Salmon hook question

So i never fished for salmon before but to my knowledge i always thought you need circle barbless hook when fishing with bait but heard you can just go with barbless only. Regs are confusing that it says just barbless. I will be trolling at hmb just curious if anybody can confirm. Will be using barbless circle to be safe

So i never fished for salmon before but to my knowledge i always thought you need circle barbless hook when fishing with bait but heard you can just go with barbless only. Regs are confusing that it says just barbless. I will be trolling at hmb just curious if anybody can confirm. Will be using barbless circle to be safe

http://www.norcalkayakanglers.com/index.php?topic=84103.msg955400#msg955400, my answer to old fart was corrected.  I hope this helps...

Thanks alot, that cleared it up a bit

I didn't read the link - maybe it's the same as what I'll provide here.

If you're fishing for salmon using bait and doing anything OTHER THAN TROLLING, you must use a circle hook or two circle hooks hard tied not more than 5" from the upper eye to the lower curve.  This is only the regulation in California SOUTH of Horse Mountain - basically Shelter Cove and to the south you need the circle hooks.

What you're doing fishing with bait and NOT TROLLING = "mooching".

So, if you're mooching for salmon, south of Horse Mountain, you must use the circle hook.

Here's the part that gets super confusing for some people:  When you go to buy "mooching rigs" - either slip- or fixed-tied - someone may tell you that you can't use them for salmon.  But the thing is, "mooching rigs" are used for trolling all the time, and that's totally legal.

If you mooch with a mooching rig south of Horse Mountain you're breaking the law if you keep a salmon on it.

One solution:  troll all the time - slow trolling = "trooching" - just make sure you're always under your own power or the power of a motor (if you're not a kayaker).  Just drifting with bait = mooching.

Another solution:  use circle hooks if you're mooching!  Many of us use a threader to bring the leader from the head and out at the gristle of the tail, leaving a single circle hook at the mouth or out one of the gill plates.  You have to tie the leader to the weight for each new bait, so it's labor intensive, but salmon like to eat the bait head first - it can be a killer method.

Good luck.

Good stuff!  Did you mean if you officially mooch with trolling “hooks” and keep it you’re breaking the law?

Good stuff!  Did you mean if you officially mooch with trolling “hooks” and keep it you’re breaking the law?

or is it the space between the hooks? if it's a slip = no go.
if it's not a slip but more than 5" apart also no go.

I've never seen a mooching rig before though so I don't know.

One solution:  troll all the time - slow trolling = "trooching" - just make sure you're always under your own power or the power of a motor ...

Or under sail power...

Good stuff!  Did you mean if you officially mooch with trolling “hooks” and keep it you’re breaking the law?

or is it the space between the hooks? if it's a slip = no go.
if it's not a slip but more than 5" apart also no go.

I've never seen a mooching rig before though so I don't know.

    and no more than one rod per angler when fishing for salmon or fishing from a boat with salmon on board.
 Horse Mountain to Point Conception: When fishing with bait and angling by any means other than TROLLING1, no more than two single-point, single-shank barbless CIRCLE HOOKS2 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).

I use one hook for mooching but two are allowed.  A mooching setup is a big ole trout rig is all...

Understanding the reasons for the regulations might help you remember them: when you are trolling, the hook is set immediately when the fish strikes because the bait or lure is moving forward, so there is almost no risk that the fish will be gut-hooked. If you are drifting, a.k.a. mooching, the fish has time to swallow the bait, and in the past lots of salmon that were cohos or undersized would be gut-hooked and die.

Circle hooks are designed so that they will slide back out of a fish’s stomach and only set in the corner of the jaw. The problem is that sometimes circle hooks slide all the way out and don’t hook on anything, but the few times I’ve gotten bites while mooching they seem to work okay, provided you fish them with the proper technique. On the positive side, when a circle hook sets in the corner of a fish’s mouth it tends to stay there. Also, it keeps sharp teeth away from the light leaders that are considered a good idea when mooching.

... they seem to work okay, provided you fish them with the proper technique.

I always troll, but just curious as to what is the proper technique for salmon with circle hooks.

... they seem to work okay, provided you fish them with the proper technique.

I always troll, but just curious as to what is the proper technique for salmon with circle hooks.

Don’t set the hook ever. Let the rod load up and let the fish take a little line out then start reeling in.

Understanding the reasons for the regulations might help you remember them: when you are trolling, the hook is set immediately when the fish strikes because the bait or lure is moving forward, so there is almost no risk that the fish will be gut-hooked. If you are drifting, a.k.a. mooching, the fish has time to swallow the bait, and in the past lots of salmon that were cohos or undersized would be gut-hooked and die.

Circle hooks are designed so that they will slide back out of a fish’s stomach and only set in the corner of the jaw. The problem is that sometimes circle hooks slide all the way out and don’t hook on anything, but the few times I’ve gotten bites while mooching they seem to work okay, provided you fish them with the proper technique. On the positive side, when a circle hook sets in the corner of a fish’s mouth it tends to stay there. Also, it keeps sharp teeth away from the light leaders that are considered a good idea when mooching.

Wow this really helps actually. I’ve been kayak fishing for years but am an absolute newb when it comes to salmon fishing and this really helped me understand the law and reasoning behind barbless/barbless circle hooks. Thank you

-FF

Don't know if I missed the info or not but......  Trolling you don't need to use barbless circle hooks.  "J" hooks are OK.  BUT, they still need to be barbless.

what I larned re moochinghook up is-  watch the rod tip you see it bounce.  Feed some line a foot or so at a time.when the rod loads up, (or you pull up gently) and feel weight, just reel mabe a little rod elevation but don't bassmaster it. I like to rig like Eric B described. thread the chovie with hook at the head of the bait.  often use a half-hitch at the tail where the leader exits to keep things aligned.  I have found when on the PB and the frift is fast, rigging the other way arund has been more successful for me.  ie; thread the bait with hook projecting just ahead of the tail, and leader exiting bait through the head.

Bushy

Beginner and even seasoned kayakers need a reminder of this rule as well on hooks

“ No more than two single-point, single-shank barbless hooks shall be used and no more than one rod per angler when fishing for salmon or fishing from a boat with salmon on board.”

If you have salmon on-board and want to do RF or halibut, you have to use barbless hooks...NO TREBLE HOOKS lol  or barbless treble hooks lol 😂

...NO TREMBLE HOOKS lol  or barbless tremble hooks lol 😂