The debate
Well this debate has rolled on and on for years and I don’t think that it is ever going to be resolved, but I am going to add my thoughts to the discussions anyway. I have been carp fishing for over 25 years and now more than ever my fishing approach, tackle and rigs is geared up with carp safety in mind. Gone are the days of fixed rigs and huge barbed hooks.
Its your choice
I think the choice a carp angler has today is a difficult one and is really a matter of personal preference rather than fish care. My choice is always to go for the barbed hook unless dictated too by a club or water ruling. I base my decision on experience and what I feel is right. In years gone by I have to admit that I have seen some gruesome sights when landing fish with badly damage mouths. However in the last 10 years this really has become a rare sight for me and the modern micro barb hooks leave very little trace. I never have to use forceps to unhook fish.
My choice of hook
When I am forced to use barbless hooks, unhooking is never a problem, as the hook usually falls out before you even get to it on the mat. I do however question the amount fish been lost to hook pulls and the sliding around of the hook hold that sometimes happens. I have caught only a few fish where I have seen the evidence but enough for me to raise the question are barbless hooks really better for the fish? Or is there an increased chance of mouth damage?
My conclusion
My conclusion is that I like to keep my carp fishing percentages high on the number of carp I hook and land. Therefore the increase in hook pulls and lost fish that inevitably happens when fishing with barbless hooks put me firmly in the barbed hooks camp. I also do not see from my own carp fishing any evidence that a barbless hook do less damage than a Micro barb hook? On the contrary I would say the opposite on the occasions I have been forced to fish with barbless hooks. I think a lot of water and club policies have a one rule fits all and the barbless only rule works for them from the match fisherman through to the carp angler a like.
barbed all the way
barbless for me……unless the rule`s state other wise.
I use the nashy fangs with microbarb for the majority of my fishing. My own view is barbed on all hooks above size 12. If people are fishing smaller hooks and catching smaller fish then barbless does have a place. Bigger fish fight harder and move around more in the fight so a barbless hook will move about more and cause damage. Think of the angle of the hook, if you have nailed a fish in the bottom lip. Then you are pulling the hook at a strange angle if the fish is swimming away from you.
i wyreside fishery in garstang and there rule on hooks is barbed only
we have just being reviewing hooks ready for the upcoming issue of UK CARP over at carpfishingmagazine.co.uk. problems we see with barbless is that the hook will keep popping in out of the fish’s mouth doing more damage by creating several hook marks, were as a barb hook will anker the fish only once doing less damage to the fish, the korda kurve shank are awsome for fish care and a good hold, after all fish care is key!
barbed for me ,,i have seen some horrific damage done by barbless hooks