Coot, the now common term of 'flossing' is applied to NW guys that drift fish with extra long leaders from 4' to 8' long thru schools of kegged up salmon or steelhead. This usually occurs when the fish are off the bite, so the idea is to increase the chance that the leader will float into the fishes mouth as it pumps water over it's gills; then when the intentional flosser sees or feels the line rub they throw big sweeeping hookset. This most often hooks the fish just outside the jaw, often near the corner maxilary. It's difficult for others over a few feet away to see the fish was floss hooked on the outside of it's mouth. The regulations south of the BC border states that fishers must fish in a manner that attempts to get fish to voluntarily take bait or lure in the mouth, and the fish must be hooked inside the mouth to legally harvest it. But this syndrome, which has gotten more popular the last couple of years during the big fish runs that keg up in areas of rivers, has become a bit of a gray area issue. It's partly because the fish occasionally take a bait ot the end of a super long leader. It's also because some law enforcement wardens afield look the other way; and reportedly because of the confusion brought forth by some in the WDFW that have said the old rules of 'anything hooked forward of the gillplate, including outside the mouth, can be kept. This is actually counter to both the letter and intent of the current laws. And more and more game wardens are now increasingly giving out expensive citations to those who keep fish hooked on the outside of the mouth. ...

The ironic part is that some fish hooked right in the mouth was by luck, with the fish not voluntarily going for the bait or lure - while others that were hooked outside the mouth were actually taking a good strike at the presentation. It's difficult to impossible to tell the difference. ... The solution: simple - release fish hooked outside the mouth, get over it, and get your stuff back into the water. And give the "brow" and some words to those that are obviously trying to floss snag fish. My 0.02 opinion.

RT