EL,
That is the experience I have had at chico at the begining of the run in the past.The people that are there are a pretty good group of people.They are in the know and flossing and releasing chums.After a few days of hot fishing the snaggers come out of there holes and blatently snag.The people that come down at this point,and are not in the know have no choice at this point but to snag with the rest of them,or leave.

Unfortunately I hate to see a fishery that promotes snagging like these do.Like was mentioned earliar these people end up using there new found knowledge anywhere there are stacked up fish.I feel it degrades our wonderful sport and that we loose alot of respect with the general public with these snag festivals.What does a tourist on the canal think when he/she witnesses this spectacle.

Thes people that enjoy snagging chums are also the same people that get mad when the skokes strip chums for there roe.It is alright for them to stomp all over a fishery but it is wrong for the indians to net them and sell the roe to japan.I would really like to know how many of the boots drug up pn the shore and taken home get eaten.

It also amazes me how many people will travel a couple hundred miles to snag fish out of the canal.When the kings were dodging hooks on the skoke I drove buy and snickered as I was headed to a canyon somewhere back in them hills that believe it or not is full of trophy rainbows.I caught 23 trout that day and one summer run steelhead.On the return trip I smiled and thought these are the people in a month or two who are going to get on the internet and tell me about the canal.