Whither to debarb or not for roach and perch

[DavidWliilamson]

I have herd a few people say that it better to leave the barb on ??? any views welcome

[Peter Waller]

Get 'em off!

 

I would never go back to barbed hooks for roach or perch. I can not think why anyone would!

[Dick Dastardly]

Get 'em off!

 

I would never go back to barbed hooks for roach or perch. I can not think why anyone would!

 

 

Ah but in the sizes you would be using to target specimen Perch a barbless hook can cause more fatalities!

 

David,there has been a lot on AN over the years covering the pros and cons of barbed v barbless hooks in different sizes and for different situations.Try a quick search and you will get a wealth of opinions that can help you decide what may be best for your situation.

[MatNewman]

IMO Barbless everytime

[RobStubbs]

I'm with Budgie. There are some circumstances where barbed are more preferable and less potentially harmful, one such is deffinately perch.

 

Rob.

[Peter Waller]

Please explain the perch fatality angle.

[gozzer]

Please explain the perch fatality angle.

 

In his absence, I hope Steve doesn't mind, but here are his thoughts on the subject.

 

This is a topic that crops up regularly. This is what I posted recently on the subject of barbed v barbless:

 

"I agree with Leon that it's horses for courses and depends on the species/circumstances. It also depends on the size and design of the hooks themselves.

 

In my experience barbless hooks tend to do less damage on unhooking (especially by inexperienced anglers), whilst barbed hooks can do more damage during striking and playing.

 

Why barbed hooks cause more damage then is often debated.

 

Some years ago I was also of the opinion that there should be no differences between barbed and barbless hooks, with for instance each penetrating equally. However, like a number of other experienced perch anglers, I found that barbless hooks were causing some perch deaths. Obviously I was wrong, so what could the problem be?

 

At the time I was in the tackle trade and so talked about the matter with a hook manufacturer.

 

They pointed out that hooks often go in at an angle and thus, although the distance penetrated is the same, the point of the hook doesn't always reach that far below the surface of the skin.

 

However the angle can subsequently change, especially during the playing of the fish. A barbed hook would tend to stay in the same place and at the same angle. On the other hand a barbless one would be more likely to move and thus the angle change, with the point of the hook possibly ending up further from the surface.

 

Additionally, as barbless hooks can move about more easily, they would be more likely to pierce vital organs anyway.

 

This suggestion seemed to be a logical explanation.

 

However, whatever the reason, what to me is more important is results in the field - and these showed that barbless hooks are not the best for perch.

 

Only a tiny barb seems to be needed, and in fact the pattern of hook I prefer for perch fishing has a miniscule one. In fact the barb on the size 6 is about the same size as a normal microbarbed size 16!

 

Having said that the state of the mouths of some UK fish is deplorable. This is all too often the case on overfished waters where fish are caught repeatedly, especially by beginners. If I managed a commercial water (God forbid!) I might well insist on barbless hooks for this reason.

 

On the other hand, an increasing number of specimen waters are now banning barbed hooks.

 

At Wingham I allow a free choice on the Carp Lake as it doesn't contain perch. However the Coarse Lake does, and here I ban barbless hooks above size 10. In each case I state that I prefer microbarbs.

 

So if you want to come to the next Forum Fish-In at Wingham, you'll either have to obey the fishery rules or I'm afraid decide not to come!"

 

Anyone interested in this subject may like to do a search of past topics for "barbless".

 

Myself I prefer to use 'crushed' barb or micro barb.

Years ago, when I match fished, I converted to all barbless hooks. I was even so confident, that to prove them to a mate, I hooked a dace, and put the rod down for a moment, picked it up again, and landed the fish.

A few seasons later, I started to lose fish on barbless. I don't know why, same hook pattern, same rod, same waters. I lost confidence in them completely, and now I squash the barb, or use micro barbed.

As in most things, I think confidence is a key thing, in deciding.

 

John.

[Dick Dastardly]

Years ago, when I match fished, I converted to all barbless hooks. I was even so confident, that to prove them to a mate, I hooked a dace, and put the rod down for a moment, picked it up again, and landed the fish.

A few seasons later, I started to lose fish on barbless. I don't know why, same hook pattern, same rod, same waters. I lost confidence in them completely, and now I squash the barb, or use micro barbed.

As in most things, I think confidence is a key thing, in deciding.

 

John.

 

Same as John.I was (and for most situations still) a great believer in barbless hooks for match/pleasure/general fishing.

 

Some of you may remember the couple of consecutive years sucsess I had in a local clubs Summer League evening matchs using "surface snatching"/"speed fishing" techniques.Whilst doing this I came to the conclusion that even though it took a bit longer to unhook each fish It was better to use barbed (micro barbed) as I was haveing less fish fall off (a curse with speed fishing on the top with short poles).

 

Im not going to get into the "is one better than the other full stop" or "is one more fish friendlier" debate as its definately a case of each situation dictating the need.

[Peter Waller]

Have to say that I can not accept Steve's logic. It simply doesn't add up! Why should a barbless hook penetrate further than a barbed one?

[Dick Dastardly]

Im in total agreeance with Steve Peter.But as you know I have a bit of a thing about deep penetration full stop.

 

 

Erm maybe I should have chose my words a bit better there as Im leaving myself wide open ....er its getting worse isnt it best just shut up me thinks!