I much prefer a barbed hook as I also think mouth damage is minimized when compared to a barbless hook. A barbed hook generally makes a small neat hole that easily and quickly heals whilst a barbless hook is more prone to slipping and slicing therefore making a larger wound. If you take you time removing the hook rather than ripping it out then a barbed hook shouldn’t cause much more damage than a barbless hook.<\/p>\n I do think that hooks are just part of the equation in causing mouth damage. When a hook pulls it doesn’t come neatly out of the hole it’s created in the carps mouth but rips and tears it way out. I also wonder how much mouth damage is done by people using super stiff rods that are so fashionable these days and not playing fish but simply winching them in.<\/p>\n *************************<\/p>\n Stiff rods and in-efficient rigs are the main cause of hook pulls\/mouth damage.<\/p>\n From a personal note I definitely prefer barbed hooks and so long as sensible care is taken when removing them I am convinced they cause less damage to large fish (small fish are a different matter altogether).<\/p>\n I also go a stage further and avoid fine wire hooks. Technology allows the manufacture of much stronger hooks per wire guauge hooks these days which I personally think is a step backwards in the welfare of the fish. The finer the wire the more chance of it cutting loose.<\/p>\n If I was running a venue full of carp up to mid doubles I would make it barbless only. Anything larger then definitely barbed but make sure the anglers take a little care to see which way the hook has gone in before trying to remove it. I would also insist on every angler carrying wire cutters as it is often the case with a awkward hook hold where you are better passing the hook through and snipping the shank rather than try and reverse it’s passage particularly when the hook has caught hold a second time during the fight.<\/p>\n *************************<\/p>\n Touchy subject this one, and I know I am the minority in this very ancient long running debate but I am definitely pro-barbless.<\/p>\n Owning a \u201cbarbless only\u201d fishery and seeing the fish come out week after week, year after year with no lip damage at all has completely given me confidence in the choice I made when setting the rules for the lake.<\/p>\n Although all of our anglers use carp safe end tackle, One of my concerns is that if a fish does snap you off as often happens on our lakes, you end up with a potentially lip hooked fish and this can mean its dragging a high breaking strain rig i.e. a stiff rig, couple that with something like lead core and you can have fish in real trouble. I have also not heard of a single fish coming out of our lakes with extra hooks in their mouths showing that every snapped off carp does shake the hook out very quickly, whereas a barbed one wouldn\u2019t come free.<\/p>\n I do however agree 100% that bad angling can have a lot to do with ripped lips i.e. rods as stiff as broom handles, lines as thick as a Scania tow rope and bad unhooking. In my own experiences I have never had to use side cutters though I do carry them (when I\u2019m fishing that is!) and an antiseptic such as Klinik is a must for any good angler anywhere.<\/p>\n Apart from the odd lost fish during the playing in where anglers let lines go a bit too slack sometimes, I have still not seen anything to change my mind on this.<\/p>\n ************************<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.anglinglines.com\/blog\/wp-content\/images\/2010\/02\/barbed.jpg\")
<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.anglinglines.com\/blog\/wp-content\/images\/2010\/02\/barbless.jpg\")
Pro – Barbless<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n