Steve - It seems to me that the key to legality would be in whether or not you intended to hook the fish without it voluntarily biting. I won't sign nuthin' though.

I'm sticking my neck out here so everyone with an axe to gring better sharpen it up and whack it while its on the block.

And yes, I has been legal to snag salmon in salt water in the past but that might not be the case today. There may have been a recent rule change for the salt but I do believe that an unintentionally snagged fish may be retained.

Can someone help us here with a clarification on snagging in the salt?