We recommend barb-free in all waters and for all hooks/bait. It is a mandatory requirement in Mittån, Anån and the streams in Långåljusnan upstream Rändhån. The reason is above all to reduce the risk of damage to fish that are returned, and that need applies everywhere, always!.
At the same time, one of our most important priorities is to increase by various means’ the fisherman's time for the actual fishing, that is, the 'time when the hook is in the water'. Our website is filled with advice and tips with that goal in mind. Here and now, you should not spend time renewing the entire fly box to barb-free! It is enough to pinch down the barb on the flies you use. The renovation in the fly box can wait until the winter's fire fishing then
the summer's experiences repeat themselves! The same applies to all other bait hooks!
Our rules and advice are based on concern for the fish! But also about the fisherman, where it, who lack knowledge and experience, have the most benefit from advice and rules. An experienced and skilled fisherman can handle the fish without serious damage. It can be reset. An experienced angler knows that a barbless hook attaches deeper but can be dislodged without significant damage.
The barb that was on hooks, already in prehistoric times, has aimed to secure the catch as food. A no-brainer then! The hake belongs to household fishing. Sport fishing with hand gear is what we do today. Of course we will take the fish we need to eat for the day, but we must also be able to guarantee our respect for returning the fish we do not need. Undamaged for continued life and a chance for new meetings in a larger format!
For over three hundred years, we in Lånå have understood the value of fish as a natural resource worthy of protection and the importance of being able to fish. For us, the fish is number one!
Only in second place comes the fisherman! We have received understanding and praise for this for the simple reason that 'if there are fish, there are fishermen'. We will never change that attitude.
Continued good summer!
/Helgi Jonsson