Barb-less Hooks

Has anyone done much bass fishing with barb-less hooks? I do a lot of Texas Rigged Worm fishing and have had my share of gut-hooked fish. Most of the time this means cutting the line and re-tying in order to limit the damage done to the fish. I'm wondering if barb-less hooks would make unhooking the bass easier, especially if they happen to take one to the gut? Do you experience a higher percentage of hooked fish because the point of the hook has less area to penetrate? Do fish toss the hook more often? I'd hate to someday lose the "big one", but I also don't like damaging healthy fish or losing tackle.

It makes a world of difference, you will see.

Troy, that's what I've been hearing about braid. Have one of my bass rods strung up with Power Pro to see how it goes.

If the fish is hooked in the gut it will die regardless of whether it's barbed or not, tearing a hole in it's gut is a death sentence. If you gut hook one you might as well take it home and eat it. One other thing to think about with barbless hooks is that they will penetrate more because they have less resistance going in. So if you do hook them in a bad area ther is a greater chance of the hook penetrating deeper and doing more harm to the fish than a hook with a barb.

I agree 100% on using braid for worms and other "feel" type plastics. It makes such a difference in sensitivity and greatly reduces the time it takes for that bite to telegraph down the line to the rod and eventually your hand. I've caught a few hundred bass this year so far, most of those coming on plastics in one form or another. I don't recall a single fish that was hooked deep enough into the gullet that mortality was a concern. Braid makes it so much easier to feel those light pickups before its too late. If you aren't already doing so, give it a try!

Anytime I fish with senko type baits, I pinch the barbs down. I makes getting the hooks out, even if they aren't gut hooked, much easier. You also get better hooksets because the barbless hooks penetrate easier. I never noticed any increase in the number of "quick releases". I'm not a tournament fisherman so even if I do lose an extra bass or two, I don't care. I was going to let them go anyway. I am a catch and release fisherman so letting all my bass go in better condition due to faster unhooking is a big plus.

Good info on gut hook removal. After reading the info in your link, I found another that had some illustrations I found easier to follow: http://www.electric-bass.org/throughTheGill.htm I think what I'll do is just try bending the barb on one of my hooks and see how it goes. I know the original purpose of barbs was to hold the bait on the hook, not the fish. With Texas-rigging worms, that is a concern I have, but I won't know until I try it. Tight lines!

Another thing to consider with gut hooked bass, don't ever leave the hook in a fish. The hooks used to fish plastics are big enough that the fish will die for sure if left in the gut. There is no way that they will dissolve soon enough for the fish to survive. Get a hemostat or skinny needlenose and use the through the gill hook removal method. I have never had to leave a hook in a bass and have caused minimal damage to the fish. If not familiar with the technique, see here: http://www.a-guide-to-florida-bass-fishing.com/gut-hook.html

Are you using braid? If not, give it a try. I avoided it for years, but once I tried it I was amazed by the increase in sensitivity. That could drop your percentage of gut hooked fish. If you want to try barb-less hooks, one thing to keep in mind is to keep the line tight. Most thrown hooks, barb-less or not, get thrown due to slack in the line.

Thanks for the comments Out_doors_guy. Just to be clear, I'm not gut hooking a majority of the fish. We're talking 1/15, which is still a higher ratio than I'd like. I generally do set the hook right away. But sometimes when throwing into trees and brush cover it is difficult to detect the pickup.

Barbless hooks will increase the amount of lost fish. Not by much, but still noticeably. It will, I suppose, do less damage to the fish. However, if you are getting a lot of gut hooked fish when fishing a texas rig, you are probably making one of the most common mistakes in fishing: waiting to long to set the hook. If you feel a bite, drop your rod tip and set the hook. A bass has no hands, if you feel the bite, it is in his mouth already. Since I started doing it this way years ago, my missed fish dropped by 75%. As it has for everyone I have ever convinced to try it this way.