. The only problem with using a hook without a barb is that the bait will not stay on the hook very well. Just wondering if any of you fish barbless, and any thoughts you may have on the subject?

I went trout fishing in Arkansas about a month ago. At one point we were in the catch and release area and had to fish barbless. Did not lose a single fish out of the ten or so we landed. As far as bait fishing, I don't really have the patience. Fishing with small spinners or stick lures keeps me occupied.

Thanks for the reply 1960 Texan. Artificial baits would not be a problem, but keeping a chink of nightcrawlers on a barbless hook is my concern.

I use worms about 95 percent of the time and have always had barbs on my hooks. For most of the time my fish have been released without any problems at all. There will always be a few exceptions to the rule. A good solid hook set and a very early feel of the bite play a important fact on where a fish gets hooked. Just my two cents.



Side Note: Rios are the best fish by far to take a hook out of. I hook just about all of them in the upper front of the mouth. They seem to hold the bait in their mouths and not swallow it so quickly.

I usually use small spinning baits or grubs while fishing for sunfish. No problems most of the time with good releases.

I understand what you are saying about the need for a fast hookset Banker. When I use a small jighead, I usually get a fast hook set. I feel the bite as soon as they suck it. When the fish are shallow, a 1/32 or 1/16 oz. jighead is what I normally use. This time of year, however, I fish deeper and use a cricket hook on a drop shot set-up. Unfortunately, the fish have usually taken the hook pretty deep before I feel them.

When I tie my flies the first thing I do is de-barb the hook. A number of studies show it is actually easier to set the hook when barbless. It is a lot easier to remove it from a thumb too. If you lose any tension on the line when fighting a fish there is a better chance they will spit the hook though.

Good information J-Moe. My experience squares with this, the only time I have lost a fish on a barbless hook has been when i lost tension on the line. Furthermore, when fishing for sunnies, losing one is not very disappointing, because you will catch another one quickly. :-)

Never use hooks without barbs and I have released tons of fish over the years with few problems. You will all ways get a gut hooked fish every now and then. That is just fishing.