That's true.. I also Break a lot of hooks when I crimp down too hard.. I'll
try the file.. I have a three set of those diamond files I've had forever,
Thanks, Chuck
----- Original Message -----
From: "Tom Davenport" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
To: <[email protected]>
Sent: Friday, December 23, 2005 6:26 PM
Subject: Re: [VFB] Barbless Hooks
Hooks that are "crimped down" are not necessarily barbless, if you don't
do a really good job the point of the barb can still catch when you are
pulling it out of a fish (or your finger). To really do the job right
a diamond coated fingernail file will get rid of it in short order.
Tom
On Dec 23, 2005, at 2:33 PM, [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote:
Wes, Everybody.. Thanks for the tips and info.. Makes sense.. I have
actually been fishing barbless and didn't realize it till now... The hot
pink fly I "invented" and the Chili Pepper and the two flies I have been
fishing almost exclusively since the water turned cool. Well both those
require a bead head, and to get the beads on I have to "mash" the barb
flat.... And i haven't lost any more fish than with beadless barbed
hooks... I know that feeling of getting a hook out of somebody's finger
too. Back when i was a welder My hands were sooooo callused, you could
NOT stick a hook in them.. And I fished a lot with my best friend who
was also a welder and had hands tougher than mine.... Well, we were in a
FL river swamp, and I hooked into (we were using Rebel bass lures back
then about 6 in long ones with two sets of barbed treble hooks)... a BIG
bass. Well we forgot the net, so Jim went to grab the fish my the mouth
when i got it close to the boat... He grabbed, but at that same time one
of those hooks (which had three #1 RUSTY hooks on each treble).. Pierced
his thumb... We had one rusty pocket knife, and a pair of needle nosed
pliers, and that hook HAD to come out.. Man, Jim was in major pain..
Well, It went through all seven layers of skin, and I first tried to
push the hook on through with the pliers. It would NOT budge)... Then I
tried to cut the hook's shank, Nothing.. Then Jim said "cut the skin
open...With that tough skin and rusty knife nothing doing... I FINALLY,
after he was white as a ghost and about to go into shock, pushed the
hook shank through and cut the barbed end off, and slid the lure back
out....He had to get a tetanus shot, stitches, and had a sore thumb for
a month... And I don't know who hurt worse.. Me trying NOT to kill my
best friend with pain, or Him nearly passing out from the pain...
Anyway, we packed a first aid kit, GOOD pliers, and bought NEW lures
without rusty hooks...That brackish water is bad on hooks... Anyway,
Bottom line.. I think I'll start debarbing them all.... Cause I can see
his face, and thumb in my memory right now, and don't want that to
happen again to ANYBODY, SPECIALLY ME LOLOL, Chuck
----- Original Message ----- From: "Wes Wada" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
To: <[email protected]>
Sent: Friday, December 23, 2005 3:10 PM
Subject: Re: [VFB] Barbless Hooks
Hi Chuck,
Add me to the list of folks who always fish with barbless hooks.
Never have felt that I was at a disavantage that way as opposed to
using barbs.
Two additional advantages of barbless: it is easier to drive a hook
point home while barbless because the cross section of the hole
required is less with a barbless hook.
Also, I never want to deal with a barbed hook embedded in somebody's
finger (like my wife had long ago) or in my own ear (as I saw in a
Brian O'Keefe slide presentation recently). Guy had this big
saltwater fly hooked into his ear lobe like an earring, barb and all.
That would put a damper on your day on the water!
Wes Wada
Bend, Oregon
