I notice that many barbless hooks have long or very long points. To me, this seems to defeat the purpose of a barbless hook. A long point will surely damage the fish more than a short one.

What are your thoughts on this?

Nice 1st post.welcome to the forum.

Jim

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Interesting thought. It makes sense. Deeper penetration = more damage.
On most of the flies it's going to be a minor difference perhaps, and no more than the difference between a smaller and a larger hook.

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Welcome 'in the surface'.

A barbless hook is just creating a hole, same as a hook with a barb. The difference comes on hook removal as there is less opportunity for 'tearing' and increasing the risks of infection etc. The difference in depth of penetration between say a size 14 barbless and the equivalent barbed hook is negligible as with a barbed hook penetration often extends well past the barb and into the bend.

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How can you tell ?

That's true. The point on a long-pointed 14 will be about the same as the point on a regular 12. The difference will be small on a fish over 3/4lb or even over 1/2lb, but for a parr it may be a significant difference.

I'd just be much happier if I could get the barbed models in barbless with no other changes. There don't seem to be many such hooks around.

---------- Post added at 03:02 PM ---------- Previous post was at 03:00 PM ----------

Many hooks are advertised as having "long-points" but the difference is big enough to see if you have both the long-pointed and regular types in your hand at once.

Hmmmmmmmmmmmmm.......

Don't barbless hooks just have one long point which ends when the wire starts to curve upwards into the start of the bend ?

Lets look at it this way, what would you rather have stabbed into you and then pulled out again;

A) A sharpened crochet hook a short way into you

or

B) A sharp knitting needle deeper in

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Pulling the barb out once it's in causes a lot of tearing around the entry point.
That's why barbless is essential for C & R.
I would imagine around 50% of the fish caught are hooked in the scissors or in areas where the hook point has fully exited the fish anyway, so length of point makes no difference in those cases.