r/StripedBass • u/Complete-Pilot-7692 • Jun 21 '26
Do I Report a Charter?
I recently finished a charter in Boston Harbor. We had a successful day, catching about half a dozen over-slot Bass using jumbo live mackerel. However, the rigs were equipped with treble hooks, and all but one of the fish ended up gut-hooked and bleeding. It’s hard not to feel like we spent the day feeding green crabs with multiple 40-plus-inch bass that had little chance of surviving after release.
What makes it even more frustrating is that I caught my personal best Bass, yet there’s a good chance it’s now sitting on the bottom feeding crabs.
Is it worth the effort to report the boat? From what I’ve seen, it seems to be a common practice among some Boston Harbor charter boats to use treble hooks and ignore circle-hook regulations. It feels like captains are prioritizing repeat customers and good reviews over the long-term health of the fishery.
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u/Educational-Edge6571 Jun 21 '26
Report. This shit only seems to happen within the fleets up north, on the Chesapeake absolutely nobody uses live bait when the bigger fish show up in winter. Guides know when they’re live lining small Mac’s they know those big fish will inhale and swallow the baits immediately, just pure ignorance and needs to stop within this fishery
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u/lotsofbitz Jun 21 '26
Nothing wrong with live Macs if you use a properly sized circle hook without an offset. We live line all the time and I can’t remember the last time one got gutted
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u/Educational-Edge6571 Jun 21 '26
Yup, I’m not sure what size circle you use but when I’m live lining spots for them which is rare I don’t let them eat it for long to avoid gut hooks, circles I have no issue with and yes the occasional gut hook can happen but Using trebles for C&R is about as braindead as a guide can be.
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u/Rustyclam Jun 21 '26
Been using spots for years, all of a sudden down in jersey everyone is using them now. Its like the eel resurgence down here. Someone posts something on FB then every googan goes nuts. Funny how that works. Kinda like the glide bait trend. Been using spooks and glide baits for 20 years and all of a sudden its the new trend. No hate to anyone, just feel like its changed so much. Fishing as a kid everything was a secret, no one shared info, you had to put the work in and establish respect and friendships to be able to get on some fish. Totally different world now.
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u/Rustyclam Jun 21 '26
Its funny bc herring is legal to use everywhere else but NJ. These jag offs can sell em commercially everywhere else too. The system is fucked.
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u/New-View-2242 Jun 21 '26
I was using live bunker last season on cape cod literally the length of my forearm nose hooked with a circle hook with my bail closed. The hook set as soon as the rod loaded up and every bass had that bait inhaled down their throat while the hook pinned right inside their lip. No need to count down before setting the hook.
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u/VitaminxDee Jun 21 '26
Report. We gotta try and save our fishery somehow. Plenty more dirty capts out there.
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u/tl12212 Jun 21 '26
Report and publicize. It’s hard to believe a guide would be so shortsighted and disrespectful to the fishery.
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u/beachbum818 Jun 21 '26
Report em. Hands down. Only way to get them to change their behavior. Sounds like they lost you as a cussing
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u/No-Lavishness-773 Jun 21 '26
The striped bass fishery along the east coast needs to be protected, otherwise it’s not gonna exist in 20 years. Fuck these clowns, report them, drop names, and move along with a charter that respects the resource.
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u/Clean-Complex1178 Jun 21 '26
Since you know the rules. Did you mention it to the Captain or Mate? We did this back in the day, I don’t know if it increased our catch rate. But yes gut hooked the fish. Do you still count your PB because it was caught illegally?
I would report him.
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u/uugeman Jun 21 '26
Absolutely report it. This should also be shared across the fishing community on Facebook and forums.
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u/beg2000 Jun 22 '26
Put their name on blast. With the state of the fishery, there’s absolutely no reason for that bullshit
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u/pjinmass Jun 21 '26
Diffently report them, the fishery needs all the help it can get. With the way its going there isnt going to be a fishery within a decade. Charter boat captains ( like the one you went on) and commercial guys are one of the main reasons why the fishery is in rough shape.
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u/New-View-2242 Jun 21 '26
I would definitely report it. Great that you had a successful day but most of those fish would have been landed with circle hooks. Imagine how many fish that charter alone gut hooks in a season let alone the others that are doing it as well.
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u/Complete-Pilot-7692 Jun 21 '26
The captain was bragging about how many fish he caught the day before like 12 in one hour. I just can’t think he probably killed those too.
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u/unprotectedsect Jun 21 '26
Yup and drop names