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Author Topic: Times Colonist article on snagging  (Read 14833 times)

ever_hopefull

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Times Colonist article on snagging
« on: October 02, 2008, 08:48:51 AM »

How to avoid snagging salmon
PUBLICATION:      Times Colonist (Victoria)
DATE:         2008.10.02
PAGE:         B10


It is the golden time of year when salmon come back to their rivers. And this means river anglers making their annual trek to bring back some big fish. While saltwater fishing was up and down this summer, from the fish currently showing in estuaries, it looks like good large coho and more springs than were expected. With rain later in the week, chum numbers will increase, too.

But here's a tip: there are unethical methods of fishing that result in snagged salmon and you need to avoid them -- they are also illegal. There is always a snag potential in river fishing because there are so many fish sitting in much smaller spaces than in the ocean, but with practice, you can avoid most.

Snagging results because the angler has cast across the wall of flesh and reeled back in. The obvious example is a gear guy who chucks a Buzz Bomb to the other side of the fish and then yanks the rod sideways, reels like mad to collect the slack line then yanks hard again. When the wall of fish flesh is encountered, the next yank puts the hook into a body and a fish is snagged. Any angler doing this should be ticketed.

For those of you who are new to the sport, fly stripping as well as reeling in gear across a wall of flesh will result in snags. The next obvious snag is when using a spoon or spinner in a river. Because one must reel in such lures to give them action, this also results in snagging any fish between the lure and the angler.

The most common method for gear anglers to fish for salmon in freshwater is a yarn fly below some weight. The combo is launched across the fish, the line is reeled and the fish is snagged. This is also true when a dink float is put above the weight and once in the river, the line is reeled in and bingo another snag.

Fly guys are not immune to snagging. For example, the method where a heavy tip is put on the line, the line is chucked up stream and then, when it has sunk downstream to the bottom where the fish lie, the line is yanked once in the fish. And flossing is also a snag -- where a long leader is moved through fish sideways so the leader crosses the mouth and the fly, following, catches on the outside of the fish mouth.

Another method of fly snagging is: put a strike indicator above the heavy tip, a couple of split shot on the leader, and keep the rod tip high, as though nymphing for a trout, and when there is contact, again the rod is yanked.

None of these are methods of fishing; they are all methods of snagging. And this should be put in provincial and federal regulations so that anglers are warned in advance that what they are doing is snagging and then better enforcement of the rules by the authorities.

The proper way to gear fish and not snag with a float set up is: let the float go downstream and only when the float goes under water, having received a bite, does the angler set the hook. And circle hooks prevent even more. The fly guy/gal has an even better chance of avoiding foul hooking; this is because of the intimacy he or she gets with a fly line at the bottom of the river. If you use a 'sleeve' of spandex on the index finger of your rod hand and employ slippery fingers on your stripping hand, you can almost completely avoid snagging.
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Terry D

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Re: Times Colonist article on snagging
« Reply #1 on: October 02, 2008, 10:05:11 AM »

You still have to retreive your float and 3ft leader at the end of the trot, so isn't this snagging as well?
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milo

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Re: Times Colonist article on snagging
« Reply #2 on: October 02, 2008, 11:29:27 AM »

If you reel in quickly so that the hook surfs on the surface, no. No chance of snagging.
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Terry D

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Re: Times Colonist article on snagging
« Reply #3 on: October 02, 2008, 02:08:26 PM »

I was trying to infer that all methods according to that article could be classed as snagging to some extent.
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fisherwithrod

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Re: Times Colonist article on snagging
« Reply #4 on: October 02, 2008, 02:20:42 PM »

I agree that the article is a bit confusing...

So, using spoons and spinners does result in an "obvious snag"? Wow.
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Tex

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Re: Times Colonist article on snagging
« Reply #5 on: October 02, 2008, 02:45:51 PM »

Crappy article.
Well-intentioned, but crappy nevertheless.

4x4

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Re: Times Colonist article on snagging
« Reply #6 on: October 02, 2008, 03:24:02 PM »

Crappy article.
Well-intentioned, but crappy nevertheless.



Yup.
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adriaticum

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Re: Times Colonist article on snagging
« Reply #7 on: October 02, 2008, 08:13:15 PM »

So basically to avoid snagging, we should stop fishing.
Makes sense.
 :D :D
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boscheefish

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Re: Times Colonist article on snagging
« Reply #8 on: October 02, 2008, 09:13:29 PM »

ive snagged fish short floatn too, so is that wrong?
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long live the vedder

yakideath12

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Re: Times Colonist article on snagging
« Reply #9 on: October 02, 2008, 09:22:04 PM »

Just pray to fish. ommmm
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Every Day

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Re: Times Colonist article on snagging
« Reply #10 on: October 02, 2008, 09:39:08 PM »

I guess we can't toss spoons for ho's anymore  ::)  Whomever wrote this obviously has not fished very much or for that fact has not fished properly very much. EVERY method has the possibility of foul hooking and snagging fish. As long as you don't rip at the end of your cast or pull on ever little bump you feel, snagged fish should be kept to a minimum. I have only foul hooked one fish this year (between short floating and tossing spoons).

I guess it all comes down to what you are TRYING to do. You could easily "float fish" with the intention of snagging and I have seen this becoming more and more common on the Vedder. With all the pressure put on Flossers to put on a float, they have done so, but have kept the same length of leader and have just slid their float up until they are hitting bottom anyways  ::) Pretty much, disregard this article.
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luvnlife

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Re: Times Colonist article on snagging
« Reply #11 on: October 05, 2008, 09:58:12 PM »

Yes, a very poorly written article. Well intentioned, I'm sure, but poorly written.
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adriaticum

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Re: Times Colonist article on snagging
« Reply #12 on: October 06, 2008, 02:09:14 PM »

I snagged a spring by the dorsal fin with a spinner this last weekend.
Those gamakatsu hooks grab anything in their path.
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Nitram4891

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Re: Times Colonist article on snagging
« Reply #13 on: October 06, 2008, 02:26:49 PM »

Good intentions but seems like more of a instructional guide for snagging fish.
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BigFisher

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Re: Times Colonist article on snagging
« Reply #14 on: October 06, 2008, 04:31:30 PM »

Saw what looked to be a news helicopter this morning, flying around the abuntment. Whats going on? ???
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