"Stan Gula" wrote in message
...
"snakefiddler" wrote in message
...
i'm sure roff has had *this* discussion a million times, but what are
some
of ya'll's opinions regarding barbed hooks vs barbless-
i met a guy fishin today that says he prefers barbless- hadn't thought
about
it before.

snakefiddler


Barbless make it much easier to release fish and yourself. If you plan on
keeping fish and yourself, then barbs are good. Some people argue that a
barbless hook penetrates the fish's mouth better because it's a smaller
diameter, and that might be right, but probably trivially.

I tie my flies on real barbless hooks sometimes, but usually I just mash
the
barb flat with a pair of flat jawed pliers.

Let me tell you, you don't know frustration until you bury a size 6 hook
in
your forearm and realize you forgot to mash the barb and you don't have
any
wire cutters. I buried two big hooks in my arm last year, and the
barbless
one was much easier to deal with.
--
Stan Gula
http://gula.org/roffswaps



might also have made a situation i had the other day easier. i hooked a
sunfish, problem was he all but swallowed the fly. it was a bitch to get
out, and i'm sure there was no way he survived. i couldn't do the merciful
thing and kill it and cook it because i was in a catch and release only
creek. sucked.

snakefiddler