Hi all, I'm working on a project at UW-Madison that is trying to estimate release mortality of bluegill during ice fishing. Because of COVID restrictions, we can't approach ice fishers to ask in person, so I'm hoping to test the waters here. Is it at all common for ice fishers to crimp the barbs on their hooks while fishing for bluegill?
Thanks!
@ nihsif and prop-bister: I get your concerns. The barb crimping isn't the main point; it's just a detail in the methods that we want to get right. Our real question, and what we are actually collecting data on (rather than asking on forums..) is about exposure to freezing air. I don't think you have to worry about this experiment directly affecting your fishing experience,
I crimped barbs on jigs fishing in Quetico Provincial Park, as required, and I have some small flies that way, but not for pannies in Wisconsin. Not for fishing perch on the Bay thru the ice. Baro trauma bringing fish up from 30 foot depths is my bigger concern. Best of luck here on Lake-Link.
"might have management implications"....even if this is legit..which I doubt, hopefully....if they really want to measure fish mortality they will check on the drawdowns....not pinching off a barb for fishing.....but it is apparently a female so you guys are salivating....
Thank you all for your responses!
@nihsif Good question! The goal is to better understand sources of winter mortality, which might have management implications. But no, there is no specific legislation that this is testing. The goal of the barbed hook question is just to make sure that we are using the most common fishing technique in our experiments.
@Leechster It's just university policy, nothing personal! They are a little cagey about human subjects research (which interviewing anglers would technically be) during the pandemic.
when fishing with plastics I prefer to pinch the barb. Not only does it make it easier to release the fish, it doesn't tear up the plastic allowing it to last for more than one bite. I have used the same plastic to catch 15-20 fish without replacing. Unless you give a fish slack line, the hook will not drop out even without a barb.
We used to use Purist jigs without a barb back in the 80's on Mississippi backwaters (Unalaska, Red Sails, Third Lake) without any bait attached. These were all shallow water areas and you could actually flip the gills onto the ice without ever touching them if you were good at it. I use them now but only in very shallow water and usually at late ice conditions.
Jim
