Evan Jacoby is an attorney, and I have communicated with him in the past regarding rules clarification.

However, I am having trouble accepting this answer. The exact words in the rule book under the Non-Bouyant Lure Restriction definition is:

"When using a buoyant lure (one that floats in
freshwater) in an area with a non-buoyant lure
restriction, hooks must be attached to, or
below, but within 3” of the floating lure. (No
hook may be tied above the lure.) "

If both double hooks are below the corky (in an unweighted setup), then yes, I agree with Mr. Jacoby in that it is legal. Mr. Jacoby is also correct in that double hook setups (including treble hooks) are legal in NBLR waters where you use an unweighted plug, like a Wiggle Wart, without any ancillary weighting system to sink the plug.

However, if one hook is below the corky, and the other hook is above the corky, then I am having difficulty reconciling the legality of that set-up with the explicit text of the rules as I have quoted above. To me, such a set up (hook above and hook below the corky) is illegal where an NBLR is in place.

If the corky is NOT considered a buoyant lure (i.e., is considered a sinking lure), then the other portion of the NBLR definition kicks in, which requires "one single hook
measuring ¾ " or less from point to shank."

I'd bet my law degree that the corky between the two hooks is illegal when NBLR is in effect.

Oh well, it won't matter much longer. The NBLR will be lifted in my nearby rivers by Dec. 1, and so the double hook setup will be legal by then.


I fish with just a single hook anyways under all conditions.

Good luck everybody... catch some fish.