Do you pinch your Barbs down?

[fly addict]

Here are a few examples of why you should always use barbless hooks and wear protective glasses when casting a fly rod.

[RiverRat]

I pinch them after they pierced flesh to get them out

[Flatsix]

Nice pictures! This should be a PSA from the barbless hook proponents with a support from Ray Ban.


I was fishing with Treecatcher last year and sent a size 16 through my finger and found that I hadn't smashed the barb completely. I found out that even if you thought that the barb is gone, it's not completely gone and it hurts like * to send it back through. So from them on I always buy barbless hooks if I can get them.

[Devinpreston]

I was fishing at Lake Havasu when i was a kid and hit my Mom with a crocadile lure in the face (still had the barb) and we ended up having to go to the Hospital and have it removed.

[Jimbo Roberts]

I mash down the barbs on virtually everything. About the only ones I don't bother mashing down are the 22's and smaller.

I had to remove a bunch of hooks from various friends over the years. I also had a friend bury 4 of the 6 points on two treble hooks from a rattle trap in the back of my upper arm while Bass fishing at Lake Guerro around 1980. We were fishing out of our Bass boat and casting opposite directions. He reared back to launch one way out there, and was apparently standing too close for his long rod. He caught my arm at the end of the back cast before beginning the forward cast only to bury the hooks deep in the muscle. This was one of those times when the hooks could not be rotated through to mash the barbs. They had to be yanked out with a pair of needle nose pilars. The consolation was his reel backlashed so bad all the line had to be cut off. I still have 4 little round scars on the back of my right arm.

I've used a heavy mono loop trick to remove several hooks from anglers. It works surprising well.
I might also mention that in addition to wrap-around sunglasses, always use a full brimmed hat. That will help deflect most things coming back towards your ears. And when you find something coming straight back at your eyes/head, DO NOT TURN YOUR HEAD 90 DEGREES ! Youe best strategy is to look straight at it and possibly dropping straight down to avoid the hit. Turning your head 90 degrees is an instinctive act but when wearing sunglasses that just exposes the gap between your head and the sunglasses and I have seen flys/lures make it inside that gap. I removed a fly from a friend's upper eyelid because he turned his head.

Jimbo

[fflutterffly]

What was the verdict with the salmon fly? Was it just on the lid or actually in the eye. OMG that is a horrible photo!!!!!

[fly addict]

What was the verdict with the salmon fly? Was it just on the lid or actually in the eye. OMG that is a horrible photo!!!!!

There also were some real gruesome photos that I just could not stand to look at or post. I think the point was made. No pun intended!!!

[Papasequoia]

Those photos are like fish * - for the fish that is.

[Jason]

Ugh. I actually flinched when I saw that first photo.

[flocktothewall]

That first photo is hard to look at. My wife got it in the ear from my brother in laws back cast once. That wasn't fun. Needless to say she no longer joins us on the rivers either. I've had a few in the finger, and one in the lip as I was trying to wet the knot... now I know how the fish feel.

[Benny]

OUCH! Yes please pinch down your barbs.

[teejay]

That’s one fashion accessory that I will do without, thank you.