Ok here is what I think, If I have a 50 on the end of my line I want that fish GUT HOOKED!! As deep as possible and with as many barbs as is possible!
Trust me the poor little fishy hurts just as much from being hooked with a barbless"polically correct" hook as it does with a barbed hook,the experiance is just as tramatic.You think your helping the fish, fishing barbless hooks is a way for you or anyone to justify hooking the thing in the first place,makes you feel better ,
NOT the fish. I hate barbless hooks and I hate losing fish,the time for a tropy comes and you will wish you had that fish hooked in the gut!!
Yes I use heavy line, got me on that one!!
Did you know that the current "lite tackle" mentality acually hurts the fish more!
It does, in a nut shell you are playing the fish to death, takes to long to get her in and saps the fish of to much energy and oxygen.So the ones who think they are doing good are doing more harm.
I have never played a big bass more than nessasary.And most fish I caught that were not sold were imediatly tossed back,not held out of the water for 15 minutes so my friends could take pictures.Thats to long for the fish to be out of water,the angler enjoys the photo shoot more than the bass.
Im glad you tossed your 40s back, I have tossed more than my share back also! But sorry, no 50s get to swim again that cross my line!
Besides, there just aint any big fish around anymore!
Striper fishing a contact sport?? You Bet!! Done right its grueling, up all night,climbing rock piles,getting slammed by powerfull surf,etc,the chance of death at night in the surf is definatly there!! Im not talking about the dead stickers sitting in a chair tossing back a bud.
Trout fishing with a little fly rod in a catch and release area may be more the sport for you.Or try "bass master 2002" on sega,that way you never have to worry about hurting any fish!!
Happy Hunting...And remember you flamed up first!!
