Do fish really shed barbless hooks?

[davedave]

I was fishing a shallow lake nearby today with two rods.

 

My first rod was an avon quivertip with 4lb line and a 2lb hooklength, i then had a maggot feeder in a free running rig. This was my 'small' fish rig which i have used many times before so i can get lots of bites and hopefully catch some nice roach, rudd, perch etc whilst sitting it out for the bigger carp/bream/tench. This rig i cast out close to some lilies.

 

Rod number 2 was a leeda carp rod with 8lb mainline to a 5lb hooklength, again a free running ledger rig but with a small arlesely bomb instead of a feeder. I had a hair rig on with a bait band and was switching between 8mm halibut pellet and chunks of peperami. This, as you've probably guessed was my bigger fish rig. This was set-up to a bite alarm and a homemade bobbin. This rig was cast tight against an island.

 

Anyway thought id get that out the way so it was clear how i was fishing. After a little while i had some nice roach up to about half a pound and a rudd which i was pleased with. A few hours in my bite alarm then went off, after a couple of minutes of playing the fish i had in the net a common carp of about 7lb which i was very happy with as my pb is only 11lb.

 

I put my big fish rig back in and left it whilst i then concentrated on my quivertip. Because i was running out of maggots, i took the feeder off, put on a small weight and left the maggots for the hook. Then the bites stopped, i tried many different places around the lilies but the fish just didnt want to feed, there are next to no pike in the lake so that probably wasnt why, i was thinking the bites had stopped either because they werent attracted to the feeder anymore or bigger fish had pushed them away. I hoped they would feed again soon so left it out there with a couple of maggots on the hook still.

 

After another hour of no bites my quivertip suddenly slammed round and i realised a carp had taken my bait. After about a minute the inevitable happened on such light line and it snapped, heartbroken and annoyed i had lost a lovely fish which would have made my day if i had got it in, it was also even more annoying because it would have been the first carp i'd had on that rod and my first carp i'd ever caught on maggot!!

 

I couldn't help but feel guilty because the poor bugger was now going round with a hook in its mouth (A drennan size 20 barbless)

 

 

After my efforts of baiting the same spot up with pellets and maggots i couldn't re-catch him to take the hook out, he was gone. Then it started getting dark so i packed up and went home.

 

 

 

I thought i'd fill you in on the situation so you knew how i was fishing, but what my question is -

 

Do fish really shed barbless hooks or is it our way of feeling less guilty every time one swims off with it in their mouth?

 

 

 

 

 

As always advice is greatly appreciated.

 

davedave

[Dick Dastardly]

I think they probably do Dave as after all these years Ive never caught a fish with a barbless hook still in it but I have with barbed.A small hook like a 20 most likely cause the fish much of a problem.

 

Need to look up on your playing though as unless there is a problem with the tackle you should never have the line break.

[larsagi2010]

I think they probably do Dave as after all these years Ive never caught a fish with a barbless hook still in it but I have with barbed.A small hook like a 20 most likely cause the fish much of a problem.

 

Need to look up on your playing though as unless there is a problem with the tackle you should never have the line break.

 

I agree with Budgie. I have had fish with Barbed in but never barbless. Also with it only being a size 20 it shouldn't cause a reasonable sized fish much trouble at all.

[Tigger]

I've caught a few fish with barbless hooks still in tight also and some where trailing line. I think in the majority they will drop out but some certainly do stay put.

[davedave]

thanks very much for the replies, budgie i know you shouldnt get line breaks but i was using 2lb hooklength to 4lb mainline, and im pretty sure the fish was over 10lb so it couldnt really be helped. I wasnt after carp with that rod so didnt have heavy enough gear. cheers

[Dick Dastardly]

Still worth looking at closer Dave as even when I get double figure carp on when roach fishing (2.5lb mainline 1.1 bottoms to 22 barbless) I land them only losing them should the hook straighten or they snag me. And so do a lot of maych anglers.

[Anderoo]

In most cases they do seem to shed the hook OK. I did once catch a chub from a very out of the way stretch of a small river that looked as though no-one had fished there in years (I've certainly never seen anyone, or any evidence of anyone, there). This chub had a size 10 or 8 barbless hook just inside the mouth that had clearly been there a long time. It was in good health otherwise, but it did make me rethink the idea that hooks just drop out of fish.

[davedave]

thanks, yes i see your point budgie, as soon as i lost it i thought i should have given more line for the initial fight, i was so shocked to have a carp on that rod i wasn't properly focused, all in 'hein sight' i suppose. In my defence im new to catching big fish, the amount of carp ive caught is only in the last few months and you could count them on one hand so i need more experience. I hope he sheds the hook soon but i have only caught one fish with a hook in its mouth, that was a barbed hook and it was tethering a large weight and he still managed to feed on my hook-bait and put up a hell of a fight. With that in mind im sure he will stay healthy enough to be caught again in the near future as the water is regularly fished by carp anglers.

 

Touch wood.

 

 

 

 

Thanks again

[Dick Dastardly]

All part of the learning process Dave dont beat yourself up about it.Plenty of us did plenty worse things when we started!

[Renrag39]

I can second that Budgie, I still do things 'the wrong way' but I now I just recognise that I've buggered up again. Things like clutch settings etc make all the difference.

 

Renrag