In my view , unless you are trying to catch spooky fish in very clear conditions using this , or any other fancy hook length, is not really required , simple is best with barbel , they aren't exactly hard to catch once you have found them , indeed finding them is the hardest bit
As for narrow minded , that's a little harsh it's only fishing when all is said and done . I just think that the less complicated a set up is , the less likely something will go wrong , all that pairing back coatings and messing about it seems to be more likely to compromise the rig than make it more efficient ,but each to there own, just an opinion ....As usual, I agree in many ways with your thoughts Mike. However, I would make the point that unless you are fishing water which is clear and/or shallow enough to see the fish, then the only way you will ever know if you've 'found' them or not....is if you catch one. That being so, you will never actually be certain whether or not you would have caught sooner, or more than you did, or suffered less blanks, if you had used the new fangled stuff
Cheers, Dave.
