Dustoff - The target species was Chinook but snaggers weren't being overly fussy. They took lots of coho but the Chinook were more numerous and easier to snag because of their body size.

I even saw 50lb buck (I weighed it) being taken out by an angler that had typical snagging gear. I can't say for sure if the fish was snagged because I didn't see the angler catch it. But he said he caught it on a corkie and his set-up was identical to other snaggers (pencil lead, large hook, and a corkie rigged behind the hook). It's unbelieveable that a Chinook could live for 6 years to reach 50lbs only to being illegally snagged only a few yards from it's native spawning grounds.

Rob also hits on the reason for my frustration. That is, the snag fishery ruins the fishing for the rest of the river upstream. The fish are very wary and will avoid almost anything floated near them. I have seen numerous salmon actively avoid anything moving in the water column, including corkies, spinners, and plugs. IMHO, if the snag fishery were shut down, the fishing would improve throughout the Kalama River.