When I took the Fly Casting class at BPS in Grapevine the instructor talked about using barb less hooks and how many places were now requiring them. The funny thing I notice is that all the commercial flies I look at have barbed hooks. The fly tying kits I was looking at on-line seem to also have barbed hooks.
How are you handling this? Are you just fishing with the barb if you are Bass/Pan fishing? I remember him stating to just use pliers and pinch the barb down - but do you need to resharpen the hook then?

I am just wanting to know - feed my brain with as much information as I can.

make sure that the forceps you are using have a flat spot in the jaws to mash barbs. You can even buy little pliers that are intended for barb mashing. I keep mine in my tying kit and mash all barbs of hooks I'll fish with. And yes, most hooks are barbed unfortunately.

If care is taken in the mashing-down process then the point and edge ought not to be damaged at all. Just be sure to get that barb tip itself mashed down flat.

Thanks for the information.
I will get a pair of pliers for this.

Do you think you loose more fish without the barb? Or do you even notice?

Never noticed a difference except when trying to remove the hook from a fish or from me!

I agree w/Robin...its especially important if you practice catch and release...much faster and easier to get the fish back in the water with minimum damage.

According to one version of the story, barbs on hooks were originally designed to hold bait on the hook, not the hook in the mouth of a fish. In fact, mashing down the barb will often allow the hook to set more deeply. I mash down the barbs of each hook I tie on before I put it in the vise. If I am fishing a commercially-tied fly, I'll mash down the barb right after I tie the fly on the tippet.

For me, it not only speeds release of the fish, it keeps me from hooking myself in ways that could be both painful and embarrassing.

More on the hooking oneself point. I have nailed myself really good twice in my life, once mashed barb and once no mashed barb.

The mashed barb hook came out simple as you please, a dab of alcohol-based hand cleaner and I kept on going no problem.

The other time was a jig hook that had fallen out of a box of hooks onto the carpet. The 90� bend eye was snagged quite effectively and thoroughly in the carpet right below the computer chair. As I sat, working barefoot on the computer, I moved, felt a twinge, jerked my foot away and (it was not really away it turns out) embedded that unmashed point straight down into the meat of my big toe right next to the nail. I had to use diagonal cutters to free the eye part and then was fortunate enough to have a wife with the intestinal fortitude to take a big honking pair of pliers and pull hard and fast. That was eventful. I guarantee that I keep up with my hooks a lot more closely since then. If it had been debarbed it would have simply slipped out.

oh my. I'm a little light headed now

I was too.

OK - Tonight I am MASHING barbs!!

Oh man - my toe is killing me right now just thinking about this!

I have gotten hooked once on a Kastmaster spoon. It went ALL the way into my finger next to the nail. This is when I was sharpening my hooks now...my dad said he never sharpened hooks and he caught a ton of fish. Not long back I poked myself enough to bleed good with a big jig hook. I can tell you a treble hook that was not debarbed is hell. I pulled it out myself. (luckily I had a pain pill from a past bout with kidney stones..or I would of had to go to the ER) I was BY MYSELF...if my son had been here he could of jerked it out for me. I tried the mono deal slipped around the hook...push hook down...then jerk. Did that twice and it didn't come out. Needless to say when I make a fly...I debarb. Otherwise I usually don't cause I am lazy. One day I know I'm gonna wish I wasn't that lazy...it will probably happen again. (not that I want it to of course...hurts pretty darn bad!)

This is some good advice here. By mashing the barb BEFORE you tie a fly, it will eliminate the frustration of breaking a hook after you just tied the most magnificent fly you ever have.

...wish I had some of the money back that I've left at various hospitals & clinics having barbed hooks removed.

Needlenose pliers work if you don't want to spring for a one task tool.

Even hardware hurlers are coming around to this � plenty of examples in other sections of this forum. Some of the guides, especially, feel safer (and more efficient) with the barbs on those slab trebles crushed down.

Okay, now that we're barbless, we're ready for a TFF trip to Manitoba for walleye, Northern pike, and yellow perch.

don't forget the smallmouth