Catch 22 in Salmon Regs

Ill stick with what the guy who enforces the law tells me not what a buncha liars....ah hummm I mean fishermen tell me lol

Only if bait is used. Why limit your fishing techniques when you don't have to?

We really need to get to the bottom of this, lol.

Here are the regs for when a circle is required. A warden who writes you up for using a barbless hook without bait is going to look foolish in court. 

Horse Mountain to Point Conception: When fishing with bait and angling by any means other than TROLLING1, no more than 2 single-point, single-shank barbless circle hooks shall be used. The distance between the two hooks must not exceed 5 inches when measured from the top of the eye of the top hook to the inner base of the curve of the lower hook and both hooks must be permanently tied in place (hard tied).
Note: These special gear restrictions apply to each angler fishing for salmon or fishing from any boat or floating device with salmon on board.
1. TROLLING is defined as angling from a boat or floating device that is making way by means of a source of power, other than
drifting by means of the prevailing water current or weather conditions.
2. A CIRCLE HOOK is defined as a hook with a generally circular shape and a point which turns inwards, pointing directly to the
shank at a 90-degree angle.

Does all this mean that you can catch the first salmon on a lure with barbed treble hooks but can't use them after the salmon is on board?

No. No barbs in the ocean.

Does all this mean that you can catch the first salmon on a lure with barbed treble hooks but can't use them after the salmon is on board?

The regs never mean that. Get that notion out of your head. If you catch a rockfish with two rods out, you have to let it go. If you catch a salmon on barbed rockfish gear, you have to let it go. Etc.

There is no "first-one-is-fine-but-then-switch-gear" rule.

Interesting. I see if your intent is salmon fishing, no treble hooks. It seemed to imply they are ok otherwise. I haven't seen where it says no salmon can be taken on treble hooks. Maybe it is implied.

Seems like the regs are pretty difficult to follow over here.  Then again, 40+ years of hunting and fishing in Louisiana has me very familair with just about everything here.