MORE FLY FISHING
The Truth About Barbless by Chuck Stranahan
Don ’ t be afraid to pinch your barbs . I had that fear a long time ago , and got over it .
Years ago , my favorite stretch of stream had recently gone to single hook , barbless artificial restrictions . The purpose of the regulation was to protect a native trout population from the damage associated with barbed hooks . Fish that had been released too often showed deformed and disfigured jaws . Entire jaw mandibles were often missing .
That short 2 ½ mile stretch of stream was contained by a rough fish barrier at the outflow end and a powerhouse and dam at the upper end . It offered a controlled environment for fishery biology studies .
What the biologists saw there was that fish released from barbed hooks often endured secondary stress that killed them ; stress resulting from being mishandled while the angler attempted to wrestle a barbed fly loose . Mortality , to say nothing of disfigurement , was a documented problem .
I could see the sense of the new regulations , but was uneasy . It was hard enough to hook a trout on that challenging stretch of stream , let alone bring it to the net before release . I was always careful to keep the trout in water and revive it thoroughly ; why wasn ’ t that enough ? So I fished barbless , but cursed the regulations that caused me to often hook a trout only to lose it on the first jump . At least it seemed that way to me .
The sharp hook About that time an expert river regular introduced me to a tool that changed my angling life : the Diamond Deb nail file . “ Use this on all your flies , Chuck . These hooks simply aren ’ t sharp enough .” In those days , chemically sharpened hooks hadn ’ t been developed . I tried new hooks on my thumbnail , as he suggested , and they seemed to barely scratch . A few strokes with the Diamond Deb , and they grabbed – wanted to penetrate if I pulled just a wee bit too hard . I could see his point . Today there are diamond dust hook hones that do a much better job and are easier to carry than that cosmetic counter model , and I use a hone regularly .
I check my fly for sharpness and use the hone if needed every time I tie on a fly , ( sometimes even the best hooks are not sharp enough ) every time I snag something , ( that ultra-sharp point is easy to damage ) and every time I hook a fish .
The flattened barb Another regular on that stream was the legendary Doug Swisher , who preceded me in becoming a resident of the Bitterroot Valley . Doug told me of a battery of tests he conducted using dental plastics of various hardness to replicate a trout ’ s jaw . His tests showed conclusively that a barbless hook , one without the upswept area of the barb in the way , penetrated clear to the bend with less pressure than a barbed hook .
That gave me more confidence as I started fishing regularly with de-barbed hooks , flattening the barb of every fly I tied on . I also made sure my hook was sharp .
I was surprised at the number of fish that I held on a jump , or on slack line , or despite my own inept handling – fish I would expect to lose - before I started fishing sharp and barbless . My experience led me to believe what I know now : You won ’ t lose all your fish because of barbless hooks . In fact , like me , you ’ ll most likely land a greater percentage of those you hook .
Check the hook When I tie on a new fly , I do these things : First , I make sure that my knot is secure . I tie it carefully and make sure it is properly pulled into shape . The knot should look right when I ’ m finished , or it gets cut off and re-tied . Second , I flatten the barb with a flat-jawed hemostat . Third , I check the hook to be sure it ’ s sharp – even on a fresh , unfished fly – and if necessary , I sharpen it . Those latter two things – a sharp hook and a flattened barb – will combine to increase your solid hookup ratio and hold more trout from hookup to net . Since going to this system I ’ ve lost more fish to breakoffs or hook failure than I have to the mysterious “ Aww – he got off ” that I used to endure .
In other words , if I hook them well I tend to land them . And I hook them best on sharp , barbless hooks . You can do the same .
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