Snaggers!!!

[h2ofowlr]

A good thing we don't use nets in the river. Then everyone would have a real gripe.  I am fine with the gill plate forward, which most of the rivers used to read.  It's just those that threw a stink when we had large runs around 2000-2001 that many of the rules seemed to been changed.  Negative publicity.  I always would follow the springer run on the CR with bait from the mouth up to Bonneville.  Once those fish start to darken up many of them stop feeding up the smaller tributaries.  A good ex. was on the Wind River.  Most of the fish were lined.  If you snagged one south of the gill plate you released it.  Same technique as on the Frasier River.  A fish is a fish.  Get your limit and leave, is the way I look at it.  That's why I try to stick to the boat most of the time.  Then you don't have to deal with it.  Several of the salmon rivers have barrier dams on them, so the hatchery only keeps a certain number so the remainder are typically recycled and dropped off down stream or made into a fish meal.  The one's they harvest eggs from go into a land fill due to the formaldehyde released into the adult holding pen prior to egg harvest.  What’s the difference.  Indians or a guy catching 2 to feed his family.  At least they have advanced from the days of the Washougal Fly.  Besides the game department needs a way to bring in extra revenue,  $500 snagging fine and $500 fine for retaining a snagged fish.  A $1k donation to WDFW.  I have a bigger problem with those that exceed their daily limit, I personally would focus on those guys.  Some Ruski’s with a trunk full of salmon.

[Houndhunter]

flossing does take a lil practice to get down, but really its the same thing as snaggin to me. now if your just driftin through, not doing a bass pro hook set at the end of the drift with a 7ft leader, and your line cross's the fishes mouth than i dont call that flossing

[fishunt247]

It's too bad they don't enforce that $1k snagging fine. I called enforcement this summer, gave boat numbers and everything for snagging and retaining over their limit. "Ok," she said, "Someone will call you shortly for better directions." Guess what...they never called. Another A+ job.

[fishcrazy]

Snagging is snagging. You can sugar coat it and call it flossing if you want. If the fish doesn't TAKE the hook voluntarily it's snagging!! Hooking them on he top of the head is the same as in the tail. IT"S SNAGGING

The problem I have with snagging is all the fish that come off. Those fish are left with damage that in most cases will kill them. I sat and observed springers being snagged at Barier dam oneday. I think the guy lost about 80% of the fish he hooked. That was in May. Now how many of those fish were going to live untill fall when thye would spawn? Probably none of them.  


I would like to see all hatcheries open the traps up after they get the fish they need. IE you just walk up and dip out the fish you want. The fish would not be wasted and snaggers would have no reason to fish. Leaving the fun part to those who fish to have a good time.


Kris

[h2ofowlr]

The problem I have with snagging is all the fish that come off. Those fish are left with damage that in most cases will kill them. I sat and observed springers being snagged at Barier dam oneday. I think the guy lost about 80% of the fish he hooked. That was in May. Now how many of those fish were going to live untill fall when thye would spawn? Probably none of them.   ?

Just as a matter of friendly disagreement.  Most of those fish that I have witnessed seem to survive.  Usually the area's where I would see a lot of snagging seemed to be area's close to the hatchery where they stack up.  Not in all instances.  When I have helped out in the fish traps or hatchery I just kept a set of pliers and pulled all the hooks, corkies, spiners, etc. out of the fish.  Many were turning white with all sorts of stuff stuck in them.  Still swimming fine.  Many would even have net marks on them and seal bites.  Most of the ones end up living unless the fish gets snagged back to back by multiple fisherman, which I'm sure also happens.

It would be nice if they would let many of the fish spawn past the various rivers with barrier damns.  There are also reasons for this as they try to meet fish counts on certain rivers.  Sometimes they only let, ex. steelhead past the damn or Chinook as reds, chum, pink, etc. would compete for the valuable spawning beds, food etc.  So, the other fish are killed or recycled.  It depends on the Federal / State guidlines for that river.  So, a lot of politics.  This information can be argued one way or the next depends on which side wants to spin it.

[Houndhunter]

The problem I have with snagging is all the fish that come off. Those fish are left with damage that in most cases will kill them. I sat and observed springers being snagged at Barier dam oneday. I think the guy lost about 80% of the fish he hooked. That was in May. Now how many of those fish were going to live untill fall when thye would spawn? Probably none of them. 

ya i dissagree with that, how many times have you caught a fish that had been scared up by a seal, net, bird, ect? i think it would be safe to say that just bout all those fish will be fine

[Antlershed]

Snagging is snagging. You can sugar coat it and call it flossing if you want. If the fish doesn't TAKE the hook voluntarily it's snagging!! Hooking them on he top of the head is the same as in the tail. IT"S SNAGGING

[Dustin07]

what a bunch of crybabies. 

[JoshT]

Snagging is snagging. You can sugar coat it and call it flossing if you want. If the fish doesn't TAKE the hook voluntarily it's snagging!! Hooking them on he top of the head is the same as in the tail. IT"S SNAGGING

Dude... you're just going to smack it over the head with a rock anyway.

Get you 4 fish... and get out of Dodge. If the guy next to you is "flossing"... who gives a schitt... as long as he's not being a dick to you or anyone else. The only one that can decide if a guy is being "ethical"... is that guy. If a fish is caught in the face... it's a legal caught fish... who freaking cares how the hook got there?

[WAcoueshunter]

Tough topic...from my perspective, flossing is clearly a form of snagging.  The fish isn't biting the bait.  Flossing/snagging is illegal in WA, so nuff said.

On the other hand, there's plenty of pinks in the [insert river here] to easily meet escapement, so why do we care?  We regularly hunt populations that are in much worse shape and are okay with it.  Why the double standard?  As long as people don't take more than their limit, why do we care?

I guess it gets down to hunting/fishing ethics to me.  At some level, we all hunt/fish to apply our knowledge and experience, apply great effort, and take great satisfaction if/when we are successful.  I think people get pissed off because snagging/flossing doesn't require much in the way of knowledge, experience, or effort, so it dilutes the relative success of those that do it the hard way.  Maybe that's the great thing about winter steelhead, for example.  There's really no easy way to catch one. 

I won't give much credit for great humpy reports, at least in the rivers.  If you catch 74 in the salt...well done.  If you catch 74 on the Puyallup, you get a Barry Bonds *.  Sorry if you're dry fly fishing for them, but you get lumped in with the rest...cuz I know you soaked that dry fly with your sinking line.   

Sorry for the diatribe...just read too many threads on this topic lately and figured I'd give my 

[BigGoonTuna]

the snaggers wouldn't bother me nearly as much as they do if their practices didn't totally put the fish off the bite. you walk in and start ripping next to me, you're decreasing my chance of catching something as much as you're screwing up my experience.

[wildebeast]

littlebuf, now do you understand my first post.

When the barrier dam closes off the upper river they stay below the hatchery in the closest deep holes and stay either to die or be clubbed and sold for dog food.  It's a waste, so if a person snags a few for food for the family I don't have a problem.  

It's not for me to judge as long as they use the fish for personal food.  Better than welfare.

Seems like a good year for salmon, the toutle should be getting hot after we get a rain, now it's pretty low but some are heading up.  Last year I watched thousand of salmon pass by my house and the hatchery filled up in several weeks on Green River.

I caught my first salmon over 50 years ago , so I do know about mommy and daddy fishy's.  Even carried baby salmon in buckets that I got from my brothers small hatchery in a creek by the house to stock many of the small streams in our county back when I was younger.

cliff

[cohoho]

I guess you guys are too hung up on what is reality of snagging. I can guarantee me using my fly rod with a 3/8" gap fly with some color of hair tied on it will catch all of my fish in the mouth, call it flossing, call it controlled snagging, I am doing nothing different than someone spot fishing for trout....  Salmon are coming up the river, opening and closing their mouths, they are not feeding in the fresh water, merely trying to get whatever is in front of them out of their way.  Do you set the hook when you feel a bump when you have on eggs, do you ever miss a fish, well then if you missed it, your attempting to snag a fish aren't you??  Flipping for Salmon is something that I learned in AK for Reds.  Trooper regularly wrote citation for people snagging, there is a clear difference - give you an example: Someone standing along the river facing straight, this person flips 10 - 15 foot of line out at the 9-10 position and lets it drift to the 2-3 position, drifts it down river and feels for bumps other than rocks, when he does get that BUMP or pulling he sets the hook.  A snagger stand in the same position flips erratically in one swift motion and yanks the line hard at the end of the drift each and everytime....  Call it flossing or whatever but the fish has the hook set in the corner of their mouth it is a fishing technique, if you don't like it don't use it.  I will also call BS on you guys that are stating I would never do that, blah, blah, blah and be the first jumping in line when you make a trip to AK for Sockeyes.  "When in Rome" right.....  I cannot tell you how many folks I used to assist that came north for their "once in life time" trip to Alaska in getting their limits of Reds.  Besides, these fish in question are Pinks, who in their right mind would things there is a challenge in them anyhow....
Maybe I am still a salmon snob, but it is crazy to hear how certain subjects conjure up so much debate....  Probably the reasons , I myself will not go to the Pyullaup River, extreme crowds and trash everywhere....

[remington300mag]

So, here is a question.....When the Wenatchee river is open for steelhead...and in the Meadow....and Okanogan.......one of the best baits to use, when no bait is allowed, in the winter time is only a very small light peach corky floating up and down on the leader.......The steelies think this is a spawned salmon egg and in turn try to eat it since they do eat when returning to fresh water......when you set the hook....the fish are hooked in the side of the head,gill plate,nose, sometimes in the mouth....they are legal to keep as long as the hook is in the head due to them biting the corky! Do you consider this snagging since the fish took the bait? Is the hook placement what makes a "snag" Is it the means of how the fisherman presents the bait??

Also.....one point that I would make to anyone that says the fish must willingly bite the hook or take the bait......If any of you use cut plug herring for salmon...and use a double hook herring rig....most likely you leave the bottom hook free......So, if after landing your salmon, you notice that bottom hook hooked to the fish......would you consider that "snagging", would you think of yourself as a "Snagger"??.....since the salmon tried to bite the herring, which was on the top hook, not the bare bottom hook?!?!?!

[h2ofowlr]

In consideration.  You typically just see this issue with the salmon as they hit the rivers and spawn out and die.  Steelhead sometime will come into the rivers then head back out to sea again several years in a row.   The steelhead typically are feeding unless in there last year of there life cycle.  So, the pink worm, eggs, maribou jigs below a float, etc., they will hit the bait.  On the other hand the longer the kings are in the river the less likely to bite.  Sockey or "red" do not typically feed when in the fresh water.  Silvers or "coho" have a habbit of not feeding, but strike eggs and crush them as an instinctive means to minimize additional competition for their fry.  If your side drifting with eggs you get a quicker drift and many times are lining the fish as well.  Many just don't realize.  Inside the mouth it's a legal ethical catch.  Call it what it is.  Not using an underwater camera to show you otherwise.  I catch them with eggs or with scented yarn the same.  I have 3+ dozen quarts of eggs put up for the rivers and use quick fish or cut plug herring on the CR.  If it's on the inside of mouth it is a legal hook up end of story.