Bill in Oregon Posted February 2, 2013 Share Posted February 2, 2013 Eyeless fish hooks were common in the Colonial period. Flattening the upper end of the shank to "grab" the snelled line is easy enough, but I'm trying to figure out how to make a decent barb on a hooks small enough for trout and panfish. I have been told that old barbed wire fencing makes good hook material, but cannot say. Anyone have thoughts? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Timothy Miller Posted February 2, 2013 Share Posted February 2, 2013 I think they cut in the barb with a chisel. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bill in Oregon Posted February 2, 2013 Author Share Posted February 2, 2013 Timothy, must be a very, very tiny chisel indeed, but I think you are right. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bigfootnampa Posted February 2, 2013 Share Posted February 2, 2013 I would go barbless myself. In the last 20 years or so I have bent over all barbs on all of my flies before tying a fly on the hook. There can be a good case made for the loss of more fish because of the greater hook setting resistance and the tearing of the membranes by barbed hooks than for the loss of fish due to slipping the hooks because of the lack of a barb! Super sharpness is key to hooking fish that have bitten! I have recently liked a fine diamond file for best sharpening of my hooks. Of course the barbless hooks are also more convenient for the modern practice of catch and release fishing! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bill in Oregon Posted February 2, 2013 Author Share Posted February 2, 2013 Bigfoot, I agree with you on barbless. But sometimes a feller just wants to duplicate what is in the historical record. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bigfootnampa Posted February 2, 2013 Share Posted February 2, 2013 Well I have made barbs on fish gigs by slightly flattening just behind the tip and then chiseling a barb in. I have also made them by drawing out a taper and then folding the sharp end back and drawing a new tip on the folded corner. Both ways work but the chiseled barbs seem better (stronger) to me. These would be like a fishhook in super magnum size. My advice would be to start that way and then work down into ever smaller scale until you get what you want. I'd say that a chisel for barbing a small trout hook would be similar to a small carving knife at the edge. For a two sided chisel effect you might try a small pair of wire nippers instead of a chisel. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
David Gaddis Posted February 2, 2013 Share Posted February 2, 2013 Bigfoot...since you live in one of those other places so then catch and release is preferred....But down here in Mississippi we practice catch and fillet! Carry on Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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