Do you fish barbless, crushed barbs or barbed hooks

[Mike Oliver]

Which do you prefer when fly fishing. Barbless, crushed barbs or barbed hooks.

Thanks

[BrianBM]

I crush my barbs, because they're so much easier to remove from the side of my neck that way. It's necessary self-defense for the erratic caster.

[surfrat59]

Always crush the barbs on all mine, paid off big too a couple weeks ago when a sudden gust of wind perfectly coincided with my backcast and buried a 1/0 clouser in my wrist! Oh it's only a wrist, thank god it didn't nick my rod!

 

[Skip S]

Crushed barbs on all hooks whether flies,plugs or bait hooks.You just dont need them.

[mrsunrise]

I too crush, it's easier on both of us, the fish and myself.

[TLDig]

depends on what i'm fishin for and where i'm fishin and whether or not it's legal to fish with barbs....

[Spigola]

I fish with Barbie.

 

Oh, my hooks? Well, come to think of it I never crushed the barbs down in all my years of fishing. However, after seeing **** post above, the pliers are going to be getting a work out from now on. Getting too old to cut hooks out of my extremities.

 

Spigola

[Gilbey]

I crush nearly all my barbs.....all flies, all plugs with trebles too. Easy hook removal, and I don't think it causes me to lose any more fish.

 

Alan

[spook]

I crush ALL barbs. I have asked lure manufacturers why they don't use barbless hooks. They answer that lures without barbs do not sell.

I have been able to remove several hooks fron me, the most interesting was a clouser that went through my right earlobe.

[Dave S]

I try to crush down as many as I can when I remember to do it.

[lars]

I crush 'em down before I put the hook in the vise to tie the fly. It has no impact on losing fish, and makes releasing them unharmed much easier.

[PeterR]

Crush 'em all.

[doyle007]

question for you guys: when you crush them, do you make them completely flat, or do you leave the small bump? i will use my dremel and completely remove the barb before tying, but some of my older flies and plugs i've just used pliers to crush the barb, and that leaves me with the small bump. i read somewhere that the bump is better because it will hold in the fish's mouth a bit better, but it is still very easy to remove from the fish and yourself.

[Dave S]

just smash them with my pliers. The bump stays.

[Gilbey]

just smash them with my pliers. The bump stays.

 

What he said .