Nope, shanks weren't barbed, or they would've jabbed his palate and added to the fun (he's fine). There is no real answer other than taking better care, the rig had brand new hooks and was below the tide line, so could only have been there a few hours. In the case of the bass plugs, stronger leaders and not casting into snags.... All my bass plugs have been converted to single hooks to lessen the problem and allow the return of fish with minimal damage.
On the brighter side, I just caught a 5lb grilse about 20 minutes ago!
Nope, shanks weren't barbed, or they would've jabbed his palate and added to the fun (he's fine). There is no real answer other than taking better care, the rig had brand new hooks and was below the tide line, so could only have been there a few hours. In the case of the bass plugs, stronger leaders and not casting into snags.... All my bass plugs have been converted to single hooks to lessen the problem and allow the return of fish with minimal damage.
On the brighter side, I just caught a 5lb grilse about 20 minutes ago!