New circle hook regulation for stripers in 2021

Expect a new rule on the books come Jan. 1, 2021:

If you're fishing for striped bass with bait, you must use a circle hook.

This obviously raises some questions, such as what about a tube & worm? And, can you fish an eel on a jig head? What if you're not specifically targeting bass?

Enforcement will certainly be a challenge.

Expect the first year to be an instructional year, before enforcing.

More to come on this. This reg will be so that CT is in line with regs in other states under the ASMFC.

I’m not a fan of circle hooks, I love setting the hook.

Kids getting nailed for using the wrong hook.......they will just fish for stripers virtually on the computer.

Keep driving kids away from sports by making it so easy to break the law

So if I’m fishing with sand worms in the CT river for white perch and I keep catching stripers.......do I stop fishing if I don’t have circles?

Can I drift an eel on a j hook for big bluefish or weakfish?

Talking with the deep officers at the bass + bluefish public hearings during the winter, they stated that it is going to be very hard to enforce the circle hook law unless you state that you are targeting bass and not using circle hooks when fishing with bait