Wisconsin requires Barbless Hooks from the 3rd of May until the 19th of June, catch and release only in Northern waters when fishing for bass. I'm aware that Gamakatsu makes treble and standard worm hooks that are Barbless.

My question is, would it be better just to crush down the barbs on hooks and lures I already use, OR...purchase NEW Barbless Hooks and install them?

Has anyone had much success fishing with Barbless Hooks in the past? I think that fish would have a much easier time throwing a crank bait with Barbless Hooks!

Your thoughts?

I bend down the barbs on probably 90% of the hooks I throw.  Sure I lose a few here and there, but it's nothing that I'm going to cry about.  It does make it easier for catch and release fishing.  Obviously if you're in a tournament you'll want the barb on there so you don't lose that money fish.  As far as fish throwing the hooks, if you keep a fairly taut line you shouldn't really have much of an issue.

Do you have to use barbless up there just when fishing for bass or period? Is that in all waters statewide?

probably a little more than half of the hooks i use are barbless....

honestly, i dont notice much if any difference in the ratio of "hooked up" to lost fish between the two....

in my opinion, barbs are overrated.. it takes more pressure to set the hook, and like i said....they dont get off any easier without the barbs in my opinion......

barbs are a relic of holding bait on the hook that just hasn't gone away...

Barbless makes it much much easier especially when you gut hook a fish.  Had one today I caught with a worm and with no barb it came right and off went the fish, no problems.

May lose one in a while by not keeping the line tight, but it sure beats trying to get that barb out from deep down a fishes mouth.

Later,

The only hooks that I keep the barbs on anymore are the ones I use for drop shotting. With this presentation, the fish are hooked in the snout 99% of the time and if you don't have a barb on your hook, you'll lose a considerable percentage of the fish you hook up with. The rest of my hooks all have the barbs crushed down. I'm strictly a CPR fisherman, so if I lose a fish (which actually is very rare), it's no big deal for me.

Hey ColtDewd, Check the regs again, that law has been repealed, still Catch and Release but they now allow barbed hooks and live bait.

Scroll down to page 9

http://www.dnr.state.wi.us/fish/regulations/2009/documents/fhregs0910.pdf

Thanks all for the comments. Thanks BigBassGuy for posting the link to the regs. I'm still considering using a barbless hook on my soft plastics rod but now I won't have to change hooks on hard baits.

I see the way to go is to just crimp the barb down, that makes more sense then spending money

I have used 90%+ barbless for at least 25 years and never noticed any greater number of fish come unhooked than before I went to barbless.

I just pinch the barb(s) down.

You will probably land more bass going barbless as the barb may prevent good hook penetration especially on long casts with nylon mono and fluorocarbon lines. Lack of hook penetration is the cause of most "jump-offs.

The first time you stick one in to you all the way to the bend you will be glad you are fishing the barbless.

I have used 90%+ barbless for at least 25 years and never noticed any greater number of fish come unhooked than before I went to barbless.

I just pinch the barb(s) down.

x2.

Ok then, barbless really seems the way to go....which leads then to another question?

If your fishing barbless, how well do soft plastics like Senko's stay on the hook?

They stay on perfectly fine.

I've been throwing them barbless for a few months now, and no problems here. Been using Gamakatsu EWG 4/0 hooks and bending the barb down.

When fishing barbless it's easier to un hook fish or yourself should you get stuck. However I don't use barbless and I oppose madatory barbless regs because just about all studies show that barbless hooks don't decrease hooking mortality. Barbed hooks don't have a higher mortality.