Jumping Jack Fly fishing in Mörrum

I find myself on the Strömmarna, one of my absolute favorite stretches in Mörrumsån. Fishing has been very poor this year, but suddenly, there's a tug on the line. Fish on! It turned into a fantastic fight, and the fish treated me to some very spectacular jumps. Insane! So amazing to see!
NOTE! Mörrums Kronolaxfiske/Sveaskog has chosen to remove the rule about only barbless hooks for the 2024 season. Instead, they will invest more time and effort in informing about how Catch and Release (C&R) should be carried out. I think that is a very wise decision!
Starting from 2023, Mörrums Kronolaxfiske has introduced a new rule allowing only barbless hooks. After fishing barbless throughout 2023, I can confirm that this inevitably leads to significantly more lost fish over time, resulting in a much poorer fishing experience. Please keep this in mind if you're considering fishing in The Mörrum river in the future - and if, like me, you intend to adhere to the rules.
#flyfishing
#fishing
#catchandrelease
#seatroutfishing
In Swedish:
Jag befinner mig på Strömmarna, en av mina absoluta favoritsträckor i Mörrumsån. Fisket har varit mycket dåligt i år men plötsligt drar det till i linan. Fisk! Det blev en härligt fight och fisken bjöd på några väldigt spektakulära hopp. Galet! Så häftigt att se!
OBS! Mörrums Kronolaxfiske/Sveaskog har valt att ta bort regeln om enbart hullinglösa krokar till säsongen 2024. Istället kommer de att lägga mer tid och kraft på att informera om hur C&R ska utföras. Det tycker jag är ett mycket klokt beslut!
Från och med 2023 har Mörrums Kronolaxfiske infört en ny regel att det enbart är tillåtet att fiska med hullinglösa krokar. Efter att ha fiskat hullinglöst hela 2023 kan jag konstatera att detta oundvikligen leder till dramatiskt fler tappade fiskar över tid. Vilket i sin tur leder till en mycket sämre fiskeupplevelse. Ha detta i åtanke om du funderar på fiska i Mörrumsån framöver - och, som jag, avser att hålla dig till reglerna.

[@thedoggedangler]

Excellent video and fish, well done. Great lesson in calmness and patience! thank you

[@Fluefisker]

Nice film and a good fight with a magnificent salmon. Barbless hooks are not a problem, but a good way to take into account and honor the fish we love so much. Tight line in the 2024 season. #keepfishwet

[@DrJohnTheAnglerJohnHedberg]

Hi, Well, we have different opinions there. I don't notice a difference between barbless hooks and hooks with barbs when I unhook the fish. However, the barbless hooks jump around more in the fish's mouth and damage it in several places. Hooks without barbs are just stupid. /John

[@Fluefisker]

​@@DrJohnTheAnglerJohnHedberg Ok if you care about the fish you catch and release then I'd like to try to draw your attention to #keepfishwet. They research the science-based best way to catch and release fish. Without exception, they recommend barbless hooks for the sake of the fish's chances of survival after capture and release. And these people are not stupid.

[@DrJohnTheAnglerJohnHedberg]

Ensuring that the fish remains in the water at all times is extremely important and one of the parameters that contribute to increasing the fish's chances of survival at C&R. We are in complete agreement there. However, I do not agree that barbless hooks would be preferable to barbed hooks, especially as we are talking about barbs with a gap of less than half a millimeter. If you do it right, there is no difference when you hook the fish. That is my experience. The problem with barbless hooks is that they go around the fish's mouth like pinballs, while hooks with barbs usually stay where they were first hooked. But we think differently and I don't want to force anyone to think like me. Nothing strange about that. However, I don't like that I don't get to choose to fish with the best stuff. For me it gets very frustrating to lose fish after fish, especially as I know there is a great working solution to that problem. /John

[@Fluefisker]

@@DrJohnTheAnglerJohnHedberg Yes, we think quite differently on this subject. My experience over the last 6 years where I have fished completely without barb hooks in all my fishing is that I have certainly not lost a single fish more or less than I used to do. So I keep fishing with great conviction that it will be fine that way. I will also stick to scientifically based best practice for catch and release. I feel convinced that if there is a problem with barbless hooks that do more damage than barbed hooks then they would have mentioned that problem. But I have never noticed that in any of what I have heard and read. and I have not come across that phenomenon myself. Tight line and hope you catch and release a large salmon on a barbless hook in 2024./Anders

[@DrJohnTheAnglerJohnHedberg]

As I said: We reason differently. I choose hooks with barbs any day of the week. They are completely superior to barbless hooks and they don't hurt the fish more if you just do the right thing when you unhook them. All hooks are bad for the fish. If you think otherwise, you are only fooling yourself. Tight Lines! /John

[@Roolis77]

I am using singles barbless already for good decade and have not been too disappointed . Double barbless are same effective as with barbs , singles are less, but with tight lines it works .. thanks for sharing always like watching your videos

[@DrJohnTheAnglerJohnHedberg]

Hi, We have slightly different experiences there. There is a reason why evolution led away from barbless hooks to barbed hooks. /John

[@Roolis77]

@@DrJohnTheAnglerJohnHedberg evolution lead from stone axe to nukes..

[@DrJohnTheAnglerJohnHedberg]

Not really comparable.

[@Roolis77]

@@DrJohnTheAnglerJohnHedberg evolution leads to tool efficiency . Barbed is more efficient than plain bone hook and nuke is more efficient than axe . You started about evolution and I just agreed. so its comparibble . But Please stop cry about singles . I totally agree about 1 hook, single hook and barbless. This way is in British Culumbia and millions of fisherman has no issues with that ... I agree with it. But You spent more time on your water and You have your own opinion , which I respect, but I dont agree. Peace :)

[@DrJohnTheAnglerJohnHedberg]

Hi, No problem. We have completely different opinions, but everyone is of course allowed to think what they want. I'm not trying to convince anyone, I'm just trying to get out the frustration I feel after fishing a whole season with barbless hooks. I think they are completely useless and that they have no function whatsoever. /John

[@Thomas73Christensen]

No don’t worry about the barbless hooks. Here in Denmark we have been using them for several years now, and land several thousand salmon every year on barbless hooks. And big fish too. Up to 15-20 kg. In the beginning there were resistance. But now I don’t think that many people mind it anymore. A barbless triple size 10 holds the fish very well. I have landed some big fish on that type of hook, and also in Mörrum. So don’t worry it’s just a matter of getting used to them. Tight liens 👍

[@DrJohnTheAnglerJohnHedberg]

Hi, I will fish Mörrum also in 2024, but if the barbless hooks are as useless as it seems, it will be the last year in Mörrum for me. /John

[@Thomas73Christensen]

@@DrJohnTheAnglerJohnHedberg well that’s your choice.

[@PaulConnor100]

Well done ! John I think we're all the same boat not many fish in our rivers either. I think barbless hooks only makes things worse and isn't saving fish ,maybe bad catch & release technique could cause fatality.

[@Nico__Youtube]

You describe exactly my experience when I hooked my first ever salmon in the Mörrum river this year. I was really afraid the fish would jump or shake too much and I was also really focussed on keeping pressure on, with the least amount of ‘playing’. Luckily it went well and I was able to land. I fished quite heavy (#10 - 15ft rod) and fishing with 0.40 tippet also. I'm curious if certain shapes or hook sizes would be better than other when fishing barbless. I could imagine bigger, single, hooks staying in better. But a treble hook would obviously hook faster and possibly even re-hook when it would come loose. Have you tried any new hook types this year to overcome the barbless hook problems?

[@DrJohnTheAnglerJohnHedberg]

Hi, Yes, I've tried going up a hook size from a 10 to an 8 but didn't notice a difference. Also tried bending the hook tips slightly but with the same bad results. I know there are barbless hooks that are knurled to theoretically give a slightly better grip but I honestly think this should be a "non-issue". There is a very simple solution to the problem and that is to allow barbs again. Barbless hooks make no difference to the salmon, it just makes us fishermen uncomfortable. Partly we lose the few fish that bite and partly the atmosphere around the river becomes worse among fishermen because many choose to ignore the rule and that annoys many, but not me. I have no problem with others choosing to fish with barbs even if I don't. /John

[@bullbagaren1590]

To prohibit barbed hooks where most people are using size 10 hooks but allow fishing in water above 20 degrees seems like a strange priority.

[@DrJohnTheAnglerJohnHedberg]

Hi, Yes, i totally agree on that. /John

[@wappietamtam6546]

Barbless hooks, what dom fool had thad Idea ? Fisk teasing, can anyone with the right mind explain the benefit of that ? Is it hurt les on the fish , do we catch to manny, is it FairPlay to the fish, because I can’t come up with benefits, other than it is just stupid catch and release! Wel let’s say it keeps me from coming🤭

[@DrJohnTheAnglerJohnHedberg]

Hi I have asked how they came to make this decision and the answer I have received is that they mean that barbless hooks make it easier to handle the fish. However, they cannot answer in what way that would help. /John

[@wappietamtam6546]

@@DrJohnTheAnglerJohnHedberg they are making nonsense rules that don’t make any difference at all. If it is really that bad in mörrum they should close the river and not fish.