I haven't purchased any new hooks that weren't barbless in a couple years,
and for a couple years before that debarbing was always step #1 in tying. I
honestly figured my boxes were 100% 'barbless' at this point.

But, for the hell of it, I commandeered some stocking material from my wife
and started going through my boxes, doing the stocking test on suspect
hooks. Well, let me tell you, I was surprised to find a LOT of hooks that
failed ( if snagging even a single thread is failure ) .... hooks I thought
I had debarbed well enough, and the rare purchased fly, a few I found last
year floating box and all down the HFork. In many cases I simply couldn't
smash the barb well enough to avoid the snag. I now have a couple hundred
assorted hooks, left over from my pre-barbless days and dozens of flies that
I'll have to try and find a good home for ... I'm anal enough that once I've
declared myself a 'barbless angler' I don't want a single barb in my kit ...
anywhere G