Line Choice for Barbless Hooks

[Mark K]

So I switched back to mono after about oh...15 or 20 years of nothing but braids and fused lines. This was for my recent trip to Sylvania, reasons being I feel that braid is too unforgiving stretch wise and it makes it easier for the fish to throw the hook. I always felt it was easier to "slingshot" a stuck jig out of the rocks with braid than mono if that illustrates it.

So the jury is still out. I think by the end of the trip after I had finally got my hooks down the mono was significantly better and pretty much lost none. We fished wacky rigged Senko type baits on the wacky jig heads with fine wire weed gaurds. Get this, I almost positive that the weedgaurd helps hold the fish on. i should have photoed this but it keeps the hook from flopping around by acting like sort of a spring.

 

But back on to the line- the adjustment to go from braid to mono hookset wise was very significant. I only got used to it after loosing a lot of fish. By comparison, you REALLY have to drill the fish to pin 'em. The kids never really got the hang of it.

 

I also may have made the mistake of setting them up with too light of line 6lb vs 8lb. I figured it would cast better and it did. My rod had 8lb Suffix Elite-clear. They had Trilene XL- clear green. Theirs felt much more supple- don't know if it was the gauge or the brand but I would not buy that one again for a spinning reel. Actually I thought the 6lb stuff casted and behaved really, really well. It's a pleasure to use.

 

I also fished the first day on Helen Lake which is not so clear as some of the other Lakes, its eutrophic and that first day I used my lefty bait caster with 12lb XT and a St Croix Legend Tournament 6'8 rod- a really nice stick.

I'll probably get nicer reel for that one scale it down to 10lb (maybe fluorocarbon?) mono and that would be the one go-to rod I take up there.

 

It would be kind of nice to get the barbless thing down. I would switch to it 100%, fish get way tore up less and hell of a lot less worry about getting yourself;f hooked.

 

Any opinions would be appreciated.

[Steve S.]

I fly fish barbless exclusively and I honestly don't sense any difference in lost fish rates. That being said most fly line has a fair amount of stretch and it's possible the shock absorption might help when fish lunge and jump. I'm guessing keeping a tight line is important to keeping fish on the line, barbless or not.

 

Had a trip with my Dad a couple of weeks ago. He fishes 6 lb Trilene XL and small baits. We were floating the Upper Miss for big smallies and he kept missing bass throughout the morning. I finally convinced him to switchover to my rod, which had 10 lb super line and his hookup ratio improved greatly. My feeling is the lack of stretch in the line helped compensate for his hook setting efforts.

 

Good to see boys getting out fishing!

[Mark K]

I fly fish barbless exclusively and I honestly don't sense any difference in lost fish rates. That being said most fly line has a fair amount of stretch and it's possible the shock absorption might help when fish lunge and jump. I'm guessing keeping a tight line is important to keeping fish on the line, barbless or not.

 

Had a trip with my Dad a couple of weeks ago. He fishes 6 lb Trilene XL and small baits. We were floating the Upper Miss for big smallies and he kept missing bass throughout the morning. I finally convinced him to switchover to my rod, which had 10 lb super line and his hookup ratio improved greatly. My feeling is the lack of stretch in the line helped compensate for his hook setting efforts.

 

Good to see boys getting out fishing!

 

I can believe that with a fly rod. not only is there more stretch but you have an additional 2-3 feet of (more) flexible rod. We fish pretty frequently, usually ponds.

 

Yes the braids are definitely easier to set a hook.

[Paul Trybul]

I'm in the group that says "death before mono". If you are going to use or set up kids to fish with mono, I would suggest using rigs with thin wire exposed hooks. This will improve hook setting. Trying to bury a hookset with a thick bass hook on a long cast texposed in the plastic is an exercise in futility.

[Kev-mo]

I tried going back to mono several years ago. I quickly lost patience with trying to relearn how to set the hook with mono. May give it a go again... I think with either line you have to balance out the rest of your equipment to compensate one way or another. With braid you need to loosen your drag and maybe have a softer slower rod regardless of the technique you are fishing. Not saying that's what you have to do... just an example. I know a looser drag is key with an extra fast rod I have.

 

As far as barbless and line type... I don't know. I think drag and rod action will impact keeping fish pinned also. Tried fluoro, do not like it.Just as stretchy as mono and more brittle (jmo).

[rich mc]

if the topic is about barbless hooks , they will hook set easier than a barbed hook. so using mono and a barbless hook would be preferred over a barbed hook. i de barb just about all my flies and jigs even some cranks for faster unhooking[ and i fish alot with my grandkid] rich mc

[asherman]

Last year I spooled up a spinning reel, which I use occasionally, with 10 lb mono line. I found that I could not get good hook sets with a 7 foot medium light spinning rod. The hooking results were better using a 6 1/2 foot medium spinning rod which is much stiffer. In general, I felt that I lost more fish due to poor hook sets with the mono line than I did with braid.

 

I just didn't like the mono line so I went back to Power Pro braided line. I usually tie on a fluorocarbon leader, which provides some stretch in the setup. I have not had problems with losing fish, especially with the medium light rod.

[Mark K]

Last year I spooled up a spinning reel, which I use occasionally, with 10 lb mono line. I found that I could not get good hook sets with a 7 foot medium light spinning rod. The hooking results were better using a 6 1/2 foot medium spinning rod which is much stiffer. In general, I felt that I lost more fish due to poor hook sets with the mono line than I did with braid.

 

I just didn't like the mono line so I went back to Power Pro braided line. I usually tie on a fluorocarbon leader, which provides some stretch in the setup. I have not had problems with losing fish, especially with the medium light rod.

 

Barbless?

[Rob G]

 

Barbless?

 

Mark, is there a reason you don't just mash down the barbs and / or take a quick file to the hooks you already use and see how they work for you? Sorry if I missed something here?

[Mark K]

 

Mark, is there a reason you don't just mash down the barbs and / or take a quick file to the hooks you already use and see how they work for you? Sorry if I missed something here?

 

I think you may have. Check out OP again. I's about what type of line works better- fish less likely to throw hooks- braid or mono.

[Rob G]

Doh !

Sorry

Have to go with braids for better hook sets, with or without barb, therefore less thrown hooks but this is of course theoretical and based on anecdotal evidence.

[Mark K]

Doh !

Sorry

Have to go with braids for better hook sets, with or without barb, therefore less thrown hooks but this is of course theoretical and based on anecdotal evidence.

 

At this point I am not sure. I am increasingly unhappy with a lot of braid characteristics- stuff like looping around guides. I may go back to fireline and give that whirl again. I think it behaves a little betrter.