Barbed and Barbless

[Royal Wulff]

Hi folks, RW here

Haven't posted in quite awhile, but I still keep up with this website on a regular basis. I can't wade a trout stream anymore but I still keep my hand in the game with panfish from warm water lakes and ponds. My favorite panfish are bluegills and here in upstate New York I have a variety of waters where I can easily fly fish for them. I still enjoy tying flies, especially the old Catskill dry and wet fly patterns I used for trout. I think they most closely simulate the type of bugs that gills feed on. Keeping a mess of gills for a meal is still a treat and a method I use to keep from injuring those I want to release is to alternately tie a barbed and then barbless fly during one of my tying sessions. That way if I"m heading out with the intention of catching a few for a meal I use the barbed fly, and if I plan on releasing everything I use the barbless fly. Works for me. Hope all my old friends on FAOL are having a great fishing season.

Good Luck, RW

[James Smith]

Royal Wulff,

It's good to have you back again. I also fish extensively for panfish, bream in particular which mainly includes bluegill and redear with some pumpkinseeds or green sunfish mixed in. Even if I'm keeping fish for dinner, not all the ones I catch will be keepers, so I only fish with barbless hooks. I don't find that there is much difference in the number of fish that get off the hook whether or not I use barbless or barbed hooks. One other benefit to barbless is that they are easier to get out submerged brush or people for that matter if things don't go as planned. I do find that bass are a bit tougher to land with barbless hooks, but I still prefer barbless for all of my freshwater fishing.


Jim

[NJTroutbum]

I fish barbless where I am required to do so.

That being said, I've never found warmwater fish to take flies as deeply as when fishing bait, so I've never really seen it as an issue.

[Linecaster]

Hook yourself and you will wish it was barbless, bass do sometimes get off but rarely bream.

[EdD]

I have found out the hard way, barbless hooks must be kept sharp or losses of fish can be substantial.

RW, Seeing your post has made my day. I'm glad to see you post again. I hope you can find a few spots on streams where you can flip a fly to trout without having to wade.


Warm regards,
Ed

[LadyFisher]

RW, terrific to see you here again! Trav & nephew Tom drove down to a regional lake near Coalstrip one day last week for bluegills and bass. They were surprised when I called the gills "gigglefish"...but I still giggle when I catch a few *S*
LF