How do you debarb hooks when tieing or if you get flies with barbs on? Currently I use afine pair of needle nose pliers but find I break about 1 in 15 or so.
I have pair of flat jaw pliers( no serrations or teeth) that I find work pretty well. I do occasionally break a hook but I think that it is just me being careless. My buddy has a pair of internal snap ring pliers with the round tips,(the kind of tips that taper from fat at the base to skinny at the tips),. he says that they work great and that he doesn't break any hooks. I haven't tried them, so I can't speak from experience. But I can see that they would work so going to have to give them a try.
Just curious, but what type of hooks are you guys using that you are breaking. I have for years crushed barbs with pliers or my vice (I usually debarb trout hooks in the vise, salmon hooks need pliers) and have maybe broken 2 or 3 Tiemco hooks in that time. I have broken twice that many Mustad hooks despite using them less than 10% of the time. johnk has since convinced me that Mustad Signature are a good hook, not prone to breaking, but I am still "hooked" on TMC for most of my flies.
Yeah I have the most problems with mustads. unless you bend them super slowly in a vice, they tend to break off and leave a nub that would likely be considered a "barb" by a CO. I usually file these off...I've switched to gammy's. They flatten nicely. As do partridge hooks.
I've never broken a hook/barb; TMC, Mustad Sig or otherwise, using a small Gerber multi-tool. You don't need to crush it into oblivion, you just need to show the CO that you made an honest effort to remove it. As for the nub, there's no way they would consider that a barb.
I use both vise jaws and a small pair of non serated 45 degree tip needle nose pliers, I tend to lean more to the pliers since upgrading my vise. I can't remember breaking a hook, besides it doesn't take much preasure to do in the barb on a trout hook.
The hooks that I am breaking are often size 16s (standard or extra long). I been doing a little research thru trial and error and have found the smaller hooks seem to hook up more often in lakes that get alot pressure. I think the profile of the hooks is slender and the fish do not see the hook as compared to the same fly in a larger size.
True enough ol buddy, maybe thats why you always seem to catch em eh??lol But seriously you must be all thumbs lately breakin hooks....I know what you tie on and I have never broken a hook since you got me off those cheap mustads. Those needle nose pliers on your desk are basically all I use. Little crush and a slight pinch and twist against the serations in the pliars takes care of the barbs for me.
I still do not get how you guys are breaking hooks. I've never broken a hook while de-barbing. I use needle nosed pliers, but have also used a vise, but prefer pliers - I keep a set in my kit.
As for barbs, if you want to do the "C.O. test", just put your newly debarbed hook into the sleeve of your shirt, or other convenient fabric and if you can remove the hook without it catching, then it's officially debarbed.
There is some debate as to whether the "nub" hurts fish any more or any less than a barb, and also if that nub helps in keeping a fish hooked, but as far as I can tell, the #1 consideration for keeping a fish hooked is sharpness. A dull hook, barbed or not, will not hold well and you'll also miss more subtle takes.
Also a finer hook, though it will bend and possibly straighten if under strain, has more "hooking" power since it makes a smaller hole in the fish, so it's harder for the fish to throw the hook. A big hook = big hole which makes it easier for the fish to throw the hook.
After that, consider the shank length - gape ratio - long shanked hooks tend to be thrown more than short shanked. Not sure about up-turned vs. straight vs. down turned eyes...
I don't know if this helps, but I find that I am more likely to break the hook if I apply any sort of twisting motion with the pliers, even if it's very subtle. I would guess hook quality plays a lot in to this as well.
Have used needle nosed pliers for years and never had a hook break. I have also noted that gammys have a tendency for the barb to snap off rather than flatten. Here in Manitoba we have been 100% barbless for years. Very common to have the CO check for barbs......real interesting stories from those who fish the east side of Manitoba as well as Ontario ( barbed hooks allowed ) , then have a memory lapse as to which province they are in.
I heard the same Bronjuan, never confirmed with a CO if its true tho. I like using my vise, i've had the "nub" problem but only ctually snapped a hook once with a vise. Serrated pliars can be brutal, especially with small hook sizes.
ps when will barbless become widespread in fishing shops? You would think there is enough demand for them now!
ps when will barbless become widespread in fishing shops? You would think there is enough demand for them now!
I don't think it's the fishing shops so much as the hook company's. We are only a very small part of their market, and the lions shareis being sold in markets that do not follow our barbless philosophy.
I have had this barbless hook discussion with a lot of people and the thinking is that the bulk of hook sales are in the u.s.a and the great majority of areas and fishers still use barbed hooks, so it's an economics thing. If more areas were to institute barbless hook rules and if the demand was great enough, we would be able to purchase barbless hooks as it would then become feasible for the manufacturers to make them available. If we keep asking long enough, we should get what we want. You got to make your voice heard.
Just so you know, barbless hooks are more costly to produce as well.
The barb is used to line the hook up for bending etc.
As well the hooks tangle more without barbs with points going through eyes
during the manufacturing process.
I use needle nosed pliers to pinch the barbs down. I cant remember the last time I broke a hook doing it ! One thing I wont do though, is crush down the barb until the fly is going on my tippet. I find if I crush em down at home they tend to come out of the foam in my fly box. Turns into a Mumbo Jumbo mess after a day on the river. :cheers:
Definitely invest in a box with slotted foam. I pinch all my barbs before tying the fly and they never move once I put them in the box. You also don't have to worry about where to put the fly once your ripple foam looks like it's been shot with an uzi.
I need to get a few more slotted foam boxes myself. My main nymph box is a slotted foam box with a divider in the middle with both sides slotted. Basically 2 boxes in one, holds more than enough and works great with pinched barbs. Slotted foam is great, saves replacing boxes so much.......Think thats What the Badger is Running too.....Can't remeber off hand, though it wasn't two weeks ago We were checkin out his latest ties and swapin lies.
Think he needs to post a pic of said box. Its a sweet custom box, mostly a desk/storage box but sweeeeet.
Back to debarbing hooks. I just bought some Tiemco forged stainless hooks. When I try to flatten the barb, it just breaks away, leaving me to believe the metal is too brittle to allow the barbs to be crushed flat. Is there another way to properly remove the barb from these hooks?
I know a gut who removes all his barbs with a dremel. He does a whole wack of hooks at a time and says that it is really quick and does a better job than crushing barbs.I don't know if he crushes the barb first or just grinds em. Think I will give it a shot.
This is an older thread, you may not receive a response, and could be reviving an old thread. Please consider creating a new thread.
Related Threads
?
?
?
?
?
BC Fly Fishing Forums
65.3K posts
4.8K members
Since 2003
A forum community dedicated to British Columbia fishers and sporting enthusiasts. Come join the discussion about safety, licenses, tips, tricks, rivers, reviews, accessories, classifieds, and more!