Large swimmers: like Danny's, Jr. Atoms
Replace tail treble with a single Siwash bucktailed hook
Front treble replace with slightly larger treble with barbs flattened
Middle treble remove and epoxy lead shot in hook hole to maintain balance
Needlefish & Darters:
Replace tail hook with Siwash Bucktailed hook
Small swimmers:
If 3 hooks, replace front with larger treble and rear with single bucktail.
Stripers are headhunters, so most fish are caught on forward hook. If the barbs
are flattened and you have a pair of pliers, you should be able to release most unharmed.
When I'm flyfishing and catch an under 24" fish I roll it on its back into
my left hand. The fish become calm and don't move when on their backs. It is
easier than trying to lip the small guys. Watch out for the sharp dorsal fins.
Minimize the amount of handling of the fish which you do.
If you are bait fishing: tend your rods and strike soon after the hit. Big fish will
suck the bait into their mouth usually. Small fish tend to pick it up and run
with it. So if you miss them they are generally small.
Try using rigged eels instead of live ones. Since you plug the rigged eel,
you strike immediately when you get a hit. The rigged eel has 2 single hooks.