I have heard that in most pro tournaments barbless hooks are used.

I have also been to a private lake where "barbless hooks only" was posted as a regulation.

At the time I assumed that meant crunching down the barb with my pliers.

Is that what the pros do or are there special barbless hooks made for the tournaments? Also if crunching the barb down is what to do, are the hooks also tweaked in some way?

I think they make barbless hooks, but if you are cheap, just crunch them down, lol. I think that you would lose a lot of fish without the barbs...

There are several barbless hooks manufacured for all types fishing. Bending the barb down is okay, but may actually lead to additional lost fish. Where the barb is bent downn it makes a larger hole than a barbless hook does. That hole may cause the fish to rip loose. I don't agree that barbed hooks are needed or even wanted for the most part. With several thousand $$$ on the line-I want a barb maybe two? Not sure in all instances if bending down a barb would qualify as a barbless hook-like at some trout fishing accesses.? Never fished a tournament with only barbless hooks-I probably woul;dn't enter. JC

I was under the impression that the Bassmasters Tournament was barbless hooks only.

I do recall seeing some videos and was surprised how easily they could get the fish unbuttoned. There must be a lot more skill involved in landing them with out the barbs.

I would imagine you can't give them the slightest slack that way.

I dont know of any tournaments that are "barbless" hooks. I do know that most pros will use barbless hooks during pre fishing for tournaments. This allows them to hook the fish and get a feel for size of fish, but allows them to "shake" fish off more easily without handling fish. They feel this reduces stress and makes them more likely to catch the fish during the tournament.

Well anyway I thought I had heard that somewhere.

Maybe what I saw on the videos was them doing it in practice.

It did look like they got them off so easy... I was wondering.

No they aren't barbless hooks, just years of practice removing hooks from fish. Ever watch them slap a spinnerbait, jig or crankbait on the end and the hook pops out. Works really well. When I tried barbless hooks on crankbaits I lost some fish I think I could have caught-you never know. Won't use them in any tournament thouigh. JC

Well this may sound really stupid but I thought that the pros on the tour were so good they didn't need barbs.

Just get em hooked and keep them on without giving them any slack at all.

It's true they don't let a fish fight much.Bass can throw a lure with six barbs in its mouth, I wonder how they do it?

The pro I used to watch that just blew me away with that never let them have an inch of slack action was Woo Daves.

I've watched Ike swing bass aboard and trap them between his knes until he removed the hook. Never liked that-could eaily injure the bass.-nonetheless effective I guess.

I know a lot of pro anglers that tighten their drag down all the way-no line slippage whatsoever. If a bass gets its head free for one second, she'll almost always spit the hook. I have seen evidence presented by Berkley that if a bass is hooked and you let the line go completly slack, most bass will stop fighting and slowy swim away, usually to some cover. It's not the hookset that makes bass fight, it's the pulling we impart.
I don't nelieve the hook set hurts bass. I have had one bass take a buzzbait and when I got her to the boat she jumped twice and spit the lure. I was stunned of course and sort of went brain dead as I watched her swim away. My lure was fluttering toward the bottom,. The fish came back up and took the bait again. I set the hook, got her alongside the boat and she spit the hook again. Goodbye! Of course I was in a tournament.