To barb or not to barb?

[redietz]

Advantages to going barbless:

1) Safer
2) Easier to remove from fish
3) More hookups
4) Legal in all streams I fish

Disadvantages:

1) Lose the occasional fish that I wouln't have hooked in the first place with a barbed hook.

It's a pretty easy choice.

[ohiotuber]

I debarb as well.
Mike

[J Castwell]

I thought the barb was to help keep my 'bit of worm' from sliding off? Like on nymphs and things?

[Ron Eagle Elk]

I try to buy barbless hooks when I can, only because I hate taking up the second or two per hook to smash the barb. All my hooks are debarbed or barbless by design.

[texfly]

Im not sure why they still sell fly hooks with barbs. I dont know anyone who uses them. Everyone seems to buy barbless , or like most of us , just smash it with pliers.

[Red Diamond]

i bebarb after sunday fishing in high wind then had to remove a clouser from my back side combo of poor casting and wind mostly poor casting

[gutbomb]

Another benefit is less wrangling to remove a barbless hook. I ruined too many flies trying to wrassle that barb out of fish's mouth.

[jjtroutbum]

Im not sure why they still sell fly hooks with barbs. I dont know anyone who uses them. Everyone seems to buy barbless , or like most of us , just smash it with pliers.

I believe I read somewhere that it is harder or more expensive to produce barbless hooks ie the higher price for them.

[redietz]

I believe I read somewhere that it is harder or more expensive to produce barbless hooks ie the higher price for them.

Yes, it is. Normally, the barb is cut at the same time the wire is cut, and makes for a convenient point for the jig to grasp when forming the rest of the hook.

And as someone above stated, I prefer to debarb than to fish barbless. I usually fish two fly rigs, with the bottom fly tied to the bend of the top fly. The little bump from where the barb was keeps the knot from slipping off. It just isn't that hard to knock the barb down before putting it in the vise.

[Valhalla 1]

Im not sure why they still sell fly hooks with barbs.

Partly because you can always take the barb off a barbed hook, but you can't add one to a barbless one. Wider buyer demographic, even if the majority take them off. Personally, I smash them down rather than pay extra pennies for barbless.