barbless hooks

[blowin]

Well I can't seem to catch the big fish and I hate to have to kill small ones which have swallowed the hook so I'm thinking of trying barbless hooks for anything other than eels . Does anyone have any idea how many more ( as a % , say ) you'd expect to lose as a result of this tactic ?

I don't use particularly small hooks .
Many thanks

[frodo baggins]

hey blowin, i just started crushing the barbs there recently myself. i'm pretty new to the sea fishing, but i used to do alot of coarse fishing, and almost exclusively used barbless hooks, and lost very few fish. they're just way more fish friendly, and easier on the angler himself. with regards barbless hooks on the sea fishing side of things, i have found one or two fish do drop off(i've only being using it a couple of weeks) but they're mainly doggies, that wrap themselves up around the line, and shake themselves off. pretty mush everything that i've fairly hooked(that not being alot!) has been landed, and i do feel alot better about myself being able to simply shake the little whiting and coalies back into the water without wrestling with them. but i suppose as the summer arrives and the bigger and better fish move in (hopeffully) i'll go back to using barbed hooks, i don't want to be dropping off ray or huss. but i would definitely recommend barbless hooks for scratching around for bits.

[Viper]

I always crush the barb as well (very difficult to find barbless hooks for sea fishing, in my opinion), never had problems hooking and landing fish, but there is a problem as the barb also holds the bait on, so you run the risk of losing bait on the cast, or by small fish pulling at it...

[blowin]

Many thanks guys . Next time I manage to hook a fish I'll let you know whether it stayed on . Don't hold your breath .
Good luck
nick