Do fish really shed barbless hooks?

[Neuvy]

Thankyou very much, much appreciated!

 

Dave I fish a water with Carp to over 25lbs, large Bream and Perch but also lots of small/medium Rudd and Roach, I use one rod though and only ever float fish, generally near the margins. Here is my solution to having an interesting session and not having to play large fish on fine hook-lengths.

I start off fishing for the smaller species, throw in a few maggots, ground bait (whatever I think suits the day) but get at least some fish into the swim, if I start catching small fish straight away it builds my confidence for the session, so I target the smaller species, until I believe there are larger fish in the swim.

I always use a 7.5lb mainline but at the start I use a 2lb hook length to small hook sizes, I fix my homemade hook-lengths via a snap swivel, they are all the same length so there are no 'depth' issues and the changeover can be made in seconds. I have a 'Preston Innovations' large size hook box which is full of all the lengths and hooks that I know I'll need.

I try and 'read' the swim, if I suddenly notice bubbles chances are I have something bigger moving around, there can be other signs too, if you suddenly start missing bites it is also possible that the hooks are too small for the large carp now in the swim, (although this applies less to ledgering and using hair-rigs etc.). At this point I change the hook-length for a 5lbs one and size 10/12 hooks or bigger and use my favourite cat food cubes in jelly, mini boilies in a bait band or whatever I've taken along as an experiment for the bigger fish.

I find once I have caught a large carp and it has ploughed through my swim several times (which is at my feet effectively) the swim goes dead to larger fish for a while so I switch back to the lighter hook-length and smaller hooks and start taking the smaller fish again. I also vary depth and baits a lot, this keeps me and the fish interested.

 

On barbless hooks:- I've had quite a few largish Carp throw the hooks, I'm not sure why, it might be my general technique or the pattern of hook more likely but in the same session where I have lost one fish I have changed the pattern for another and lost a large fish straight away on a different pattern, where on previous days both pattern have hooked and landed large fish!!? I use a centrepin and a 15' carbon, carp/float rod, (long I know for the big un's but it is a great rod), some of the carp here seem to shake their heads a lot and I figured out that that was when I was loosing the fish, so if that happens now I quickly try and lead the fish in a different direction, it seems to confuse em' and the head shaking stops.

Try using higher strength lines when you have carp around, I use Ultima 'Power Match' for the mainline and 'Power Silk' for hook lengths, it has a very fine diameter and is well behaved, if you don't already do it tie your own hook-lengths but you'll need a hook tier for spade ends and a loop making tool.

I hooked and landed a carp over 25lbs recently on a fine hook length, it took over 20 mins to bring to the net and to be honest after 10 mins, it was getting a bit tiresome as there was little I could do with it, the carp was mostly in charge until gentle pressure tired it. Inevitably you will hook into something big when you have the light gauge tackle on but at least if you decrease the odds of this happening you will not have to play fish for so long every time you hook em'. Having said that any carp over 10lb on light tackle certainly teaches you how to play fish properly. Every session has a learning curve!

[davedave]

thanks, thats a really good tactic to float fish for smaller stuff then change hooklengths via a snap link. But does this method work best in summer where it is ok to put in a fair bit of bait that eventually attracts the larger stuff, surely in winter you dont put as much feed in, or do you?? Thanks again

[Neuvy]

thanks, thats a really good tactic to float fish for smaller stuff then change hooklengths via a snap link. But does this method work best in summer where it is ok to put in a fair bit of bait that eventually attracts the larger stuff, surely in winter you dont put as much feed in, or do you?? Thanks again

 

I fish for the biggies too with float gear, I just enjoy that way of fishing even though other methods can produce just as many or more fish. I feed less in winter Dave, maggots are a good all round winter bait and worms are a killer for Perch which are often active, fish around snags for them in the margins with float gear.

[davedave]

Thanks. Yes i'd like to start catching carp on float gear which i will try soon, never really had the confidence to use the float for carp and found it easier to chuck in a ledger rig. I will start developing the method though for bigger fish because theres nothing better than watching that float slide under is there! Thanks

[Neuvy]

That's right Dave, there is nothing better than watching a float disappear - well few things.

[Grumpalot]

@ Neuvy, re your post #31: I've read whole , copiusly illustrated books that had less to offer than this long and generous post. B. well done, and thanks!

It's people taking the time and trouble to make posts like that, that make internet forums worthwhile. Any chance of working it up into an article so it doesn't get lost?

[watatoad]

Dave I fish a water with Carp to over 25lbs, large Bream and Perch but also lots of small/medium Rudd and Roach, I use one rod though and only ever float fish, generally near the margins. Here is my solution to having an interesting session and not having to play large fish on fine hook-lengths.

I start off fishing for the smaller species, throw in a few maggots, ground bait (whatever I think suits the day) but get at least some fish into the swim, if I start catching small fish straight away it builds my confidence for the session, so I target the smaller species, until I believe there are larger fish in the swim.

I always use a 7.5lb mainline but at the start I use a 2lb hook length to small hook sizes, I fix my homemade hook-lengths via a snap swivel, they are all the same length so there are no 'depth' issues and the changeover can be made in seconds. I have a 'Preston Innovations' large size hook box which is full of all the lengths and hooks that I know I'll need.

I try and 'read' the swim, if I suddenly notice bubbles chances are I have something bigger moving around, there can be other signs too, if you suddenly start missing bites it is also possible that the hooks are too small for the large carp now in the swim, (although this applies less to ledgering and using hair-rigs etc.). At this point I change the hook-length for a 5lbs one and size 10/12 hooks or bigger and use my favourite cat food cubes in jelly, mini boilies in a bait band or whatever I've taken along as an experiment for the bigger fish.

I find once I have caught a large carp and it has ploughed through my swim several times (which is at my feet effectively) the swim goes dead to larger fish for a while so I switch back to the lighter hook-length and smaller hooks and start taking the smaller fish again. I also vary depth and baits a lot, this keeps me and the fish interested.

 

On barbless hooks:- I've had quite a few largish Carp throw the hooks, I'm not sure why, it might be my general technique or the pattern of hook more likely but in the same session where I have lost one fish I have changed the pattern for another and lost a large fish straight away on a different pattern, where on previous days both pattern have hooked and landed large fish!!? I use a centrepin and a 15' carbon, carp/float rod, (long I know for the big un's but it is a great rod), some of the carp here seem to shake their heads a lot and I figured out that that was when I was loosing the fish, so if that happens now I quickly try and lead the fish in a different direction, it seems to confuse em' and the head shaking stops.

Try using higher strength lines when you have carp around, I use Ultima 'Power Match' for the mainline and 'Power Silk' for hook lengths, it has a very fine diameter and is well behaved, if you don't already do it tie your own hook-lengths but you'll need a hook tier for spade ends and a loop making tool.

I hooked and landed a carp over 25lbs recently on a fine hook length, it took over 20 mins to bring to the net and to be honest after 10 mins, it was getting a bit tiresome as there was little I could do with it, the carp was mostly in charge until gentle pressure tired it. Inevitably you will hook into something big when you have the light gauge tackle on but at least if you decrease the odds of this happening you will not have to play fish for so long every time you hook em'. Having said that any carp over 10lb on light tackle certainly teaches you how to play fish properly. Every session has a learning curve!

 

 

Brilliant Neuvy.

 

Very well explained, that ladies and gentlemen is one of the standard methods or making sure you don't have a blank day which is something I gather many of you experience on a regular base. Start small and work your way bigger, I often think too many anglers just go out to target very large fish without thinking about basic swim strategy.

1: There are a lot more small fish in the water than large fish.

2: The presence of small fish encourages and gives confidence to larger fish to move in.

3: Most anglers will say catch a large fish and the swim often dies, so re-target the small fish.

4: So it can keep repeating, small, large, small, large, small and so on.

5: Many successful anglers constantly although lightly feed two (2) swims.

6: Always study the water and your swim(s)

7: Fish with appropriate tackle for the fish in the swim all fish can be caught on fine light tackle but smaller fish are less likely to take large hooks and large baits.

Edited November 1, 2010 by watatoad

[Anderoo]

True, although sometimes the last thing you want is to catch small fish, as it seriously compromises your chances of the big fish you are after. Not blanking is not difficult - all you need is one bleak. A blank for me is not catching what you set out to catch. A total blank (a term nicked from Steve Burke) is catching nothing at all. It just depends what you want from your fishing I suppose.

 

I don't mind blanking at all, as long as I feel I fished well. I'd rather fish well and not catch what I am after than fluke a monster. If you fish well you learn something; if you fluke a big fish you don't.

 

On the barbless hooks point, one thing I don't think has been mentioned is the use of fine wire hooks. If you are fishing for smaller species in waters that contain bigger fish, a fine wire hook will easily cope with what you're after, but will straighten on a big fish, which means you don't leave hooks in fish.

[watatoad]

True, although sometimes the last thing you want is to catch small fish, as it seriously compromises your chances of the big fish you are after. Not blanking is not difficult - all you need is one bleak. A blank for me is not catching what you set out to catch. A total blank (a term nicked from Steve Burke) is catching nothing at all. It just depends what you want from your fishing I suppose.

 

I don't mind blanking at all, as long as I feel I fished well. I'd rather fish well and not catch what I am after than fluke a monster. If you fish well you learn something; if you fluke a big fish you don't.

 

On the barbless hooks point, one thing I don't think has been mentioned is the use of fine wire hooks. If you are fishing for smaller species in waters that contain bigger fish, a fine wire hook will easily cope with what you're after, but will straighten on a big fish, which means you don't leave hooks in fish.

 

Very good point and I agree with you on the hooks, although I thought that was obvious...But you are right like many anglers who have fished a lot over a long time I too make the mistake of assuming other angler know what to me is obvious and often a standard practice...how easily do regular practices get overlooked, pluming the water is one I do it throughout my swim even when I know the swim exceedingly well because you never know what changes a storm or heavy rainfall upstream can make even the odd sunken shopping trolley or branch, its just something I do regularly and without thinking about it and never consider for a minute that some anglers might not do the same.

[Dales]

Brilliant Neuvy.

 

Very well explained, that ladies and gentlemen is one of the standard methods or making sure you don't have a blank day which is something I gather many of you experience on a regular base. Start small and work your way bigger, I often think too many anglers just go out to target very large fish without thinking about basic swim strategy.

1: There are a lot more small fish in the water than large fish.

2: The presence of small fish encourages and gives confidence to larger fish to move in.

3: Most anglers will say catch a large fish and the swim often dies, so re-target the small fish.

4: So it can keep repeating, small, large, small, large, small and so on.

5: Many successful anglers constantly although lightly feed two (2) swims.

6: Always study the water and your swim(s)

7: Fish with appropriate tackle for the fish in the swim all fish can be caught on fine light tackle but smaller fish are less likely to take large hooks and large baits.

 

I don't mind blanking, to me it is all part of fishing and now the weather is turning blanks will start to creep in to my fishing sessions more and more. It's rare I just go out to catch just any fish and most trips will involve targeting one maybe two species and if it don't get at least one of them then it is a blank of sorts. I could carry some very fine lines and hooks with me and a tub of maggots and try to winkle out a small Roach on ever trip so I could claim not to have blanked. But if I am after certain fish such as Pike & Zander catching any thing else just will not do.

 

Anderoo sums it up in his post and for many anglers they have a set target they are after and if they do not get that then it is a blank of sorts. I do like the term that he borrowed from Steve Burke "Total Blank". I have never come across this term before, but it does have a nice ring to it and a certain bluntness. I think I might start using that one

 

I wear my blanks with pride even the total blanks and have no intention of starting Roach bothering to gloss over any failings in my angling ability