barbless hooks are not "dumb"... fishin' ain't huntin'... as this isn't a fishing forum, I won't drone on about hooks, but barbless hooks in certain waters with certain management goals is a good idea.
OK, I'll drone on a little... how many times have you seen some dumba$$ squeeze the life out of a sublegal trout while absolutely wrecking it's mouth while wrenching out a treble hook, then "throw it back" and watch it drift downstream belly up? I've seen it ALL THE FREAKIN' TIME. Mostly the "barbless hooks only" waters I've seen in many states are regulated in conjunction with "single, barbless hooks only", implying most of the folks fishing there will be flyfishermen, who are as likely as not to be "catch and release" types.
YES, I agree there are too dam' many stupid laws. I also think, with as much passion, there are too dam' many STUPID PEOPLE, that at some point had to have done stupid idiotic things, to have idiotic laws passed in the hope of the stupid people abiding by the stupid laws, to hopefully put a stopper in the sewer hole spewing all the stupid out into the world. Of course everyone except a stupid fool recognizes immediately that the stupid fools will not pay any attention to the stupid laws.
Ever have one of those days when you go to sleep at night feeling dumber than when you woke up? Happens to me all the time. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/tongue.gif
OK, I'll drone on a little... how many times have you seen some dumba$$ squeeze the life out of a sublegal trout while absolutely wrecking it's mouth while wrenching out a treble hook, then "throw it back" and watch it drift downstream belly up? I've seen it ALL THE FREAKIN' TIME. Mostly the "barbless hooks only" waters I've seen in many states are regulated in conjunction with "single, barbless hooks only", implying most of the folks fishing there will be flyfishermen, who are as likely as not to be "catch and release" types.
YES, I agree there are too dam' many stupid laws. I also think, with as much passion, there are too dam' many STUPID PEOPLE, that at some point had to have done stupid idiotic things, to have idiotic laws passed in the hope of the stupid people abiding by the stupid laws, to hopefully put a stopper in the sewer hole spewing all the stupid out into the world. Of course everyone except a stupid fool recognizes immediately that the stupid fools will not pay any attention to the stupid laws.
Ever have one of those days when you go to sleep at night feeling dumber than when you woke up? Happens to me all the time. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/tongue.gif