Anyone make barbless jigheads?

Howdy all,

I spent a few minutes last night crimping down barbs and sharpening tips on some jigheads, and got to wondering if anyone manufactures large saltwater jigheads with barbless hooks?  Did a google search to no avail.

Cheers,
Madoc

Why crimp the barbs for rockfish/lings (in oregon)?  Lings are much harder to boat without barbs.  The weight of the jig tends to pull the hook out with any slack in the line.

I have just gotten into the habit of crimping barbs down - I've read too many stories of people burying hooks in themselves to really like the idea of having to pull a barbed hook out of myself (and I stick needles into people for a living).
In my experience, if I am near a sharpened object, said sharpened object will find its way into my skin at some point or another.

Plus, every time I have ever tried to "gently" release a fish that I have caught on a barbed hook, I end up coming close to mangling it instead.

Rockfish/ling are a lot tougher than we are I wouldn't worry about hurting them with a little barb.  As for yourself.... well wounds heal and chicks dig scars ;-)  Just remember to have a pair of capable wire cutters on the yak.  And if you're in far enough you might be better off pushing all the way through.

Buy the jigs with the finer wire hooks.  Even with barbs, they do less damage than the thick wire hooks.  And if you still want to remove the barbs, it is easier on the finer wire hooks.

-Allen

just a reminder you Oregonians that plan on coming up and fishing the Pink Out will need barbless hooks

+1 to Pole's comment about the finer wire hooks. I had one hell of a time trying to crimp the barbs on some heavier gauge wire jig heads on my last ling hunt of the season.

+1 to Pole's comment about the finer wire hooks. I had one hell of a time trying to crimp the barbs on some heavier gauge wire jig heads on my last ling hunt of the season.

I also think you hook up better with the finer wire.  I'm not even sure why they use such heavy wire on some jigheads as it's really not needed for anything I can think of.

-Allen