Pond Boss Forums INTRO Questions & Observations barbless hooks

Forgive me if this has been discussed but I couldn't seem to find anything in search. Do you use barbless hooks or bent over barbs when fishing your ponds?
jim

Most of the time I don’t, when bg fishing and release it’s a good idea due to their small mouth size, seems like always want to swallow hook or get it in roof of mouth-in eyes

I often do when fishing for BG so I can release them easily without harm. When I'm fishing for CC, no.

I just flatten the barb out with a pair of pliers. It leaves a little hump that partially holds the hook in but still is easily removed.

We fillet lots of BG (and natural hybrids) as well as release the ones we think are nice specimens for breeding. Mashing the barbs down make us lose a fish once in a great while but not really all that often.

Now SMB, that is another story. They will shake a lure from their mouth even with barbs. Without barbs it is more like a "catch momentarily" experience.

I let the grandkids use barbed hooks, but everyone else goes without.

We debarb all hooks at our ponds, and require everyone else to do so also.

If you are releasing fish and want them to survive ... fish with debarbed hooks. And make no exceptions. I also like long shanked hooks that are thinner wired when catching to release.

Debarbing hooks is a good practice for making things more enjoyable for the fisherman too. Much less time taking hooks out. As long as you keep a tight line and the fish doesn't jump you will not likely lose the fish. It seems I can sense when an LMB will jump by its movement in the water, I usually hold the rod high and to one side or the other. But when the fish is approaching jump I will reverse the side by rotating the whole works (which also lowers the rod tip while maintaining the bend of the rod). More often than not the fish changes direction and dives when I do that (your mileage may vary). If a fish is breaching, try to pull it on its side and keep it moving in your direction. It's the head shake with head up and tail down that usually throws a hook. Heavier lures are easier to for fish to throw. Going debarbed will make you a better fisherman. I think I hook more with debarbed hooks because the hook set takes less force.

I've noticed the same thing when fighting LMB. Usually best to pull them to the side when they want to jump, do NOT let them freely leap & shake their head!

^^^ what jpsdad has said.
I bend down the barbs on my hooks, too. It's uncommon to lose a fish for us when fishing with debarbed hooks. We lose some, of course, with barbed hooks, too. That's the nature of fishing.
Releasing fish unharmed is much easier and quicker. I find that netting a trout taken on a debarbed hook releases the hook from the fish's mouth. Bass and sunfish don't thrash around in the net as much as trout do, so they usually require deliberate manual unhooking.

De-barbed hooks here as well. Mostly, I appreciate the shorter time it takes to get the hook out so that I can weigh, measure, photograph, and release. I lose more fish in my pond from the bigger ones breaking the line rather than one spiting out a hook...UGGGH! At least they can spit the hook out easier, at their leisure while laughing at me from the depths.

I debarb all hooks I use in the pond. Also on treble hooks a lot of time I will completely cut off one of the bends of a hook. Making it just a double hook. Still catch lots of fish. Really helps with bluegill.