My name is Parker, and I am a flosser.

Now, that being said.....

I can't think of any fishery in either Washington, Oregon, or California where flossing should be (or is) legal, or necessary. I don't floss (on purpose) in the Lower 48.

On the other hand, flossing has it's place as a "valid" fishing technique up in AK. Hell, if you can dipnet for fish, why not be able to floss for them? How is scooping up a net full of Reds any more or less "sporting" than yanking a line thru their faces?

Most people don't fish for "sport" in AK. Unless it's a Yuppie Lower-48'er coming up to spend some serious bank "sport fishing" (IE, me), most AK natives are there for the meat. Screw the limits, don't care how you get them, fill the coolers, and get home ASAP.

Personally, I view flossing as just another technique. Like all techniques, flossing works better in particular fisheries, and not all. Even if I could legaly floss, I wouldn't in most circumstances, as it's only effective for bunched up fish that swim with their mouths open (Reds and silvers).

To me, flossing is different that snagging. Flossers are at least trying to get a hook in the corner of a fishes mouth. Flossers tend to let go any fish that is not hooked in the mouth. Flossers tend to be more "sporting", if you can call it that. Maybe even following an unwritten set of rules.

Snaggers, on the other hand, don't care where the fish is hooked. To a snagger, an arse-hooked fish is just as good as a belly, fin, etc hooked fish. They all eat the same for a snagger.

I don't think flossing or snagging should be legal next to any hatchery on the Lower48. Same goes for higher limits. All of that results in big crowds, bad attitudes, garbage everywhere, etc.

Take the Wind River, as an example. Snagging/flossing is illegal and is an OK place to fish with a 1 or 2 fish limit. Make it a 4 fish limit, and it becomes a truly ugly place. Snaggers/flossers everywhere, garbage everywhere, rotting carcasses left for the flies (stinky). It just is nasty when they bump up the limits.

Maybe AkKings is right. Let every Tom, Dick, and Harry snag away for hatchery fish at the hatcheries. That leaves the rest of the river (and fish) for us to go after.