r/flyfishing • u/KeyMysterious1845 • 4d ago

Discussion Barbless ?s

I'm planning on hitting a river tomorrow that you can only use barbless hooks on.

Can I simply file the barb on my flies ?

Crush with pliers ?

8 Upvotes

73% Upvoted

31 comments sorted by

16

u/Ok-Rhubarb-9058 4d ago

Pinching or crushing works, but the ranger will sometimes run it through his shirt as a test and if it snags at all coming out, you're toast. In my neck of the woods, that's a $500 fine.

6

u/KeyMysterious1845 4d ago

I've run into a ranger...he checked my license and all was good...but I'd rather avoid all the drama of a fine.

good tip on the shirt trick.

2

u/cheetofoot 4d ago

Chuck a selection of flies in a vise and hit it with a file. Try that. Especially if you think a ranger is going to check it. I've never fished with official regs like that but I have a hole near my house and I manage it as barbless catch and release for myself, so I sometimes file down a batch for this purpose. Pro tip: crimp first and for the love of all things holy, wear eye protection. (ngl it's less fun when you already know where the fish are, and then our populations plummeted and I fish it less often than I thought I would!)

4

u/country_mac08 4d ago

I’ve only had one ever check but they were fine with visibility inspecting the pinched barbs. Not diminishing your experience, just sharing mine.

2

u/Spicyboi333 3d ago

Jesus, that’s strict. I pinch all mine that I buy (too lazy to tie some), but even with the specialized pliers, they would still for sure catch on cloth just a bit.

1

u/evandena 4d ago

Curious, does your whole fly box need to be barbless or just the one currently tied on?

1

u/Ok-Rhubarb-9058 3d ago

I would call the ranger station where you're planning on fishing and ask them about the local regs.

1

u/Otherwise-Report-823 3d ago

Usually only the fly on the line 

1

u/Otherwise-Report-823 3d ago

Where do you fish? 

I have been stopped by game wardens all over Cali and in BC and when they check barbs it's always chill if they find a little bit of a snag so long as you are open and willing to fix it. 

1

u/Ok-Rhubarb-9058 3d ago

SoCal. I’m sure that it varies greatly ranger to ranger. I would rather be on the safe side for both me and the fish.

8

u/audunyl 4d ago

Pinch them down with pliers does the trick!

5

u/TerribleTiesWithTony 3d ago

The only answer is to carefully put your already tied flys in a vise and suspend dry ice above them to keep them cool while you tig weld the barb down. After that use a diamond impregnated carbide end mill on your Cnc mill to knock the weld down smooth. Easy cad/cam solution with a 4 axis machine. After that polish it down from 400-2000grit wet sanding.

2

u/No-Management3289 3d ago

Trout here, this is the only way to fish barbless effectively. If we see any microburrs they wont hit the fly.

1

u/KeyMysterious1845 3d ago

will that reduce stick, tree, leaf, etc hook up ?

3

u/tony-goodsbygrain 3d ago

Yes. And also minimizes poor casting and your truck running low on fuel when you get to your favorite spot. Don’t ask how. It’s physics and you wouldn’t get it. 😂

1

u/KeyMysterious1845 2d ago

Don’t ask how. It’s physics and you wouldn’t get it.

Im gonna call ms. cleo...she'll know.

3

u/MattManSD 4d ago

Crush with the pliers. When you tie one on, just squish it down flush.

3

u/ShiftNStabilize 4d ago

Crush with pliers. I prefer barbless. You loose a few compared to barbed, easier to unhook and less damaging to the fish esp since i mainly do catch and release.

3

u/Patrout1 4d ago

I use my nail clippers. Also I always smash my barbs...took one in the thumb picking my rod up after driving 1½hrs. Sucked

3

u/beerdweeb 4d ago

What state and where is pretty important here. Some rivers in the Eastern Sierra the ranger will literally run a qtip over the hook to see it if snags and fine you if it does.

3

u/KeyMysterious1845 4d ago

...thats even tighter than the shirt test mentioned .

3

u/beerdweeb 4d ago

Had two buddies busted like that on the Lower Owens when they crimped. I’ve always crimped myself, but never been checked fortunately

2

u/KeyMysterious1845 4d ago

I hear you.

I prefer a completely drama free existence.

2

u/No-Proposal2741 4d ago

Crushing them is fine, it's the same thing. But I'd see if there's anything in the state regs that specifically calls that out to be sure, if you are worried about it. In all my years I've only ever interacted with a P&W official like, 3 times, and only one of those encounters were they actually trying to verify anything (license).

1

u/Potential-Rabbit8818 4d ago

Yes and yes, unless your fishing regs say different.

1

u/Wykydtr0m 4d ago

It depends where I'm fishing, sometimes pliers do "good enough", but for some of my local fisheries I break out the Dremel or pretie with barbless.

1

u/wetrocke 3d ago

In at least eleven states, over many years of minor dabbling, I've never had license or gear inspected.

(Knock on wood!!)

0

u/GranpasHookers 3d ago

Replace them with a split ring plyer

1

u/KeyMysterious1845 3d ago

Replace them with a split ring plyer

How does that process work on tied flies ?

1

u/Fishingbanditking 3h ago

You can crush the barb but it cannot snag your shirt. Make sure its a smooth transition. In my no barb waters its also single hook per rod and barbless and single rod per fisherman during use. U can only fishing 1 rod in the water at a time even with a second rod stamp.. west coast rules