Carp Hooks - Barbed Vs. Barbless

The most important piece of gear in your tackle box is the carp hook, without it you are not going to catch any fish. You need to ensure that your carp hook is strong or even the best rod won't help you make the catch.

The fishing community has always discussed the pros and cons of barbed hooks verses barbless hooks. Always research the area laws that you plan on fishing in to learn about their regulations. Both the barbed and barbless hooks play an important part in the carp industry, but the decision on which one to use varies greatly.

Barbed hooks can catch more fish then barbless, but there are many factors that go into the barbed hooks. The barbs on the hook latch onto the mouth of the fish where as the barbless hooks can often be spit back out.

Using barbed hooks is almost a guarantee catch when comparing your catch rate using barbless hooks, but there are consequences of using them. In addition, once you have the carp in your hands, if you don't properly remove the barbed hook, significant damage can be done to the mouth of the carp. For fishermen who do a lot of catch-and-release fishing, it can get quite frustrating to catch good looking carp with sides of their mouths cut up because of carelessness.

Using barbless hooks may make it harder to catch the carp, but it also makes it more of a sport then a easy catch would. A barbless hook rule at a lake is a sure fire way to ensure that the carp stay healthy looking and populate. Catching with barbless hooks makes it harder, which in turn, makes it more fun. On the other hand, some carp are so smart that they keep finding ways to evade the hook regardless of what kind you use.

Besides the choice between barbed hooks or barbless hooks, consider the wire hook you will be using as well. A good rule of thumb is the larger the hook, the thicker the wire. The thickness of the wire is the difference between the catch and the lost. Checking your hooks for sharpness, strength and durability should be done before every carp fishing trip. Also learning the areas rules and regulations is essential. All of this will ensure a nice and 'catching' trip. This will ensure that when you arrive, all you need to do is catch the carp and have some fun.