snagging

[Jburke]

I like how everyone quickly jumps all over the gamey while giving the fisherman the benefit of the doubt. My guess is the warden wouldn't have had an issue if there wasn't excessive hook setting taking place.   

Some of us are fed up with gamies! Wth do you expect..  They try to bully people all the time because they wear a badge...

I know you have had your issues with LE, but I have NEVER had any bad interactions with any LE.  Even the local warden that everyone thinks is a jerk.  Been a pleasant interaction each time I have dealt with her.  I think the hatred for LE clouds peoples judgment and then they are all evil.   

[Fishaholic]

Its only on the west size the LE act this way. I was fishing  at little goose park or whatever it was and a game officer was decent to me. I come back over here and I instantly have problems out in westport. 

[akirkland]

I have never had a bad encounter with a game warden. They have all been pleasant. But dont tell me how to fish legally or threaten to fine me for the way I am legally fishing. Then I will buck.

[Bullkllr]

I like how everyone quickly jumps all over the gamey while giving the fisherman the benefit of the doubt. My guess is the warden wouldn't have had an issue if there wasn't excessive hook setting taking place.   

Without knowing exactly what was going on in this particular scenario, I would say this makes sense.

Retaining snagged fish is illegal. Fishing with illegal (snagging) gear is illegal. Attempting to snag fish, even with legal gear, has always been illegal. Nothing new here.

It may have been a poor choice of words on the part of the game warden. Setting a hook with 2 hands is clearly not illegal, but excessively setting the hook in an attempt to snag fish is illegal. Judgement call on the part of the officer, obviously. But that happens in law enforcement all of the time. I don't think "attempting to snag with legal gear" where no snagged fish are retained is commonly ticketed or prosecuted due to obvious evidence issues. My

[Jonathan_S]

I hope your co-worker told the gammie to pack sand. Who gives a rats back side if a person uses 1, od 2 hand to set a hook    This is just what I was saying in another thread about game wardens trying the bully tactics. I had on out at Westport threaten to write me a ticket for "Using Salmon Catching Gear" while fishing for bottom fish. Informed him just were he could put his salmon fishing gear ( in no uncertain terms)

Hunterman(Tony)

The gameys out in westport think they know everything. I have corrected  a few of them with the rules book. Best thing to do is carry a rule book in  a zip log bag so you can check a rule. Its just so much easyer  when dealing with game officers .




My son also fishes marlin style when he is trout fishing. when the bobber goes down he jerks up as hard as he can.

I don't think that the printed regulations have autonomous legal authority do they?  Not trying to be a critic but I'd hate to see someone get into trouble using that as their only source. 

[Antlershed]

I like how everyone quickly jumps all over the gamey while giving the fisherman the benefit of the doubt. My guess is the warden wouldn't have had an issue if there wasn't excessive hook setting taking place.   

Some of us are fed up with gamies! Wth do you expect..  They try to bully people all the time because they wear a badge...

I have never had a bad interaction with a warden or felt bullied, whether it was fishing or hunting. I realize you have had your issues, but does that make every single one of them an A-hole? I know there are some who deservedly have a bad rep...

If the fisherman in question was setting the hook 3-4 times per drift like you see all the time, especially this time of year, then I am glad the warden stepped in and said something. Like was mentioned, maybe poor wording on the officer's part, but if the guy was setting the hook on a legitimate bite but used two hands, I doubt the warden would have said anything. 

[Button Nubbs]

I like how everyone quickly jumps all over the gamey while giving the fisherman the benefit of the doubt. My guess is the warden wouldn't have had an issue if there wasn't excessive hook setting taking place.   

I think we have a winner. Exactly what I was gonna say.

[The Weazle]

I like how everyone quickly jumps all over the gamey while giving the fisherman the benefit of the doubt. My guess is the warden wouldn't have had an issue if there wasn't excessive hook setting taking place.   

I think we have a winner. Exactly what I was gonna say.

The only pleasant experience I've ever had with a gamey was getting a ticket.  It was my fault, I was polite, and he was polite, as he wrote me a fine for fishing with a barbed hook for bottom fish in Puget Sound the year it went all barbless.  I really didn't read the new regs, he caught me, he wrote me a ticket (he even gave me a break, because I was using a treble hook with three barbs on it, for $225 worth of fines, but he wrote me for one).  The whole experience was actually quite nice.  Every encounter since then, they are all mostly jerky acting if they can't find reason to ticket you.  Just my experience any way.


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[pens fan]

So, there is nothin in the regs describing "snagging motions?"
The gamies can just make up what they feel is a snagging motion?
All i see is gear rules. 

[Bullkllr]

So, there is nothin in the regs describing "snagging motions?"
The gamies can just make up what they feel is a snagging motion?
All i see is gear rules. 

From the regs, pg. 11:
Snagging= Attempting to take fish with a hook
and line in such a way that the fish does not
voluntarily take the hook(s) in its mouth. In
freshwater, it is illegal to possess any fish
hooked anywhere other than inside the mouth or
on the head.

Many laws require judgement:
How far does a negligent driver have to swerve out of his/her lane to be driving negligently?
If a person is target practicing, how close do they need to shoot toward a house or person before it could be called a crime?

Your buddy looked like he might be trying to snag fish and got a warning. What's the worry? Setting the hook repeatedly normally doesn't catch more fish (in the mouth) anyway.

[pens fan]

Like i said, i have no problems with sacking people for snagging. I just wanted to see where it was printed. Thank you for that!

I also still do not like vagueness in law. But its in print and thats good enough for me.

[pens fan]

See, in bass fishing, some tactics could be deemed snagging, where one is merely enticing a strike. Now, how anyone can tell me that making a hookset at the end of a cast is not enticing a bite is beyond me.

[highmuley]

See, in bass fishing, some tactics could be deemed snagging, where one is merely enticing a strike. Now, how anyone can tell me that making a hookset at the end of a cast is not enticing a bite is beyond me.

Its all up to interpretation. Same as "flossin". Some people will complain if you use a leader over 5'. Others have the opinion that salmon don't "feed" in the river so technically its ALL snagging. Other rivers have rules on what is considered "caught" (hook must be from the gill plates forward, etc.). I also believe this rule is more designed for salmon and steelhead. "Ditch pickles" (freshwater bass) are not as much of a priority, although you probably will never here a gamey say that.

[Antlershed]

See, in bass fishing, some tactics could be deemed snagging, where one is merely enticing a strike. Now, how anyone can tell me that making a hookset at the end of a cast is not enticing a bite is beyond me.

Are you saying that setting the hook at the end of every drift is a valid method to get the fish to strike after the fact?

[pens fan]

Why not? If the fish are indeed "biting", this would stimulate a strike, just like twitching a worm in the last few feet of reeling in while fishing for "ditch fish", right?

If not, then that means the salmon are not feeding, and the only way to catch one would be pure happenstance that the hook would find its way into its mouth.
 Many who swear this is true, then doing so would entice a strike, right?