Does anybody know if we have to use barbless hooks in Quetico?

They are not required, at least as of my trip last year they weren't. In the copy of the fishing regulations that I have barbless hooks are not mentioned, but most outfitters recommend them. There is a rule that any fish that can not be returned to the water unharmed must not be wasted. I guess that means you have to eat it. Hope that helps.

Thanks for the info. Now I don't have to cut all the barbs off my hooks before I go.

Please don't take this as a criticism... I personally have never had a need for barbed hooks. During the fishing season I am fishing for northerns and bass almost every day (I am fortunate in that I live on great fishing lake). I have always fished barbless. I don't bother to cut or file the barbs off - I just pinch them down with a needlnose. handled this way, the hump acts as a "smooth" barb, helping to keep the hook in. I can probably think of a 1/2 dozen times that I have lost a fish because of my hook - normally it's my own clumsiness.

If you make a habit of every time you tie on a lure or hook, "squishing" the barb down - pretty soon your entire collection will be "barbless"...

Andy

We were told on our recent trip to the Quetico by a ranger, that all hooks will be barbless starting 2007.

I have heard also starting in 2007 there will be a ban on all live bait, organic bait (i.e. frozen/salted minjnows), treble hooks, and barbless hooks in Quetico. If that is the case we won't be able to quish the trebles down to comply we will have to actually replace the trebles. I usually just quish mine down.

Any body have any experience with replacing treble hooks with a single barbless hook? Does it affect the action? How about hook ups?

Tim

No treble hooks?!?!? That sounds a little extreme to me. If that's true I think PETA has too much influence in Canada eh. Next they'll have us use padded hookless lures.

Hex

I have replaced trebles with single hooks on some of my lake trout spoons and lures. I did not see any significant action difference - just less tangles. I have even removed the front treble and just left the back one or a single hook. When a fish hits a lure or spoon it ain't gonna nibble it. I would think missed fish due due to this would be minimum.

I have also switched out my trebles on spoons, and other lures, for fishing on North Shore streams. No noticable change in action. I use barbless all the time fly fishing in the southeast. I lose few fish, not a big deal.

I switched out all of the treble hooks on my great lakes spoons for single hooks a long time ago. I was lead to believe that once hooked, a single hook will penetrate deeper and also hold better. Going barbless is also a good idea, lost fish generally are not a problem. I think it is much nicer to easily unhook and release fish unharmed. Also, if you need to unhook a large northern, or have accidentally hooked yourself, you may appreciate the ease of backing out a barbless hook.

Was in the Lac La Croix Ranger station 2 weeks ago and the info they had on the wall stated you could just pinch down your barbs on your hooks to comply with this new rule. It looked like treble hooks were not going to be outlawed either.

Tim