sorry far i am lucky that i've never hooked myself, especially with a fish on the other hook at the same time. i mostly fly fish, but i also like to plug the beaches, and i crush my barbs 99% of the time (the other 1% is when i buy a new plug, and forget to crush the barbs the first time i use it).
anyway, even though i go barbless, i still wanted to have a pair of bolt cutters that is capable of going thru the biggest hook that i'd use, probably around a 5/0 or 6/0. i figured that if i didn't need the cutters, someone else might, so i like to have them.
i found a pair of mini bolt cutters at lowes. they are about 8" long, and very easy to operate using only one hand. they can cut thru a 5/0 hook without any effort, and they have a small ring on the end so that you can secure it to your plugging bag with a length of cord. the price of these cutters is just under $10. pretty cheap insurance, and you should be able to continue fishing if you ever do get hooked.
