13-188 C.M.R. ch. 42, § 01 - Statewide Striped Bass Size Restrictions, Harvest Methods

1. Method of Taking

A. It is unlawful to fish for or take striped bass in territorial waters, except by hook and line. It is unlawful to use a gaff to land any striped bass.

B. It is unlawful to use multiple (more than two) barbed or barbless treble hooks on any artificial lure or flies while fishing for striped bass in territorial waters.

C. It is unlawful to use any hook other than a circle hook when using bait. For purposes of this chapter the definition of circle hook means "a nonoffset hook with a point that points 90º back toward the shaft of the hook". Striped bass incidentally caught on any unapproved hook type must be returned to the water immediately without unnecessary injury.

For the purposes of this section, bait is defined as any marine or freshwater organism live or dead, whole or parts thereof, and earthworms, including but not limited to, night crawlers (Lumbricus terrestris).

Exception: Rubber or latex tube rigs will be exempt from the circle hook restriction as long as they conform with the following: the lure must consist of a minimum of 8" of latex or rubber tubing with a single hook protruding from the end portion of the tubing where bait may be attached. Willow leaf spinner rigs will also be exempt from the circle hook restriction as long as they are fished with no more than two barbless hooks. A willow leaf spinner rig is comprised of leaf-shaped attractor blades which are longer than they are wide. Use of treble hooks is not allowed with any of these exempted rigs.

D. Any striped bass legally taken from the territorial waters shall be immediately released alive into the water from which it was taken, or killed at once. Any striped bass killed becomes part of the daily bag limit in accordance with Chapter 42.02.

2. Size Restrictions

It is unlawful to take or possess striped bass which are less than 28 inches long or greater than 31 inches long, in total length. It is unlawful to possess striped bass unless the fish are whole with head on, and are between 28 inches and 31 inches, inclusive

Exception: Operators and crew onboard for-hire vessels may fillet legal sized striped bass for their customers dockside provided that:

A. A striped bass carcass may not be mutilated to the extent that the total length or species of fish cannot be determined.

B. No more than two fillets taken from legal striped bass are in the possession of each customer of that trip, representing the equivalent of one fish per angler.

C. Any striped bass fillet shall have the skin still attached for the purpose of identification of the fillet as striped bass.

D. All striped bass carcasses must be retained and available for inspection until all passengers from that trip have left the vessel and dock area.

E. All striped bass carcasses from any previous trip shall be disposed of before any person begins to fish on a subsequent trip.

F. Filleting by operators and crew onboard for-hire vessels is not permitted at-sea.

Notes

13-188 C.M.R. ch. 42, § 01