Patent ID: 7114279

Claim:
A tool for crimping a barb defined by a conventional fishhook, said tool comprising: a pair of forceps including: a first arm having a first end defining an interior face and a second end defining a finger loop; a second arm having a first end defining an interior face and a second end defining a finger loop, said second arm being pivotally mounted to said first arm at a fulcrum, said fulcrum defining a pivot axis, said first arm interior face and said second arm interior face cooperating to form a clamp; and a locking device for locking said first and second arms together such that said first arm interior face and said second arm interior face are contacting each other in a mating and locked manner; and a barb crimping mechanism carried by said forceps for crimping the conventional fishhook barb, said barb crimping mechanism including: a first head carried by said first arm and disposed between said fulcrum and said first arm finger loop, said first head defining an interior face extending orthogonally away from said first arm and parallel to said pivot axis, said first head interior face being coplanar with said first arm interior face; and a second head carried by said second arm and disposed between said fulcrum and said second arm finger loop, said second head defining an interior face extending orthogonally away from said second arm and parallel to said pivot axis, said second head interior face being coplanar with said second arm interior face and configured to mate and cooperate with said first head interior face when said locking device is engaged, whereby a fish caught on the fishhook with a crimped barb is released without causing undue harm to the fish.