striped bass

[Capt Richie]

I hear Bass are circle hooks only..Im not a big bass angler they must be really thick for me to fish em ..But my question is If its circle hooks only how do you use bunker spoons , Mojoe's and diamond jigs ..or is that done now..

 

[Leprechaun]

No, I believe its gonna be circles when bait fishing only. But I haven’t seen written confirmation of that as yet.

And I stopped fishing for them a few seasons ago myself.

 

[captmike28]

I too have not seen the official regulations yet, but I have recently spoken to members of some of the advisory boards. They are virtually certain the circle hook restriction will only apply to bait fishing. If not, then you would have to effectively shut down the entire fishery.

Circle hooks on bucktails, plugs, spoons, etc. are just not practical.

 

[MOJOE]

I hear Bass are circle hooks only..Im not a big bass angler they must be really thick for me to fish em ..But my question is If its circle hooks only how do you use bunker spoons , Mojoe's and diamond jigs ..or is that done now..

MOJOES ,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,, ><))):>
><))):>

 

[flounderjoe]

The way it looks is circle hooks are for bait fishing only and i believe that reg, will not go into effect till the 2021 season

 

[pequa1]

there is a thread on the other, now dead website, wherein someone posted how they replaced their plug trebles with circle hooks and do just as well. just sayin'
(maybe that guy is here now and can edumucate us?)

 

[Roccus7]

there is a thread on the other, now dead website, wherein someone posted how they replaced their plug trebles with circle hooks and do just as well. just sayin'
(maybe that guy is here now and can edumucate us?)

I've never seen anyone say replacing plug trebles w/single hooks, either Js or circles, has no changes in hookup percentages. In late July/early August here, the schoolies start swallowing the plugs from behind and I start getting a high percentage of gill-hooked fish. Then I remove my tail trebles and replace them with siwash J-hooks.

There's no doubt that my hookup percentages drop significantly, maybe by 1/2, but the number of gill-hooked fish drops almost to zero, and removing a single hook quickly and without any damage from a gill-hooked fish is always successful.

 

[pequa1]

With little chance of my getting a keeper in the bay near me, and even less of a chance from the beach, I really don't fish for them much anymore as I really don't like to hook shorts and nothing but shorts of any species. I fish for fun but also for dinner.