Barbed or Barbless. What's your opinion?

[KK]

Eloquently put, Newt!

 

 

 

Different strokes, I guess - we do what's right in our own world, and that's as it should be.

[Jon Hedges]

This is a great debate. Can I add some further food for thought on the barbed v barbless debate and that would be:

 

1. The pattern of hook vs the species of fish caught (I have hooked small fish and occasionally "double hooked" through both lips) when using big barbless hooks / baits intended for large fish that were taken by small fish. A large cube of meat snaffled by a baby (but greedy) chub for example. This would not have happened if using a size 18 barbed

 

2. The style of fishing. Specimen Perch are highly sensitive to resistence so they are often allowed to 'run' prior to the strike. This in itself surely increasing the liklihood of deeper hooking, meaning barbless is a better option (Steve Burke I am sure can offer a highly educated response to this statement)

 

So barbed v barbless as an experiment can never work - you have to add in pattern, bait, style of fishing, individual reaction times, weight of leads, number of snags and type of water ??

 

I think !

[Leon Roskilly]

JonHedges:

So barbed v barbless as an experiment can never work - you have to add in pattern, bait, style of fishing, individual reaction times, weight of leads, number of snags and type of water ??

Exactly!

 

There is no right or wrong answer, an angler must rely on their knowledge and experience, selecting what they think is the best option in all of the circumstances, looking for perhaps a better than even chance that the hook he selects will safely do the job they want, knowing that sometimes it won't come together as it supposed too.

 

A simple dogmatic barbless/barbed ban, imposed by a fishery committee, denies experienced anglers a proper choice for all the circumstances, and doesn't allow inexperienced anglers the chance to learn how to correctly use and apply other approaches.

 

So we have a growing band of envangelical barbless only anglers, and environmentalists who have never fished, causing as much harm to fish as they intend to avoid with their dogmatic approach.

 

Tight Lines - leon

[Dick Dastardly]

Totally agree.I have no problem at all with the fact that peoples opinions of when and how to use different hook patterns vary.This is definately because the situations vary so much.I do struggle with the people who state so adamantly that one or the other is the only way.

[KK]

quote:

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So we have a growing band of envangelical barbless only anglers... causing as much harm to fish as they intend to avoid with their dogmatic approach.

---

And - to be fair - and equally envangelical "Barbed Only" lobby, and nothing in their argument has yet persuaded me that getting a barbed hook out will cause less damage than removing a barbless, all other things being equal...

 

[ 25. August 2004, 12:36 PM: Message edited by: KK ]

[Guest allibee]

At the end of the day we all have to follow fishery rules. If we don't like or agree with them, then we have to fish elsewhere. Simple as.

[KK]

Very true.

 

My personal view on the issue does beg the question: what would I do if I wanted to fish a water where "barbed only" was the rule?

 

I actually think I wouldn't fish the place.

 

I certainly wouldn't go and then "cheat", and my conscience would not allow me to use barbed.

[Dick Dastardly]

KK,its not about getting them out (surely no one can deny barbless are removed easier?) its about the damage/problems each type has with going in or whilst in.

 

I for one will continue to use both, the choice of which is best in each individual situation being based on practical experience and not psudo scientific tests or emotive reasons!

[Dick Dastardly]

Re the rules issue,I dont think there would be a water I would want to fish that badly that has any rules in favour of either hook.

 

If there was then maybe just maybe I wouldnt be that worried about which hook I used,just sticking to the rules (unusual for me I know,before Mark has a go ) and just taking extra care by working around any problems in other ways.Only exception may be Pike but unlike the "Evangalists" I will be honest enough to admit that unless the situation arose Im only guessing!

[Guest allibee]

s'funny

 

wherever I fish it's either barbless only, or barbed hooks only! I have one water only where there are no rules re hooks