Barbless Hooks vs Barbed Fishing Hooks Comparison
There are few things to consider when choosing a fly fishing equipment. While reels, lines, and fishing rods determine the ease with which you will catch your fish, hooks also play a significant role in determining whether the fish you catch will live or die immediately or soon after.
How you catch fish also determines your success in catching your fish and safety. Unless you are out to get some quick seafood, it is vital to consider a lot of factors before choosing a fly fishing hook.
Types of Fly Fishing Hooks
There are two major types of fly fishing hooks that include barbless and barbed fishing hooks. Just as the names suggest, barbed hooks simply have barbs while barbless don't. Choosing the right one to use is always a challenge to many anglers and has led to a lot of arguments.
There are those anglers who find barbless hooks more convenient and those who don't. In this article we will try to compare barbless hooks and barbed hooks. Let's first understand the difference.
Difference b/w Barbless Fishing hooks and Barbed Hooks
Barbed hooks Barbed fly fishing hooks are simply hooks with the backward-facing barbs intended to hold the fish firmly on the hook immediately it swallows the bait. Many anglers use barbed hooks because they are fond of it while others use in special cases. Others think it isn't safe enough for a regular fly fishing.
Pros of Barbed Fishing Hooks
Cons
Why Barbless Fishing Hooks are Better Than Barbed Hooks
When you ask anglers to tell you which type of hook serves them best, you will get varying answers. Some of them prefer barbed hook it holds fish in place. Others think the barbless hook is better since it reduces the risks of injuries. Others will use either or both depending on the occasion. For me, I would choose Barbless hook for these reasons.
Pros of Barbed Fishing Hooks
Cons
Barbless Fishing Hooks or Barbed Fishing Hooks?
If my plans were to catch fish for food, then I would have no reason not to use barbed hooked, why? Once the fish gets hooked, it won't. In fact, this is the only advantage.
The question is, can't barbless hooks do the same? If not, why are they used?
In my opinion, using any hook requires some special fish catching skills and barbless hooks aren't exempted. With proper skills, you can always maintain your fish in its required position until you pull it out of the Water. One thing I have realized that, letting your fish sit in water after it strikes and swallows the hook allows it to escape.
Here Is My Argument
Barbed hooks are popular with anglers for one reason. They offer a firm grip preventing the fish from escaping. As a regular fisher, I find this awesome. But is this feature effective enough to catch more fish and keep me safe? Well, many anglers will say yes. In my opinion, it isn't.
Despite the fact that I will do anything to go fishing on a Saturday, put my safety before everything, and that includes catching the fish. The last thing I want is getting hooked and not being able to remove the hook without further damages. For that reason, I choose barbless hooks.
Lastly, I would prefer losing a fish than losing my hook. Barbed hooks won't let go, meaning that, if the fish is strong enough, it may pull out the hook itself leaving me with no other option, but to go home.
The Final Thoughts
Both barbed and barbless hooks offer astounding performance when it comes to fly fishing. I would choose barbed if I was in a hurry to get some food simply because I don't want fish pulling off the hook after struggling to get it. However, if I were looking for something much safer and will catch fish faster, I would go with barbless hooks.
If you've been using barbed hooks, I guess you've noted some few drawbacks. As an experienced angler, recommend that you try barbless hooks to see the difference. Besides it won't cost you much. I hope you found this post helpful. Your comments and suggestions are welcome.