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I've never mashed a barb. I don't target trout or fish that jump with any kind of treble hooks. I quit doing that a long time ago. I rarely catch trout, snook, tarpon, and ladyfish on anything but a fly anyways. A barbed #4 or #2 fly hook is very easy to extract with a good pair of pliers. The only time I use trebles is with a Skitterwalk Jr. for redfish. It simply won't balance correctly with single hooks (I've tried every combination I can think of). Reds are tough, and I rarely have any problem removing the hooks. I know much of the rationale for mashing barbs is to avoid getting hooked, but if you're careful and make use of a Boga to subdue fish while they're in the water, getting hooked is really unlikely. In my 20 some-odd years of fishing, I've never even had a close call.

Dustin wrote: In my 20 some-odd years of fishing, I've never even had a close call.

Thats becasue you haven't gone flyfishing with me yet.

I just take the hooks off my lures. It makes them so much easier to retrieve out of the mangroves and since I don't catch anything anyway....

Although i personally do not care to do it (as of yet), here's a good case for "de-barbing" and for wearing shades while fishing.

WARNING! Very graphic images, not for the weak of stomach.
http://img229.imageshack.us/img229/2605 ... 114vh5.jpg
http://img229.imageshack.us/img229/5479 ... 028vm9.jpg
http://img229.imageshack.us/img229/516/image0037bt0.jpg

Puke city, jeez,

I fish with my 8 y/o son much of the time. I mashed the barbs this last weekend to spare him and me the trip to the hospital if a barbed hook were buried too deep. We might loose a fish or 3, but I have been hooked by a barbed treble when I was a kid, and it's as fun as it looks.

Jeeze, I hope that kid didn't loose his eye.

Due to the graphic nature of the pics, I didn't look. but my grandfather found out the hard way why to take out the barbs this weekend, a sailcat on a topwater that buried a hook deep into his thumb, he had to take pliers and yank it out, way more pain/blood than necessary. I've had a barbless hook all the way into me and it come right out, easy as pie, Not to mention, if you know how to fight a fish, the losses are minimal

Ouch!
I have already had to take my better half to have a topwater plug removed from her ankle, not cheap, AND it ruined a perfectly good, brand new lure. Since then, all trouble, I mean treble, hooks get smashed before going in the tackle bag. A lost fish is less expensive than a ER copay.

skinnywater wrote:Ouch!
I have already had to take my better half to have a topwater plug removed from her ankle, not cheap, AND it ruined a perfectly good, brand new lure. ...

my girl tried to convince me there was a law against that.