Sigh...

Offdaboat, it doesn't take OJ's Dream Team to prove you flossed a fish when you're using 20' leaders and on your 8th hookset you bring in a fish with a hook in it's mouth. Do us all a favor and just KYS.

Lol you guys so funny on here
I guess drift fishing period should be illegal
Cause To be honest you can't help but floss fish with drift gear
If your doing it right

Leader can be 3 foot
Still gonna floss some


Simple stuff really

In the mouth it goes home????

From the Flosser's Manifesto.....

You can floss a fish with about any tactic under the sun. The point is whether on not that is your objective. I guy using a 3' leader is making an effort and is far more likely to not floss a fish than your buddy with the 20' leader is. How the hell people don't get the difference is beyond me. Some people's kids.

Got another email last week from the Lt. in charge of Caltip. Looks like Cali might be addressing the flossing situation. Keeping my fingers crossed.



Hi Mr. XXXXXXXXX, I thought of your question the other day after I had heard some news. The Department is currently working on several new regulations to be proposed to the Fish and Game Commission (not sure when). One of these proposed regulation changes would to specifically target “flossing”. I’m not sure what the regulation wording will be, but I believe it would be a gear regulation that would specifically prohibit the use of extra-long leaders.

Currently as you stated the regulation reads the fish must voluntarily take the hook into its mouth. Unfortunately with our current regulations it is very difficult to prove involuntary take from “flossing” in a court room.

Mike

Lieutenant Michael Milotz
Department of Fish and Wildlife
Law Enforcement Division
CalTIP Coordinator
1416 9th Street, Room 1326
Sacramento, CA. 95814





1-888-334-CalTIP – 24 hour Poaching/Polluting Hotline

I like driftfishing the bead. I use a 3 ft leader with the bead pegged 1 to 2 inches above the hook. I do hook most of my fish in the mouth with this method. Occasionally I do hook some fish from the outside of the jaw in. What I've noticed though is that the hook will be in the side of the jaw (from the outside in) that is closest to the bank I'm fishing from.

In order for this to happen the fish would have had to be facing downstream. Which tells me the fish turned downriver chasing and then biting the bead and getting the hook pegged in its jaw.

There are flossers and there are people using very small presentations but they are not one in the same.

I know guys who use beads to side drift and they catch fish. There is no way that the fish are being flossed but....there are the guys that just can't get it right the legal way so flossing is the only way they will get a fish to the bank. Also the "pegged bead" method with fly fisherman works without flossing. I know some fly fisherman have been accused of flossing with that technique but again, the fish do actually hit the bead. I fish it with a floating line mended with the bead heading straight down stream on and an indicator, and sometimes as a trailer behind a fly. If you ever get a chance to fly fish for feeding trout with beads behind spawning salmon do it. It’s a blast. I’ve watched the trout swim right up to the bead and take it. I don't get why people want to floss/snag. How could anyone think it's a good thing?

People who can't get a fish to actually bite clearly think it's a good idea or they wouldn't do it so much. The fact that you may not get busted for it because the cops can't prove you were snagging doesn't all of a sudden turn you into a fisherman...you're still a snagger.

Fish on...

Todd

Most of these folks would do well to fish for salmon with a spinner, just once. That moment when your spinner stops running for just that split second before the fish decides to eat and turn on it is one of my favorite in all types of fishing. Right up there with flossing one up on a Spey rod (nice troll, Slab).

Ah yes. There really is nothing like a slab pounding a spinner!