What would you do?

[nookslayer]

Since the topic of snagging has come up lately I wnated to pse a question ot all of us.
I have been doing my fair share of Coho lately in the various estuaries and have seen all the main characters as usual. There are always a smattering of newbies and I don't mind them, I just wish they'd practice before stepping into combat and messing up my drift. Then there are the "rural" folk who have a straight snare rig that I immediately run off or find a law offical for. The question I have is about the guy standing next to you who is a good fisherman, mostly an ethical one too, but knows what a line bump is and how to get into the fish the wrong way. What do you do here? Do you make a comment? Make no bones about it we have ALL snagged a fish or two and if you tell me otherwise you're lying. I just don't like the guy that is doing it on purpose. I know that as members of Ifish we would never do that but can we police also? What would you do?

[PapaHog]

To me it would depend on this fisherman’s intent. If he was trying to snag fish on purpose then he is not ethical and has no place in the role of sport fishers.

But here is where it gets sticky. To say something may lead to confrontation and maybe violence. In combat fishing situations we all have seen arguments get out of hand.

If he is trying to snag fish then he is a law breaker and should be turned in but if he knows how to fish and is not blatant in his snagging effort he will be hard to ticket and prosecute.

I would say something like that didn’t look like a bite that looked like a line bump.

I don’t know what to do.
papa

[Herring Problem]

Snagghing of salmon is against the law in Oregon.If a salmon is accidently snagged and released, no foul. When pulling spinners thru a school of fish you can snag one.
Case in Point, I was fishing on a Creek in the Siletz drainage area for Jack salmon that follow the big Chinnok upriver to the hatchery. I was using small spinners and hooked a dorsal fin of a thirty pound Chinook. After a terrible tussel, got the fish to shore and removed the barbless hook form the fin and revived the fish to contnue its trip. When I stood up there was Officer Dougens standing next to me in full camo gear. Scared the gee's right out of me. He checked my license and tag and told me that was one of the funniset fish catchs he had seen and really apprecited my release method of the fish. Checked my two jacks and wished me good fishin. He walked back into the woods and dissapeared.

In your situation, never confront a fellow fisherman on this subject if you see a violation, leave contact OSP and return to watch. Avoid the conflict. Be safe not hurt!

[PapaHog]

In your situation, never confront a fellow fisherman on this subject if you see a violation, leave contact OSP and return to watch. Avoid the conflict. Be safe not hurt!

Very good advice. Better safe than sorry. Practice safe fishing. Cell phones save lives. Let the police do thier job.
papa

[nookslayer]

This was really the reason for the question, safety. Over the years I have noticed more and more guys that are packing guns as part of their fishing gear. This scares the hell out of me. There are times that I sneak out to get in an hour or two of evening fishing durring the week and many times I am alone. You just never know who is standing next to you or what he's got on him. Safety never takes a break so Papahog and Fishtales advice is correct. Call an officer that's what they are for.