Hook advice

I am new to tying flies and am curious about the use of barbless hooks. I live in Indiana and so my trout opportunities are limited. 80% of the time I cast to small mouth. The rest of the time, its tailwater trout (unless I travel back home to Pennsylvania). I only fish catch and release. I am going to try to tie some dry flies this weekend.

My question is whether you crimp down the barbs or you feel the barbs helps with a beginner setting the hook? Thanks for sharing your thoughts and entertaining posts.

ORIGINAL: thedrake

Pinch the barbs. There's no good reason to use barbs if you are releasing the fish.

 
They stick in your shirt sleeve more securely if they have a barb.

I leave em there.

maybe he meant his flesh...

ORIGINAL: DarDys

ORIGINAL: Cold

I leave em there.

Doesn't that make laundry more difficult?

Nope. I just keep my flies out of my clothes, fingers, ears...they're meant for the fish, not all that stuff.

Only fish that I have trouble getting them out of is steelhead.

always barbless. It does far less damage to the fish when you unhook them. It also takes less force to get a good hookset as the hook doesn't have the 'hump' of the barb to get into the skin, especially in hard bony mouths. Since I'm C&R almost exclusively, I like that when I have thew trout in the net with no slack on the line, the hook is usually out before I reach for the fish.

rick