My first Stripers

[lowaccord66]

In Maine its inline circle hooks only.  I know they based it on scientific studies and an effort to be more conservative.

You mentioned that already

I typically plug and use bunker vary infrequently.  I had several years of eeling with circle and octopus hooks and the mortality rate was increased with circles.  Something I am actively discussing with the powers that be in CT as they are considering the same legislation.

Show me the science.  Been a long time member of Stripers Forever.  Never seen one published study.  Happy to be shown otherwise. 

I'd like to also see that study compared to the mortality rate of stripers caught on plugs with treble hooks.  Do you see the contradiction I am pointing out? 

Now if you want to argue based on your ideals I will happily bow out of this discussion....

[canoeist]

Numerous organizations including Stripers Forever advocate for circle hooks as well as organizations such as RISAA. There are several studies and I think that is why you are seeing states move towards inline circle hooks because the fishery biologists recognize such studies. It could be possible there are outliers that for one reason or the other do not like inline circle hooks, this is completely anecdotal, personal preference if you will. So no further "discussion" for me, have a nice day.

Here is just one:

1999 STRIPED BASS CATCH AND RELEASE RESULTS
Two 2-day trials were conducted at each location from June through October. Conventional bait hooks were used the first day and similar sized, non-offset circle hooks were used the second day. Fifty striped bass was the target number for each day. Striped bass were caught by chumming and anglers were instructed to hook, play and land the fish in a normal manner. The location of the hook wound was identified when each fish was landed. Fisheries Service biologists removed the hook if the fish was shallow hooked, but left the hook in place in deep hooked fish by cutting the line. Each fish was marked to identify hook location (shallow or deep) by hole punching the tail fin. The fish were placed in tanks on board DNR transport vessels. Oxygen, temperature and salinity measurements from surface, mid-water and bottom depths were taken at each site several times each day. The most optimal conditions for survival (lowest temperature and highest oxygen) found at each site were duplicated in the tank. When 25 fish were captured, they were transported to the net-pens. The striped bass were held for 72 hours and checked daily for mortality. Temperature, dissolved oxygen and salinity were monitored in the pens each day. Dead fish were measured and had hook location (hole punch position) recorded. All dead fish, marked as deep hooked, were dissected to determine the nature and extent of the internal damage that caused death. All surviving fish were measured, had hook location recorded and were released after 72 hours.
RESULTS
Four hundred seventy six striped bass were caught with conventional bait hooks and 640 were caught with nonoffset circle hooks. The average size and the size range of striped bass caught with conventional bait hooks were similar (16.7 in; 10.5 - 36.6 in) to those fish caught with non-offset circle hooks (16.4 in; 11.4 - 36.3 in). The deep hooking rate for conventional bait hooks over the course of the entire study was 17.2% and was 3.4% for non-offset circle hooks. This magnitude of deep hooking reduction has been documented in several other Fisheries Service studies (24% for conventional hooks vs. 4% for circle hooks in summer 1996 and 46% vs. 11% in spring 1997). The deep hooking mortality rate for striped bass caught with conventional bait hooks in this study was 53.1%. The deep hooking mortality rate with non-offset circle hooks was 23.5%. Studies done here in Maryland have consistently shown the deep hooking mortality rate of striped bass caught with conventional bait hooks to be about 50% regardless of temperature or salinity (57.7% in 1995; 41.0% in 1996 and 56.3% in 1997).

[lowaccord66]

A study from 99?  With a ridiculously small sample size....I stand corrected but only slightly so.  Until commercial fishing for stripers is eliminated I guess the powers that be will continue to beat on the recs.  Anyhow, good topic to discuss anyways. 

[SHaRPS]

There are so many factors that can be added to this study that can alter these averages and sway them in one direction or the other. How many anglers, skill level of anglers, did each angler use both style hook, how long did they wait until they set the hook, how did they set the hook... etc etc etc. Reading this, I do not think this was the proper way to test these hooks but that's just my opinion.

[canoeist]

This is from RISAA presentation online and references at least five more studies (there are more) that you can research online. I would suggest if you plan to argue with your state against the use of circle hooks you have some powerful arguments to refute what the studies keep point out.

Massachusetts, Caruso, 2000
Maryland, Lukacovic, 1999
Lukacovic, 2000
North Carolina 2001
Lukacovic, 2002

Same conclusion: increased mortality for traditional hooks vs. circle hooks when bait fishing.

[seamonkey84]

I swear by circle hooks whenever I’m using bait (though in fresh water).
If you use circle hooks, you don’t set the hook, and you need to go a size or two bigger than you normally would. Problem is, the hook needs to be sized for the fish your targeting. They can gut hook if the hook is too small and can rotate in the throat. If properly sized, they come out of the throat without catching anything, and then gets hooked in the corner of the mouth. If the fish is small, the hook may not catch, but won’t get swallowed.
From the reading I did last year when I though about getting into it, 7/0 seems to been the minimum size, with 8/0-10/0 being the usual spread of what people have been having success with.

[lowaccord66]

Circle hooks aren't going to stop the miles of bycatch floating dead from draggers.  Meanwhile us recs like to argue amongst ourselves.  Winning an argument isn't going to save the striper.

https://youtu.be/STkkRyWNskI

Have seen it a few times.  Worse these fish do NOT count against the commercial quota. 

[SHaRPS]

Circle hooks aren't going to stop the miles of bycatch floating dead from draggers.  Meanwhile us recs like to argue amongst ourselves.  Winning an argument isn't going to save the striper.

https://youtu.be/STkkRyWNskI

Have seen it a few times.  Worse these fish do NOT count against the commercial quota.

Well said Jon.

[lowaccord66]

Well said Jon.

Thanks Mike.