Have a question on the pinched barbs. Last time I was up, I can't recall what I did. Since then, I've probably replaced all the hooks on everything anyway (or they're sitting on the bottom of Lake Michigan).

I tried to pinch the barbs on some of my hooks the other day. They definitely pinched down, but there is definitely still a barb there. How do you guys pinch them to get smooth? What level of "pinched" do I need so the rangers don't make this an expensive trip for me?

I think the test is running your fingernail back over the barb. There should be no snag. If you make a good faith effort, you should be okay.

This year for first time, I used a Dremel tool and took the barbs right off. Worked great and was pretty easy. This works much better than pinching with pliers or hemostats.

I noticed if I use a aluminum needle nose pliers they don't pinch down well. Otherwise a good pair of stainless steel pliers it does a excellent job.

Just noting you only need to pinch down the barbs on of the lure on your line. So you may decide to just pinch as you go if you don’t want all of your lures to be barbless. For convenience I just replace or pinch ahead of time.

T