The fish and wildlife commission of both Oregon and Washington enacted a rule to ban the use of barbed hooks on the Columbia River, begining January 1, 2013. This rule was adopted at the request of the gillnetters and has no merit. There have been numerous studies conducted on the use of barbed vs. barbless hooks on fish, and results have shown that barbless hooks make absolutely no difference in the mortality of the fish.

The placement of the hook is what makes a difference in fish mortality. The WDFW commission has enacted this rule solely for political purposes and did not consider the impact on the tackle industry, tackle shops, and families fishing from the bank of the river. The ecomic impact of this "feel good" rule is enormous, as tackle manufacturers will now have to create hooks without barbs on numerous products; tackle shops will have to expand their already cramped shelves to make room; and families will give up fishing altogether when they find that steelhead and salmon jump too much and spit the hooks.



Let's make a stand and override this ridiculous rule.