As stripers tend to get hooked on the leading hook, I'm considering removing the trailing hook and replacing it with a bucktail (no hook) on plugs whose action would not otherwise be impaired. This provides less chance of me getting stuck by a hook at night in the surf while trying to release a fish. Probably better for the fish too.

Thoughts?

I take all rear trebles off.I wouldn't give up on the rear hook completely but thats just me.I've got more than a few on the rear hook.I put a dressed siwash on the back.

When it is only schoolies I fish with just a bucktail on the back, the rear hook just isn't needed,

I would swap out the rear treble for single dressed siwash hook. You occasionally get a bass on the back hook and you get most of your blues on the back hook. Some people don't want anything to do with catching blues - but I think blues are excellent sport.

If you swap out the treble for a dressed siwash with in white, yellow, or chartreuse with a little pearl flashabou, or some silver flash tied in, you'll find you get more bass on the tail hook, especially at dawn and dusk. Sometimes that tail hook hooking into the plates provides a fail-safe, helping ensure that you land the fish when the trebles start to open.

I remove the tail hooks on plugs that have two belly hooks. I feel the rear treble is close enough for a possible rear attack plus w/o a rear siwash / treble hook it's a safety factor.