Hi - Just wanted to stop in and introduce myself! I live in Romeoville, IL (about 30 miles southwest of Chicago). I'm a longtime casual spincast fisherman and I just recently got into fly fishing a couple months ago. I'm now hooked. I've only been fly fishing about a half dozen times, but I took a fly casting lesson at a local shop (One More Cast in Countryside, IL), and have been practicing in my backyard for the last few weeks. I'm already looking into building my own fly rod and I plan on buying a fly tying kit to give me something to do during the cold Chicago winter. So, you'll probably be seeing a lot more of me around here.

I've been doing a lot of research online about fly fishing, but there is one subject I couldn't find much on and would like to know more about, and that is barbless hook fishing. Is this a common practice among fly fishers? It sounds like it would be much better for the fish, but does it increase the frequency of lost fish? Any info on the subject is greatly appreciated!

Thanks in advance!