We've all done it. We'll all do it again. You fish long enough and you feel that sting and before ever looking at the injury you say to yourself, "damn, that one's in past the barb." If you're lucky it's shallow enough that you can poke the hook through and clip it off. I very much prefer this method to the string loop and backwards yank. There is also the old needle trick shown here, where you shove the needle in the same hole to depress the barb. It's been my experience that anytime you attempt to go backwards, no matter how confident you are in the method, there's lots more blood, and a little meat chunk left on the hook.

I've fished all day with flies buried in me, figuring I'll take care of it later. But one of my worst hooking incidents did not feature me as the victim, but my fiancee, which I guess made me a victim by default. I had asked her to please grab a rod out of my truck while I jumped in the shower. Next thing I know, there is much screaming and crying, and I bust out soaking wet to see her trying the get the rod through the door while keeping tension off the 3/0 baitholder hook in her arm. I had no choice with this one but to loop some fly line around the shank, push down the eye and do what I had to do. She knew it was coming, and was ready to throw up just thinking about me yanking back on that line. All went well, though I got the silent treament for a long time. Hey, it beat going to the emergency room.

Let's make it a bloody day. Tell us your worst.

JC

So it's back to work today. Yes, I too am pining for a few more days off after a most eventful Memorial Day weekend. Though you can certainly count on crowds, this weekend has always been the official kick-off of the serious fishing season for me. Case in point, former F&S Intern Rick Bach (below) came down to Jersey, as I told him Memorial Day always coughs up the first big stripers of the season. I wasn't lying. We boated bass to 41 pounds. Those fish were not around one week ago. I'm really glad they showed up, because a few bass fillets on the grill taste better than standard Memorial Day burgers and dogs if you ask me.

Likewise, when hatches are a little slow to start in the spring around here, I can always count on things perking up Memorial Day weekend, though you usually have to get your kicks early...by 11 a.m. my favorite trout holes are swimming holes, and my favorite riffles are suddenly tube runs. At least that's the case when it's hot in the East like it was this year.

Did you take advantage of the long weekend to fish, or do you stay away from the crowds? Let us know how you did, or what kind of yahoos you encountered while trying to do it.

JC

Using barbless hooks makes a lot of sense much of the time, but I think too many people ignore the idea. I was rigging a box of lures this morning for my older kids to take striper fishing later in the week. And I took the time to pinch down all the barbs on a variety of treble-hooked plugs. No, I am not being mean--doing so in hopes they’ll land fewer fish. I am instead thinking of them and hoping they’ll fish more safely.

A fishing lure brandishing two or more sets of treble hooks is an awesome weapon--especially when you’re reaching to land a fish that’s thrashing about and whipping such a lure around in the process. One hook in the hand and another in a fish’s jaw becomes a real possibility in this case. Been there; done that. And I didn’t like it much. If the trebles are barbless, at least I know I can pull the hook free very quickly and easily in case of disaster.

Yes, I could use a net instead of grabbing a fish by hand, but most of the time when surf fishing there’s no net available. It can be argued that barbless hooks actually hook fish better than barbed versions. That’s because a barbless hook will penetrate deeper and quicker without a barb to get in the way. And I don’t think I loose more fish when going barbless--not as long as tension is kept on the line, anyway. So then I’m left wondering if barbless is such as good idea, why more people don’t fish that way...

This morning I’m fishing for advice on catching brown trout. Here’s the deal. One of my favorite bass lakes also holds a number of large browns. Right now in the cold, clear waters of early spring, the trout are cruising the shoreline drop-offs chasing baitfish. These browns are skittish and easily spooked. They are also serious fish--from 2 on up to 6 or 7 pounds and more.

I could slow-troll something along the drops, but I think in that case the boat and motor might be spooking fish. Or I could position the boat for a slow, quiet wind-driven drift along shore, casting something like a Rapala or a big streamer fly. I could also anchor and hope one or two fish eventually cruise into range. I could fish live baits patiently. I could cast hard jerkbaits aggressively.

So help me out with a plan here. What’s the best way to catch these things? And what’s going to be the best lure? I won’t be able to get back out on that water until sometime next week, but I’ll happily take the best of your suggestions and give them a whirl....