I am somewhat ambivalent to snagging. And no, I am not one of your so called rednecks sitting up there with a 2 hook setup. I don’t fish the Baker or any of the other fisheries I mentioned in previous posts because of the crowds and questionable techniques used by some at these fisheries. My suggestion of legalizing snagging was purely for discussion purposes only. I never said that everyone was snagging. I did say I thought that about half the fish caught were snag. I am probably wrong on the Baker but I bet I am close to or even under the number of snagged fish on the Samish during the king season. I am a fly fisherman and every year during the chum season I see fly fisherman and gear fisherman foul hooking chums. Whether intentional or not it is rampant on the Skagit. The primary reason I don’t fish for chums anymore is I don’t want to be associated with those that are snagging these fish. There are techniques of fishing for these fish that lessen the chances of foul hooking but that seems to be too hard for some. They would rather foul hook a fish then catch one legally.

Once again I am not for snagging and I certainly don’t snag fish intentionally myself. I don’t know what the answer is but I hear about snagging and witness it every year. Sometimes I figure why not just let them do it.