Whoops, double post.

[ 07-29-2001: Message edited by: Krome Brite ]

Nope, I dont have any power in that area. The bad thing about fall salmon season is that it is the same time as hunting season. The gammies are spread so thin they are all trying to catch people on game violations and dont have time to go lookin for snaggers.

Fish Head Fred paid a visit and chewed a little bass.

Dr. Pepper,

My apologies if my last post seemed hostile to you in particular. I was just trying to understand what you meant by "foul-hooked legal fish". I didn't mean to imply that you, and LittleZoZo were snaggers. My frustration stems from seeing so many fall salmon foul-hooked (usually somewhere in the head, but not the mouth) kept, and rationalized that it was legal. As I said before, those that intentionally foul-hook fish (not necessarily ripping at them, but setting the hook frequently while drifting through stacked up fish) know that they are probably going to snag a fish. It is those who have no respect for the resource, leave trash on the banks, keep more that their limit etc... that leave me cynical as to the future of our sport.

Fish can survive a lot of damage and still live. I caught three sockeye with net damage last year in Lake Washington. One was missing about 3 quare inches of skin, but yet they were still healthy enough to bite and put up a spectauclar fight.

A few other points. If you unintentially snag a fish in the river and let it go, it may die, but if it does those nutrients still go back into the river. If it lives the fish may spawn and then it will still die. All is not lost when the fish dies, but if your methods end up snagging a lot of fish, ask for instruction, or look for a different method.

I have snagged a fish before, and I know that the odds are with me when I say that most, if not all, of you have snagged a fish at least once in your life. Some are on purpose, others not. Mine weren't. Keep it clean. Andy

Good points Dogfish.
The fish won't go to waste when you release it.If you keep it and get caught,I don't think you'll get any sympathy from a fish cop.If it was legal to keep incidentally snagged,mortally wounded,fish the intentional snaggers would all claim a legal right to keep their ill gotten fish.
I understand the desire to not waste the fish,but releasing it to die is the least worst option here.

Funny topic. I have no problem with snagging/lining when it's LEGAL to do so. The only fisheries I know of where it's legal to line fish is up in AK. I'll be the first to admit that lining Reds up on the Kenai is fun and addicting! Not to mention that I'm damn good at it!

Down in WA, I have all the problems in the world with snagging/lining and truly hate the people that intentionally line/snag fish.

I hear the "it's hooked forward of the gillplate so it's legal" crap all the freeking time and it truly pisses me off. All it tells me is that person telling me this is a complete trailer trash moron. I've come to associate snaggers/liners with trailer trash morons. Too dumb to realize they are dumb as a post.

If I even think I'm lining fish, I'll do everything I can to change my tactics so I won't line/snag fish.

Just like fishing for nates. I'll completely change my tactics to least harm the fish.

Nothing like being threatened over email from one of the Infamous Big Eddy Coho Snaggers on the Snohomish River. What a bunch of losers.

Parker

Silly question. How do you know when you have "lined" a fish?

I have hooked over 30 salmon this year where one hook was IN the mouth, and the other was under the jaw, in the eye, on the side of the head, or on the top of the head (all over). This is with a standard fixed 2-hook mooching set-up. I had no problem keeping these fish if they were legal to keep, about 1 in 5 fish were, but what are your thoughts?

I also caught one hatchery silver that was hooked in the top of the head, and the other hook was free, but the lower right jaw had been ripped away from the joint. I figured that the first hook had ripped free and kept the fish.

Andy

That's a different gig altogether. It's very common with mooching leaders to have one hook in the mouth and one hook elsewhere. But, when you're using a 6 foot leader and a 3/0 hook, and your fish are hooked in the outside of the mouth, it's not a fair-hookup.

Out at Hoodsport, I hooked about a half dozen in the head which were clearly foul-hooked fish. They were all turned loose, just like the ones I hooked in the tail. The ones that bit, and if you were patient they'd bite, got smacked. There were so many swimming through at times that foul-hooking fish was inevitable, and you had as good a chance to foul hook them in the head as anywhere else.

If you want no chance of getting a ticket, the Fish laws clearly state that a fish must voluntarily take your offering, and if it doesn't, it's foul-hooked: head, tail, belly, back or otherwise. It's your pocketbook........

I tried to post something about some snagging that has gone on on the Kalama but some dickhead accused me of hiding something so I took it off. Anyone wanting to know about this outlaw can email me.

You posted it in this thread? And you took it off? Why would you do that?

Whatever

Snagging is not fishing,plain and simple. Fall chinook fishing Florence Or.Siuslaw Bay,trolling cut plugged herring hooked a 25lb. salmon,20 min. a tired fish legally hooked ran under the boat,in an instant the line went slack then tight again. This fish then made a 60ft.run,5min.later the fish went belly up,the trailing hook penetrated the eye socket,on rolling under the boat I lost then illegally rehooked the fish. What now? I believe keeping a dying fish is ethical.

Bob, I say meat on the table to that story! The fish was a willing biter to begin with so I would say that is fine.

I guess earlier in my posting I was just thinking about last year on the Dungeness River in Sequim during the silver run. There were lots of hatchery silvers. One time I foul hooked a legal hatchery silver and I kept it. A few days before that I had volunteered at the Dungeness hatchery and hit hundreds of fish in the head that they brought in. There were plenty of fish to meet the needs of eggs for the hatchery. In other circumstances I would probably release a fish like this, but there was no need to on the Dungeness. But going down there early in the season and doing that wouldn't be too good. The Dungeness sees plenty of intentional snaggers......

~ Dr Pepper

When my younger sister says this it means that they just lost the debate.

Hey Fobb, what happened to all the good "vibes"that everyone,including me, gave on ifish when you got canned from you job? Now you just pile on when there's an argument.

[ 08-03-2001: Message edited by: Steelhead Stew ]

I've never known you to let anyone intimidate you into doing something, Stu. What I was trying to say to you without saying it was it was not like you to let someone with some sort of craneo-phallyc disorder dictate (pun?) to you what you should and shouldn't post, especially over here.

You aren't under the iron grip of Jennie over here, so if someone has a problem with what you posted then that's their tough jerky. If the moderators have a problem with it, then they will deal with it apropriately.

Now quit being a WUSSIE GIRL and repost what you had earlier. If there are names involved, then just change them to protect the guilty. Or provide them and we'll do a public hanging.

Geeze Guys, I was just asking about Lining vs Snagging. I didn't mean for everyone to get all pissed off at each other. C'mon guys, kiss and make up.

Ok, so let me play de debil's advocate here and postulate the following factual events:

I was fishing an eddy on the Nooksack last fall with a float and roe for hatchery silvers when a fish jumped OVER and ONTO my line between the rodtip and the float and became tangled up...I pulled it in and untangled it and let it go on its way but wouldn't that qualify as a "voluntary" take? Ever seen a kitten play with string?

And another:

Fishing kings one year my (now ex-) wife hooked and played a big ol' dark buck all the way to the bank where we discovered that the hook point didn't even penetrate the fish, although it was attached firmly in the fish's upper jaw. The line was wrapped around its hooked snout, and the hook had caught on the line, essentially turing the hook and leader into a choker...we released that lassoed fish because it was dark and ugly, but I've wondered...voluntary? She wasn't attempting to snag or line the fish...would you call that a legal fluke, or an illegal fluke?

It's not a question of getting away with something. It's not a question of proving you didn't cheat. FISHING IS A FUK{ING SPORT!!!!! The out right cheaters need to be kicked off the damn team and the silent cheaters should take up quilt making or some other sissy hobby.

Let the words, "Nice fish..to bad it was foul hooked" and "Nice fish.. sure it wasn't flossed" echo across the waters. hehehe