Switching to barbless hooks protects fish and makes you a sharper angler. Here’s how to do it

HOOKING AND LANDING

When fishing barbless, you really only lose fish if you ease off on the pressure and allow slack in the line. So, the most important thing is to keep everything smooth and controlled, from the hookset until you lead the fish into the net. To achieve this, first set your drag so it slips slightly just before your rod is fully loaded. That level of tension will eat those head shakes and compensate for the lack of a barb.

Also, avoid jerky hooksets, which allow time for the fish to create slack and shake the hook. Instead, use a smooth pulling motion to lodge the hook into the fish’s mouth. Start reeling to maintain pressure as you do that, even if it means reeling through your drag. The heavier the lure, the harder I fight the fish.

During the fight, don’t move your rod around too much. Keep your arm and rod in a fixed position, and keep consistent pressure on the fish. This is often the hardest change for experienced anglers who are used to fighting fish with a barb. Always keep your rod tip higher than the butt of your rod—unless the fish is going under the boat. In that case, you may have to dip your rod tip to avoid a trolling motor or outboard.

Otherwise, keep your rod loaded by moving your feet and body as needed. When I’m fighting a fish, for example, I often walk circles around the boat to keep the fish moving in the same direction until I can drag it into the net. Sometimes the fish wins, and there’s nothing you can do about it. But most of the time when you lose fish on a barbless hook, it’s from a lapse in focus or a loss of pressure on the line. With experience, that will happen less and less.

FISHING’S FUTURE

Ultimately, learning to hook and land fish on barbless hooks will make you a better angler. It’s also the right thing to do for conservation. I’ve been inspired by the well-known Lake of the Woods muskie guru and guide Darcy Cox, who’s an advocate of chasing the fish of 10,000 casts using barbless hooks. When top guides who make their living by landing big fish go barbless to preserve the health of their waters—even when the regulations don’t require it—you know it makes a meaningful difference.

Barbless fishing is the next step in responsible catch-and-release practices, where we care about the fish before, during and after we land it. Once you learn to make a few adaptations to your gear and techniques, you’ll also be able to land fish on barbless hooks with confidence. And that will not only help preserve your fish of a lifetime, but also the future of sportfishing for generations to come.