"Wayne.B" wrote ...
wrote:

should I bend the barb
down?

I know some very serious and experienced fisherman who do that.

Will this greatly reduce the number she can actually land?

It's hard to say in my opinion, but it will not lessen the excitement
and fun. What is fishing without a story about the one that got away?

If you pay attention to not giving it slack the barbless hook won't hurt your
landed/hooked ratio much at all (if any). Keep a sharp hook and maintain a
little tension and you'll do fine.

-rick-