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Do fish really shed barbless hooks?


davedave

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Can't say Ive ever seen any evidence that it did them any harm.

 

 

I've seen a couple of fish with hooks left in their mouths and the flesh around the hook has swollen up and gone bright red (I suppose like we do if we get a thorn in our finger and your body rejects it) so it can't be pleasn't for them. As you say though (most of the fish I've seen with hooks left in appear fine)on the whole they can cope with a hook and a bit of line trailing. I think the problems start if there's long lengths of line still attached to the hook and it gets fast on an object tethering the fish or if there's a clonkin lead still attached to the line.

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why? Im not being rude, im just curious, although it gives better presentation surely it weakens the whole rig? Im probably wrong i just thought it would be the opposite when carp are about, thought it would be better just to have the mainline to the hook??

 

 

Ooops sorry, I should have put an explanation with my comment. But it looks like a few other members have given very good reasons. Cheers guys.

Stephen

 

Species Caught 2014

Zander, Pike, Bream, Roach, Tench, Perch, Rudd, Common Carp, Mirror Carp, Eel, Grayling, Brown Trout, Rainbow Trout

Species Caught 2013

Pike, Zander, Bream, Roach, Eel, Tench, Rudd, Perch, Common Carp, Koi Carp, Brown Goldfish, Grayling, Brown Trout, Chub, Roosterfish, Dorado, Black Grouper, Barracuda, Mangrove Snapper, Mutton Snapper, Jack Crevalle, Tarpon, Red Snapper

Species Caught 2012
Zander, Pike, Perch, Chub, Ruff, Gudgeon, Dace, Minnow, Wels Catfish, Common Carp, Mirror Carp, Ghost Carp, Roach, Bream, Eel, Rudd, Tench, Arapaima, Mekong Catfish, Sawai Catfish, Marbled Tiger Catfish, Amazon Redtail Catfish, Thai Redtail Catfish, Batrachian Walking Catfish, Siamese Carp, Rohu, Julliens Golden Prize Carp, Giant Gourami, Java Barb, Red Tailed Tin Foil Barb, Nile Tilapia, Black Pacu, Red Bellied Pacu, Alligator Gar
Species Caught 2011
Zander, Tench, Bream, Chub, Barbel, Roach, Rudd, Grayling, Brown Trout, Salmon Parr, Minnow, Pike, Eel, Common Carp, Mirror Carp, Ghost Carp, Koi Carp, Crucian Carp, F1 Carp, Blue Orfe, Ide, Goldfish, Brown Goldfish, Comet Goldfish, Golden Tench, Golden Rudd, Perch, Gudgeon, Ruff, Bleak, Dace, Sergeant Major, French Grunt, Yellow Tail Snapper, Tom Tate Grunt, Clown Wrasse, Slippery Dick Wrasse, Doctor Fish, Graysby, Dusky Squirrel Fish, Longspine Squirrel Fish, Stripped Croaker, Leather Jack, Emerald Parrot Fish, Red Tail Parrot Fish, White Grunt, Bone Fish
Species Caught 2010
Zander, Pike, Perch, Eel, Tench, Bream, Roach, Rudd, Mirror Carp, Common Carp, Crucian Carp, Siamese Carp, Asian Redtail Catfish, Sawai Catfish, Rohu, Amazon Redtail Catfish, Pacu, Long Tom, Moon Wrasse, Sergeant Major, Green Damsel, Tomtate Grunt, Sea Chub, Yellowtail Surgeon, Black Damsel, Blue Dot Grouper, Checkered Sea Perch, Java Rabbitfish, One Spot Snapper, Snubnose Rudderfish
Species Caught 2009
Barramundi, Spotted Sorubim Catfish, Wallago Leeri Catfish, Wallago Attu Catfish, Amazon Redtail Catfish, Mrigul, Siamese Carp, Java Barb, Tarpon, Wahoo, Barracuda, Skipjack Tuna, Bonito, Yellow Eye Rockfish, Red Snapper, Mangrove Snapper, Black Fin Snapper, Dog Snapper, Yellow Tail Snapper, Marble Grouper, Black Fin Tuna, Spanish Mackerel, Mutton Snapper, Redhind Grouper, Saddle Grouper, Schoolmaster, Coral Trout, Bar Jack, Pike, Zander, Perch, Tench, Bream, Roach, Rudd, Common Carp, Golden Tench, Wels Catfish
Species Caught 2008
Dorado, Wahoo, Barracuda, Bonito, Black Fin Tuna, Long Tom, Sergeant Major, Red Snapper, Black Damsel, Queen Trigga Fish, Red Grouper, Redhind Grouper, Rainbow Wrasse, Grey Trigger Fish, Ehrenbergs Snapper, Malabar Grouper, Lunar Fusiler, Two Tone Wrasse, Starry Dragonet, Convict Surgeonfish, Moonbeam Dwarf Angelfish,Bridled Monocle Bream, Redlined Triggerfish, Cero Mackeral, Rainbow Runner
Species Caught 2007
Arapaima, Alligator Gar, Mekong Catfish, Spotted Sorubim Catfish, Pacu, Siamese Carp, Barracuda, Black Fin Tuna, Queen Trigger Fish, Red Snapper, Yellow Tail Snapper, Honeycomb Grouper, Red Grouper, Schoolmaster, Cubera Snapper, Black Grouper, Albacore, Ballyhoo, Coney, Yellowfin Goatfish, Lattice Spinecheek

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20-25 years ago when i first started barbel fishing on my local river, most anglers still fished with light gear for chub, dace............ Half the barbel i caught had other hooks in them. I once took 5 (no barbless) inc my own out of a barbel about 8lb. Can't say Ive ever seen any evidence that it did them any harm.

 

Five is my record too but that didn't include mine, I was hooked up through the eye of one of the five hooks; but like Tigger says, I've seen some that have got a bit manky if they've been there awhile. This was on a very heavily fished stretch of the R.Lea, in areas with less pressure I wouldn't expect to see many fish with hooks still attached.

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thankyou for the reply, much appreciated. I see where you are coming from, i was using 4lb mainline to 2lb hooklength as i was aiming for smaller fish. The place i fish has got carp in it but is far from an overstocked commercial style place, i wasnt expecting one to take my double maggot! I know it was a bit naive but A) I thought i wouldn't ever catch the large carp on maggot and B) I thought 4lb mainline would be able to get them in, i was wrong. I am by far an all carp fisherman, i own one bite alarm and i catch all species but i also think carp are large, powerful and interesting fish so i do go for them as well as other fish. I suppose all in all its about finding the right balance of fine enough tackle to catch the smaller fish while also having it strong enough in case of the odd larger fish.

 

 

Thanks again

As famous fisherman John Gierach once said "I used to like fishing because I thought it had some larger significance. Now I like fishing because it's the one thing I can think of that probably doesn't."

 

 

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I look at it this way - if I am trying to catch a certain species I will use tackle appropriate for that species. If something else comes along, all I can do is do my best to land it. If I am trying to catch bream in a lake that contains a few large carp, there is a chance that I may one day hook and lose a carp. But if I use tackle guaranteed to land the largest carp, I'd never catch a bream!

 

If the lake contained LOTS of big carp then it would be different.

 

Same thing on the rivers. If I am after dace then I have to accept that I may hook and lose any large, angry trout that come along. But I'm not fishing for trout, I'm fishing for dace.

 

However, it is very rare for me to lose a fish because of the line/hooklength snapping and leaving a hook in a fish, even with unexpected big fish on light tackle. With practice and patience - and knowing just what your tackle is capable of - it's possible to land surprisingly large fish on surprisingly light tackle!

And those who were seen dancing were thought to be insane by those who could not hear the music

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As you say though (most of the fish I've seen with hooks left in appear fine)on the whole they can cope with a hook and a bit of line trailing. I think the problems start if there's long lengths of line still attached to the hook and it gets fast on an object tethering the fish or if there's a clonkin lead still attached to the line.

I know you like to fish with 6lb straight through on the river and can probably straighten your hooks with that if you needed to pull for a break. Personally i like to fish a bit lighter than that so maybe best i stick to using a hook length. :)

 

A tiger does not lose sleep over the opinion of sheep

 

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I would try to fish balanced tackle for the fish you are targeting and hope that you don't get snapped off on a bigger species, but most cyprinids (chub, bream, roach, carp etc) chomp up snails and mussels into small sharp pieces, so a small hook shouldn't be too much of a problem for them, as long as it isn't trailing a long length of mainline behind it.

Where's the 'ANY' key?

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I would honestly say that you've done nothing wrong as such Dave, maybe a bit more attention to your clutch settings would have helped but we're not all perfect like Watatoad lol. A hooklength is preferential when there is a good chance of a larger fish but its all about weighing the odds. If in doubt, use the hooklength and always free running or semi-fixed rigs.

 

Its happened to me, it'll happen again and it'll happen to you again too. It IS possible to land large fish on featherweight tackle but it takes time, practice and sometimes good ol' luck. My PB carp was just like that, only fish I've ever weighed, 14lb on 4lb hooklength to 6lb mainline and I knew then and still know that I was a gnats dangly from 'twang', from strike to net.

Mr Carp will be fine, just be a bit wary of maggots for a few days and sport a punk look.

 

Carry on caring like you do now and it will only make the future of our sport all the more certain. Whether you are aware of it or not, you are the future of the sport and I don't think we could want for a better outlook with guys like you on our side.

 

Renrag

This Years' Targets:- As many species by lure as possible. Preferably via Kayak. 15lb+ Pike on Lure...

Species Caught 2012- Pike, Perch.

Kayak Launches- Fresh-8 Salt- 0

Kayak Captures- 14 Pike, 1 Perch.

 

My Website and Blog Fishing Blog, Fishkeeping Information and BF3 Guide.

Foxy Lodge Wildlife Rescue

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I would honestly say that you've done nothing wrong as such Dave, maybe a bit more attention to your clutch settings would have helped but we're not all perfect like Watatoad lol. A hooklength is preferential when there is a good chance of a larger fish but its all about weighing the odds. If in doubt, use the hooklength and always free running or semi-fixed rigs.

 

Its happened to me, it'll happen again and it'll happen to you again too. It IS possible to land large fish on featherweight tackle but it takes time, practice and sometimes good ol' luck. My PB carp was just like that, only fish I've ever weighed, 14lb on 4lb hooklength to 6lb mainline and I knew then and still know that I was a gnats dangly from 'twang', from strike to net.

Mr Carp will be fine, just be a bit wary of maggots for a few days and sport a punk look.

 

Carry on caring like you do now and it will only make the future of our sport all the more certain. Whether you are aware of it or not, you are the future of the sport and I don't think we could want for a better outlook with guys like you on our side.

 

Renrag

Well put my friend.

In life we all have an unspeakable secret, an irreversible regret, an unreachable dream and an unforgettable love.

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I would honestly say that you've done nothing wrong as such Dave, maybe a bit more attention to your clutch settings would have helped but we're not all perfect like Watatoad lol. A hooklength is preferential when there is a good chance of a larger fish but its all about weighing the odds. If in doubt, use the hooklength and always free running or semi-fixed rigs.

 

Its happened to me, it'll happen again and it'll happen to you again too. It IS possible to land large fish on featherweight tackle but it takes time, practice and sometimes good ol' luck. My PB carp was just like that, only fish I've ever weighed, 14lb on 4lb hooklength to 6lb mainline and I knew then and still know that I was a gnats dangly from 'twang', from strike to net.

Mr Carp will be fine, just be a bit wary of maggots for a few days and sport a punk look.

 

Carry on caring like you do now and it will only make the future of our sport all the more certain. Whether you are aware of it or not, you are the future of the sport and I don't think we could want for a better outlook with guys like you on our side.

 

Renrag

 

Thankyou very much, much appreciated! :)

As famous fisherman John Gierach once said "I used to like fishing because I thought it had some larger significance. Now I like fishing because it's the one thing I can think of that probably doesn't."

 

 

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