Fish handling and mortality. A review of the studies. Wet hands myth-busting.

[TCWNY]

I can't think of a single downside to barbless hooks

 

[wildtrout2]

I can't think of a single downside to barbless hooks

You can expect to lose a few more trout using them, but it's worth the sacrifice. Keeping a tight line keeps that to a minimum.

 

[afishinado]

You can expect to lose a few more trout using them, but it's worth the sacrifice. Keeping a tight line keeps that to a minimum.

While I'm sure that may be true at times, I use barbless hooks and purposely strip out line to give it slack when the trout gets close to try to release it without having to net it, and it almost never works. The fish stays hooked up. So don't be hesitant to fish barbless out of fear of losing fish. It's a lot more rare than many FFers believe.

 

[Yoder]

Most of the fish I catch come from a truck and die anyway when it gets hot.

 

[greywolf]

fishing below 32 degrees in winter is killing a lot of fish. gill filliments freeze and fish swim away only to suffacate after people move on. have seen this on some of the local creeks.

You have to kerp thr fish in the water when releasing in cold weather. I net them and keep net in water and release fish without exposing to air. No way to take a decent picture of the fish, but it keeps them alive.

 

[springer1]

Study makes my heart happy, maybe Just MAYBE the Fish Commission will mandate barbless hooks like so MANY other States have. For years I've been urging this on this forum, and well-meaning or credentialed people have been telling me I was wrong. To which I assumed that fish in PA must be more hardy than those in other states.

For goodness sakes, will the PA State PLEASE look past the tackle manufacturers lobbying and enact this? If the fish don't thank you, some littke kid with a hook in their hand past the barb will - or YOU will.

Do what's RIGHT !

 

[kbobb]

You can expect to lose a few more trout using them, but it's worth the sacrifice. Keeping a tight line keeps that to a minimum.

While I'm sure that may be true at times, I use barbless hooks and purposely strip out line to give it slack when the trout gets close to try to release it without having to net it, and it almost never works. The fish stays hooked up. So don't be hesitant to fish barbless out of fear of losing fish. It's a lot more rare than many FFers believe.

Agreed.

We're gonna let the fish go (most of the time) so what's the difference if they get off or not?
To me once the fish takes the fly and I feel the tug then I know I've fooled the fish, which is my main intent.
After that it doesn't matter if I touch it or not.

 

[Encoded]

Study makes my heart happy, maybe Just MAYBE the Fish Commission will mandate barbless hooks like so MANY other States have. For years I've been urging this on this forum, and well-meaning or credentialed people have been telling me I was wrong. To which I assumed that fish in PA must be more hardy than those in other states.

For goodness sakes, will the PA State PLEASE look past the tackle manufacturers lobbying and enact this? If the fish don't thank you, some littke kid with a hook in their hand past the barb will - or YOU will.

Do what's RIGHT !

If they cared that much they would close trout season in the warmer water months before dealing with barbless hooks

 

[PennKev]

If they cared that much they would close trout season in the warmer water months before dealing with barbless hooks

Blanket regs that close trout fishing, no.
Something along the lines of western hoot-owl closures, yes, maybe.

There's no need for anyone to be fishing Penns in August for example, but that doesn't mean everything else should be closed too.

The reality is that the trout streams getting any real amount of angling pressure in the summer are few in number. This is the same as when there are calls to make statewide changes to size/creel limits on wild trout. Why? Where is this happening?

The truth is that it is fly anglers who are putting pressure on wild trout in the summer. Fly guys are probably unintentionally killing more fish on LJR, Spring, etc. during July and August than anyone else on any other waters. So yeah close some waters, just don't act like this is a problem on every water in the state.

 

[Mike]

The reality is that the trout streams getting any real amount of angling pressure in the summer are few in number. This is the same as when there are calls to make statewide changes to size/creel limits on wild trout. Why? Where is this happening?

This is the one of the most logical, succinct yet comprehensive, Pa data supported comments on the topic of trout regs that I have seen! Putting a number to it, only twenty percent of the total angler use estimate during the statewide angler use and harvest study of 200 Pa wild trout sections occurred in July and August combined.

Also in support of the reg comment above, when C&R regs were applied to a select number of wild brook trout streams in Pa, there was no generalized benefit seen in the populations and, in fact, the “control streams” studied at the same time were often doing better than the ones with the special regs during parts of the long term study.

When examined individually within the experimental group, only Kettle’s population showed any benefit, albeit slight. And that’s why it still has a special reg. Combine the overall results of the study of those waters as a group and that’s what anglers in my view can logically expect from the new 9” length limit statewide. Perhaps, however, an occasional stream will benefit, and maybe only slightly. I suspect it’s akin to throwing the old suction cup darts at a wall and hoping one will occasionally stick rather than bouncing off.

 

[FisherOfMen]

This is the one of the most logical, succinct yet comprehensive, Pa data supported comments on the topic of trout regs that I have seen! Putting a number to it, only twenty percent of the total angler use estimate during the statewide angler use and harvest study of 200 Pa wild trout sections occurred in July and August combined.

Also in support of the reg comment above, when C&R regs were applied to a select number of wild brook trout streams in Pa, there was no generalized benefit seen in the populations and, in fact, the “control streams” studied at the same time were often doing better than the ones with the special regs during parts of the long term study.

When examined individually within the experimental group, only Kettle’s population showed any benefit, albeit slight. And that’s why it still has a special reg. Combine the overall results of the study of those waters as a group and that’s what anglers in my view can logically expect from the new 9” length limit statewide. Perhaps, however, an occasional stream will benefit, and maybe only slightly. I suspect it’s akin to throwing the old suction cup darts at a wall and hoping one will occasionally stick rather than bouncing off.

To be fair, its still better than turning your nose to the data for a 5000th(?) time, or the public comment for an equal amount of times and doing a study, again, on something the outcome should be so obvious on.