This is a great barbless hook for rainbow and steelhead

The ultimate barbless fly fishing hook.

https://youtu.be/of4kYW5yMNQ

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https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC3r...hdV-A0JLOW3akQ

Terry, I was converted to fishing barbless in the 1970s by Fenwick Fly Fishing School manager Bob Giannoni and Neil Bohannon, of the Fly Hutch.

We always wondered why all hooks and all flies were not barbless but their is still push back from some...which is OK.




In all the YouTube videos I watch, daily, I hate seeing the folks on there struggling to release those fish with the barbs up?

I actually email some of them and suggest to them to try going barbless.

I’m totally sold on fishing barbless too Bill. Makes releasing fish much smoother and easier, and makes it a lot less painful and damaging to your ear, thumb, shoulder, etc. I wish there were a few more hook options for barbless. Those hooks in the video look awesome, but it doesn’t look like they are easily found in North America? Hope to see more availability of all kinds of barbless hooks!
JB

Orvis has some barbless large gap hooks in their "tactical" series. Dry fly and nymph strengths. On sale right now, I came across them the other day and ordered a few packs of each to try out.

Regards,

Tim C.

Yeah I don’t get the mixed feelings about barbless, I recall reading that some countries have banned barbless because their evidence suggests that they do more damage than barbed. Same over her with some carp fisheries, they feel the barbless point moves around more in the hole, causing more damage. I’m not sure myself, I’ve seen the damage to a fish’s mouth caused by a barbed hook, and as you say, how long it takes keeping the fish out of the water. Barbless is a no brainier for me.

Why do barbless hooks cost more, it’s one less step?

Yes ago I was told that the first thing they do was to cut in the barb and that let's them get a good grasp of the hook to do all the

bending?



All fly tying hooks should be barbless but there is some people who scream about that and have the hook manufacturers scared to go

all barbless for flies.

So many places are barbless only....wild trout and salmon fisheries.


My vote would be 100% barbless hooks and flies.


Kaufmann's Streamborn Fly Shops in the Northwest supposedly had 100% barbless hooks for sale and all their flies we tied barbless at

least 20 years ago? They were in business with Tiemco hooks at the time.

I think they just cost more at the moment because as Bill said, people are scared to commit so when they do get a run manufactured they do it in smaller quantities, hence the higher price.

I’m sure they’d be the same price in a 500k item production run.

We are seeing more and more companies supplying good barbless hooks over here now and also supplying flies on them. But at the moment it’s still only around 20% of the market. When all hooks used in magazines, videos, by coaches/instructors are barbless then the balance will switch so that barbed becomes the minority.

I also think that barbless and catch and release gives fishing a better appeal. Do you guys get much pressure from anti angling groups in the states?

I started tying with all barbless about 6 months ago and buy Hanak hooks here: https://www.tacticalflyfisher.com/fly-tying-hooks/ He sells only competition hooks, meaning they're competition-compliant, meaning they're barbless. I'm happy with Hanak except they don't have much in the smaller sizes for midges.

The obvious drawback (to me, based on my own experience) is that fish simply get off the hook more easily. I was swinging the other day and those 'bows were coming off more easily than with a barb for sure. Since the favorite part of fishing for me is getting the hit and setting the hook, I'm not too upset if the fish gets off -- as long as I can get it in close and see it. But these were getting off within a few seconds and I only saw them if they jumped.

If you want barbless consistently it seems you have to tie your own flies.