Stewardship Tip May 5th, 2009 – Single, Barbless Hooks
The lunker that you caught and released stands a better chance of survival and reproduction if you return her to the water as efficiently as possible. Handle her as little as you can and keep her in the water as much as possible. Using a single, barbless hook lets you do all of this faster.
Other benefits: You’ll hook more fish! The single, barbless hook has a slimmer profile that will penetrate a fish’s lip faster and deeper. It can also be removed easily, a point, no pun intended, that will not be lost when you hook yourself.
Today, all kinds of anglers have discovered barbless advantages. Many musky, pike, and bass anglers are removing the treble hooks from their lures and replacing them with single, barbless hooks. These anglers report that they have great hookup ratios. They also report that they don’t miss that extra hook fouling up their landing net!
Debarbing a hook is a simple process. Use a set of needle nose pliers and smash the barb down. Big, beefy hooks can be dealt with using a file to file off the barb. Spinnerbaits, jigs, and most soft molded baits are ready-made, single hook tools already in your arsenal – now just pinch the barb!
Don’t be deterred if your favorite lure does not come in a single barbless version. For lures with treble hooks, open the split rings with a screwdriver or pocket knife, slide the treble hook off, and replace it with a single hook. Many tackle shops and hardware stores sell inexpensive pliers for split rings that will make the job much easier.
Why it matters to fish and fishing: To make catch and release as effective as possible, we need to continuously improve our fish handling skills so the fish we release survive. Many fish die days after release from the stress associated with being caught. Julie Meka, a fisheries biologist with the United States Geological Service, indicated in a recent study, that the use of barbless hooks minimizes injury and reduces the amount of time fish are handled during hook removal. The logic is simple. To increase the fish’s chance of survival, handle the fish as quickly and as minimally as possible, get it back in the water, and release it when it has reached equilibrium. A barbless hook will help you to quickly get that lunker back on her way.
Want more? Take a look at Julie Meka’s research here.
This week’s sponsor-partner: Daiichi Hooks
Daiichi Hooks uses harder steel to create hooks with stronger points. Daiichi takes longer to temper their hooks, which gives them a combination of strength and flex. Each and every hook is hand inspected prior to shipping, so you’re sure to get a quality product every time.
Their partnership makes this week’s “Stewardship Tip” possible.
Rising demand for our weekly Stewardship Tip and a new partnership with Fly Cast America now makes the Stewardship Tip available in Spanish. Ahora, reciba el Stewardship Tip en español. Gentileza de Fly Cast America.
To read the weekly Stewardship Tip in Spanish, click here Simplemente haga click aquí si desea recibir el Stewardship tip en Español.
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