Barbed/Barbless Hooks--Region 5

I just read the "Emergency Barbless hooks to become voluntary in portions of the Columbia River and tributaries" on the WDFW web site.


My question is "Why not state wide, "barbed/barbless" when salmon fishing"?????


I'm sure we have all heard stories about being a person checked for barbless hooks, and the barb wasn't pinched down far enough...or just out and out forget to pinch the barb.


I'm a "bobber and jig" person....pisses me off to have to "pinch barbs on my jigs", August 16th to be legal.


I'm also a "died in the wool" silver jack fisherman. To make sure I'm legal here.....I buy barbless hooks but even then I hate to lose a silver jack "that is going to be killed" when it gets to the hatchery.


WDFW wants to make the rules "simple", let the person fishing decide "barbed or barbless".....

I have advocated for barbless everywhere for every species. It does less damage to the fish, it is far easier to remove, and in many ways is a more secure hookup! Barbless for me all the time!

I'd hate to see how many more "floaters" we would have if barbless hooks were not required (and I've lost more then a few due to barbless hooks,just part of the price for fewer uselessly dead fish).

Circle hooks when applicable, work great even while baitfishing.

Barbless has gotta help a few fish when released, especially when you release a "wild" fish or one out of season.
Fewer fish these days, but compared to the old days, we now have sonar, side sonar, chirp, braid, fluoro leaders, glow, uv, scent, color dyes, downriggers, bait helmets, 10th generation graphite rods, and so on, maybe giving in on one point ain't so bad.

fishNphysician staying with the barbless program when Team eyeFISH hits the CR estuary. Don't know any other way.... not about to change now.

Looks like we've finally reached the point where there are so few fish left in Region 5, WDFW knows you won't get bit, so they might as well let you fish barbs.

I always fish barbless. Makes everything easier and safer in my experience, and in an era where we never know when we might hook an endangered fish, it just seems like common sense. Sure, I lose a fish now and again, but not so many that I honestly believe barbs provide more advantages than they cause problems. I can't remember a time when I've thought, "If only I could use barbed hooks, I would have caught that one for sure..."

I really don't get it, but I have observed how allowing barbs improves attitudes on the river, and I think WDFW is starting to use barbed hooks as a means for improving lousy opportunity. For example, I spent a few brutally fruitless days on the Kalama this spring, trying to catch springers that frankly weren't there. Early in the season, barbless rules were in place, to protect (of all things) hatchery winter steelhead. As soon as the hatchery got its eggs (or just gave up; I'm honestly not sure which), the barbless restriction was lifted. The next time I was there, almost every angler had the same report; something like:

"Nope. Haven't caught anything, but hey, at least they're letting us fish with barbs."

Pretty sure allowing barbs did a lot more to improve angler attitudes than it did to improve catch rates, and I suspect that's usually the case.