There have been constant conversations in the angling community regarding barbed or barbless hooks. It boils down to two things; preference and law. It’s not always just a question of which you prefer, but there are also some areas that prohibit the use of one or the other; researching area laws is important. Both types of hooks have a large role in fishing for carp, opinions on both differ greatly.

Barbed hooks can catch more fish then barbless, but there are many factors that go into the barbed hooks. A barbed hook latches itself to the inside of the carps mouth, a barbless hook is often spit back out.

Using a barbed hook will increase the likelihood of catching carp, but there are some not so pretty things to consider. If you have any respect for the carp, and many carp anglers do, then you know what can happen if you lose a catch that still has your hook in its flesh. In addition, when you catch a carp and try to remove a barbed hook, the chances of damaging the fish increase. For fishermen who do a lot of catch-and-release fishing, it can get quite frustrating to catch good looking carp with sides of their mouths cut up because of carelessness.

Barbless hooks may not yield as many catches as barbed hooks can, but it makes the game that much more interesting. For popular fishing areas, having a barbless rule is a way to ensure that carp fish are handled correctly and are not damaged needlessly. Catching with barbless hooks makes it harder, which in turn, makes it more fun. Regardless, some carp have found ways to eject the hook, barbed or barbless, before you know what really happened. Most angler’s carp fishing gear includes both barbed and barbless hooks

As well as choosing between a barbed hook and a barbless hook, you need to consider which wire carp fishing hooks you will be using as well. A good general rule of thumb is the bigger the hook, the thicker the wire. The thickness of the wire could be the difference between catching a carp or losing a carp. Which would you prefer? Checking your hooks for sharpness, strength and durability should be done before every carp fishing trip. Also learning the areas rules and regulations is essential. All of this will ensure a nice and ‘catching’ trip. If you are headed out to the lake, stream or river for the first fish of the season, a quick check on your hook sharpness, strength and venue rules before you go may save you much needed time to be spent elsewhere, perhaps catching ‘the big one’.

Carp Hooks – Barbed Vs Barbless is a post from: Fly Fishing Guide

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