Gamakatsu hooks

Catch and release fishing is extremely popular because the intent is to experience the thrill of catching a fish and then return it to the water. Barbless hooks obviously produce less damage than barbed hooks so I had a question for Tim Higham, an associate professor in UCR's Department of Evolution, Ecology, and Organismal Biology.

Conservation-minded anglers have been swapping out trebles for single hooks on plugs for years now. Having a single hook point instead of three has obvious benefits for the fish and the angler. The single hook on Gamakatsu's Assist 550 finds its way into the corner of a fish's mouth, thanks to the short PE leader. Limiting the number of hook points that get buried in fish leads to faster releases with less damage. There's also less of a chance your finger will find a hook point when releasing a fish.