Barbless?

I'm suspicious about the barbless jig hooks. How well do they hold fish?

  • Fine. About as good as barbed

    Votes: 26 74.3%

  • Pretty well. I don't lose many fish

    Votes: 5 14.3%

  • You have to keep your line tight to land a hooked fish

    Votes: 4 11.4%

  • Any mistake, and the fish comes off. Only really for short line Czech nymphing.

    Votes: 0 0.0%
  • Total voters
    35
Sylvaneous said:
I'm suspicious about the barbless jig hooks. How well do they hold fish?
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If any style of barbless holds fish well, it's jigs. I'm convinced that they not only hold fish well, but do so as well or better than ANY style of hook. I don't have a lot of experience with more traditional styles of barbless hooks, but the barbless jig hooks are outstanding.
 
I only use barbless and I hardly ever, if ever lose fish because it comes off the hook. Usually I lose fish due to bringing them in too quickly or not fighting them right. I love barbless hooks, quick release when the fish is in the net. Usually the hook pops out as soon as they get in the net. Then returned promptly back to the water.
 
I am definitely in the barbless camp. I like that it is easy to get the hook out of the fish and release them quickly and easily. I also like that I am able to get the hook out of me easily when I inevitably hook myself from time to time.

When I’m buying flies, I either buy barbless or crimp the barb before I use the flies.
 
Pressure on the fish is key to holding a fish on a barbless. Lose a few fish and you will probably think about "how did that happen."

Keep the rod up to do it's work as when the fish turns towards you, the rod will begin to straighten up and you will figure out to pull the rod back more....not a "set the hook" pull, but enough to get "rod bend" and let the rod do it's thing.
 
I've had very little problem with losing fish due to barbless. The positives are overwhelming in favor of the fish's survival. Less stress trying to unhook, they don't get snagged in your net, and probably most important they come out easy from your skin. I practice catch and release so all the better if they come off on their own. Saves having to handle them. Lou
 
Steeltrap said:
Pressure on the fish is key to holding a fish on a barbless. Lose a few fish and you will probably think about "how did that happen."
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Not necessarily true. Lee Wulff once famously hooked a nice salmon on a barbless hook, set the rod down, smoked a cigarette, picked the rod and proceeded to land the fish. He was making a point about how a barbless hook holds just as well as a barbed one.

The only way a barbless hook is going to out is to back it out the same way it went in, and that only happens with poorly hooked fish. You'll hook more fish with a barbless hook, since you're not trying to drive a wedge into a fish's mouth, but that also means you'll poorly hook more.
 
I’ve ripped one too many barbed hooks out of my hand and hands of my fishin buds. Only barbless for me.
 
If you are not using barbless by now there is something wrong with you. Safety of the fish and yourself should be a priority. Especially since these hooks are designed to hold fish, If you are losing fish, it's not the hooks fault, it's yours. Keep an eye on the points though. Sometimes they become "rolled".
 
BeckerKnowsBest said:
If you are not using barbless by now there is something wrong with you. Safety of the fish and yourself should be a priority. Especially since these hooks are designed to hold fish, If you are losing fish, it's not the hooks fault, it's yours. Keep an eye on the points though. Sometimes they become "rolled".
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something wrong with me then! I have thousands of barbed hooks that will last me the rest of my life!
 
Least you acknowledge your shortcomings. First step in becoming better.
 
I prefer to pinch the barbs down...mostly. I like there to still be a bump. Still a little queasy of the barbless hooks. They are definitely crazy sharp but I still am uncertain of the holding ability. Pushing the barb down mostly gives me a bit more confidence. Just in my head I guess.
 
All my flies are barbless or the barb's crushed. All my lures have the barbed crushed down. I'm still on edge about jigs, most of the ones I use are with spinning gear, and a lot of times I'll use bait on them. I am tying a bunch of 1/32, 1/20 and 1/16 ounce jigs to use with my fly rod. I'll probably crush the barb on some of them.
I agree that most of the fish I lose on barbless hooks is because I'm not fighting them correctly. I like them because they're easier to get out of the fish, out of the net, out of my clothes, and most importantly, out of me. I think they penetrate better.
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