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| i have lost a few fish at boat side while fishing alone (also have barb less hooks which may contribute. i was wondering if a rod with more bend would be better for fishing alone because it would help keep the line tighter and fish from coming off? i have no clue so if anyone has some insight i would like to hear. |
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Posts: 463
Location: Sw Pennsylvania | What kind of rod are you using now? Barbless hooks make it tough also as any head shake or thrash the bigger hole created by larger hooks can easily slide out. Just curious, no offense intended but why barbless hooks? |
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Posts: 335
Location: Minnesota | I am not sure why one rod would be better for fishing alone versus fishing with someone else other than maybe the length of the rod. A shorter rod might be easier to sweep a fish into the net while fishing solo. |
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Posts: 120
Location: Chicago, IL | allegheny river kid - 8/27/2009 8:07 PM
What kind of rod are you using now? Barbless hooks make it tough also as any head shake or thrash the bigger hole created by larger hooks can easily slide out. Just curious, no offense intended but why barbless hooks?
I would guess that he goes barbless in case a hook impales him it can be removed easily.
I fish alone occasionally and use an 8' rod with medium tip action. Helps fight the fish close to the boat pretty well. The key to fishing alone is having everything set up and ready to go to quickly land and release the fish. I just wish I was better at solo photography.
Dan Hardy |
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Posts: 145
| I use barbless hooks as well because I fish alone and as stated above it is good for me if the hook comes out easier out of MY flesh. Too many horror stories and I know that one day it will happen so I might as well do what I can to help future jake out of a bad situaton.
Jacob |
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Location: Northern Wisconsin | ya that was me who started it, i just didn't log in. i fish barb less after seeing how much trouble a smaller treble hook caused being stuck in my brothers leg. i figure if i get hooked i would hope that barb less would minimize the damage and hopefully wont ruin any trips. I do loose quite a few fish but who knows if i would catch as many with barbs because they don't penetrate as well. maybe some day ill get fed up and switch my hooks to barbed haha.
but i use a 8 ft mh st. croix premier but thats about as light as i will go tossing pounders and stuff. all the fish that have came off have pretty much been on the head trash right next to the boat so i guess if i can keep them under water and swing them into the new asap i might be better. |
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Posts: 463
Location: Sw Pennsylvania |
I would guess that he goes barbless in case a hook impales him it can be removed easily.
Dan Hardy
I guess i never really thought about it but it does make sense. I had a big hook penetrate from one side of my thumb to the other with a pike on the end, it was a mess for sure. One of the rods in my arsenal is the 8mh st croix, it has a softer tip with more bend IMO. Maybe try as stated above a shorter rod for more ease on netting the fish alone. I fish alone alot so i just lay everything out like i'm going to catch a fish on the next cast, net is in position to just drop in the water, pliers and cutters close at hand and a general gameplane on where i plan to take the fish to when hooked. Good Luck!!
Edited by allegheny river kid 8/28/2009 4:58 AM
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Posts: 4053
Location: Land of the Musky | Shorter rod (7' to 7.5') and bigger net (Big Kahuna Frabill) may help a little. JMO
James
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Posts: 1663
Location: Kodiak, AK | Barbless hooks are not at fault as much people would often like to think. It has been proven time and time again that barbless hooks penetrate deeper into the fish and hold just as well. They cut a smaller hole into the fish, which is great for the fish, but is also a big part of the reason they hold so well. It's a misconception that barbs are meant to hold the fish on...they're not! Barbs were originally put on hooks to hold the bait on, not the fish.
If anyone knows who Mark Sosin is, he's a legendary saltwater fisherman; HOF, got his own show on TV, etc... He's a proponent of barbless hooks like alot of us are. He's demonstrated before how well barbless hooks hold. He tells of fighting marlin and tuna and the camera guy's battery dies, so he has to put a new battery in the camera which takes like 5 minutes. He says it's common to free spool and just let the fish run and roam with only thumb pressure on the spool to maintain tension with the hook in it's mouth while the cameraman changes the battery and then resume the fight after the new battery is intalled. If the fish is hooked, the fish is hooked.
I landed a fish last week that missed the bait and I hooked her on the underside of the jaw on one hook. Faught that fish for longer than I normally would've had to because I was on a channel edge, and actually had to reposition the boat out of the channel to get back into safe water and not get clobbered by the big cruisers. So after a longer than normal fight, and even moving the entire boat and giving her more room to roam than I normally would so she wouldn't tangle in the TM or snag on the lower unit, she was securely hooked under the jaw and my single barbless hook never came out until I got her in the net and pulled it out myself. And I know we've all lost fish on barbed hooks and had barbed hooks come out of fish. What are those lost fish blamed on? Poor hookset or just the fact that some fish get lost, right? Same with barbless hooks.
My point is fish will be lost regardless of hook point type. It's the hook set and the management of the fight that most determine the outcome. I fish barbless for the sake of the fish and ease of release, and not so much for sticking myself and I can't say I've lost a fish because of the hook. Every fish I've lost (muskie, salmon, halibut, steelhead, blugill, whatever...) I've been able blame on my poor hookset or my horsing the fish in or my rushing landing the fish.
Keep a bend in the rod, and you'll keep a fish on the line. (All else being equal-good hookset, good fight, etc...) |
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Posts: 335
Location: Minnesota | I agree with others that barbless likely has nothing to do with lost fish. My advice for the headshakers is to bury your rod tip (or half the rod) in the water and force the fish down. I see more lost fish when the head and lure comes out of the water than when the head and lure is under water.
I disagree with trying to net the fish ASAP while solo fishing. Trying to get the fish into the net as fast as possible is where I think you would have more lost fish. Take it easy, maintain constant pressure, and net the fish as soon as it is ready is my advice. |
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