Spinners And Plugs

[PIKE]

Why are all the spinners and plugs got barbed hooks on them ?

I can understand barbs for deadbaiting but not for spinnind.

[slodger]

I'm no lure expert Pike, but I feel just the opposite, i.e I use barbless for live and dead-baits and barbed hooks with lures. I think the rigidity of most lure types make it much easier for a pike to eject them if fitted with barbless hooks than it can a soft natural bait.

 

To be honest though, I'm sure the difficulty of the unhooking procedure, and the slight cosmetic damage that big lures can sustain to a pike may well be alleviated to a certain extent by the use of barbless hooks. So it might be something worth trying??

Edited November 27, 2005 by slodger

[Dick Dastardly]

Just squeeze the barbs down mate best of both worlds then.

[Leon Roskilly]

Spinners and plugs aren't just made for UK coarse anglers.

 

The same patterns are sold throughout the world, and most anglers in the world are targeting fish for the pot, and want a hook that keeps the fish on regardless of fish welfare.

 

I always flatten the barbs on my lures.

 

They penetrate much more easily and are far easier to reomve (from myself included!)

 

Many lures could do with smaller/less hooks as well, and a finer gauge wire will result in less lost lures, bending when pulling out of a snag instead of staying there when the line finally breaks.

 

TL - leon

[argyll]

Why are all the spinners and plugs got barbed hooks on them ?

I can understand barbs for deadbaiting but not for spinnind.

 

There's lures and there's lures. Take something like a Sloppy Pig. Here's a Sloppy Pig

 

The hook is attached to the lure without a split ring or any kind of pivotal connection.... in other words its fixed and wont move in any other direction but that in which the lure goes. When a pike is hooked it will often use the body of the lure as a way of levering itself off the hook. I dont know whether it does it by accident or whether it does it out of pure instinct, but it frequently manages to shake off the hook. A barbless hook on these kinds of lures makes it even easier to do so.

Same goes for crankbaits and hard jerkbaits where the hook is tight under the body and particularly if the fish is caught by the belly hook.. it gives an opportunity to lever itself off. Not so much a problem if its caught by the tail hook.

Spinners and spoons which have a single treble or a single hook on the tail are less of an issue. They're usually attached by a big split ring which allows the hook to pivot and that make it difficult for a pike to find the leverage to escape. I could make things complicated and suggest you look at every lure and decide whether to make them barbless or barbed but I would be more inclined to say 'leave them barbed and spend some time making sure that they are SHARP'

Edited November 27, 2005 by argyll

[Gaz51]

As Budgie suggests, crush the barbs with a pair of pliers, they should crush easily. To make a really good job of it get a small warding file and give the hook a good smoothing where the barb was.

[Dick Dastardly]

If my lures come with the hook mounted direct I always cut them off and replace them with a hook via a split ring for the reasons Argyle states.When doing this be sure to check that the now effectilely longer hooks cant tangle with each other.

 

As leon says many lures come with heavy duty salt water trebles attached. I often change mine for finer wire versions as these cause less damage and can be straightened(when using heavy braid) if the lure becomes snagged.Dont be tempted to swop them for too much smaller a size though as if you do the lures body can mask the hook points impeding hook ups.

 

Finnaly as said keep your trebles sharp! it amazes me how many people dont bother and fish with blunt hooks.

[Newt]

Crushed barbs work nicely. You may possibly lose an occasional fish that would have come to the net using full barbs but rarely and for pure sport angling (as opposed to meat angling or serious tourney angling) I can't see that as a real problem.

 

I don't think Argyll mentioned it but I have seen him mention changing out his trebles for single circle hooks on some lures. I have done the same and like it. Occasional lures need the full weight of the trebles but a little tungsten putty takes care of that.

 

You'll thank yourself when you go to unhook the fish from the lure or the lure from the net.

[Dick Dastardly]

Ive been trying single circles on my spoons for some time since Newt kindly semt me a load to try.I have found them fine (in a big enough size) on spoons but as I had used single hooked spoons before this wasnt so great a leap in faith for me.As to trying them on big plugs/jerkbaits Im still not so sure but cant comment till I have.I have used them on just the tail of plugs up to 6" and they work fine.