In Manitoba, anglers must use barbless hooks. Fishing barbless offers a new challenge and pits an angler's skill against the fish without the aid of a barbed hook. Admittedly, using barbless hooks takes some adjustment, but once the technique such as keeping the line taunt when reeling in fish has been mastered, most anglers catch the same number of fish.  Once in a while, a fish will jump, throw slack, and the hook. . . . .  and the fish wins!   

Three Good Reasons to Fish Barbless

• Better Hooksets

A barb creates resistance that makes it harder for the hook point to penetrate. A barbless hook is more like a smooth needle and is better able to penetrate the fish's mouth all the way to the bend.

• Less Injury to the Fish

Most people who fish barbless, rules aside, say this is their main motivation. A barbless hook causes less damage to the fish and since it's a lot easier to remove than a barbed hook, you can get the fish back into the water faster.

• Less Injury to You!
  

Using barbless hooks, it is often possible to release the fish without removing it from the water (a slack line is often sufficient) and if you ever accidentally hook yourself, you will be glad you had a barbless hook on your line. Just as they are easier to remove from fish, they are also easier and less painful to remove from a human hand, leg, or ear.

Hooks with barbs made sense when people fished for sustenance and before the advent of sportfishing, but the barbs can actually be an obstacle to landing a prize catch. If you haven't tried it yet, give barbless fishing a try.