[The Bad Fish]

it's called non bouyant lure restriction.

it means single barbless hooks IF the lure sinks. like spinners, corkies & yarn etc

plugs are different they float on the surface, fish are hard to snag on plugs. you might check to see if single hooks are required on the plugs.

in my honest opinion it is a great idea, now if we only had the manpower to enforce the rules, there would be alot less trash and knuckle draggers having a jerkfest in your favorite hole.

 

[Big TULE]

BF, the locals back in the graet lakes region are very good at snagging salmon with plugs. I saw it in a magazine and then on outdoor life network. They run a double hook setup off of the belly eye of the plug and they cast a reel very fast.
And the rules will not change the fact that the washougal is notorious for snagging, it will not ever change. Why, because there are to many holes on the river to enforce for 2 game cops. And most of the holes are right on the road so people see them comming. I go down to the washougal a watch the knuckle draggers and i have the poaching hotline programed into my phone, but of the 50 or so calls i made last year they resulted in zero fines. I have never seen a gamie on the washougal and i have fished it since i was 6. That is why it will never stop.
And AZ what is your last name??? I think i know you.

 

[Elwix]

The regulations read:

“Night closure and non-buoyant lure restriction and line and weight and lure or bait must be moving (not stationary)”

It seems to mean no night fishing AND no non-buoyant lures AND your line and weight and lure or bait must be moving. Since they already state that non-buoyant lures are not allowed it seems the last bit is specifically aimed at people who are holding a buoyant lure (kwikfish, spin-glows etc) stationary and letting the current work the lure. At least that’s how I read it. I would definitely recommend that Lured In talk to a game warden for clarification before holding plugs in the current for silvers this year.

 

[Lured In]

Elwix...actually I have never tried it on the 'Shoug, but was hoping to. I have had good luck with it on the Clack. I just started fishing in my back yard this past winter. :wink:

 

[Big TULE]

Lured in, we throw spinners in the slough for silvers or free drift eggs up at the canyon for silvers and we do very good in november. the silvers are there after the first good rain but i am hunting then.

 

[Elwix]

Lured In… I’ve never fished for silvers in the Washougal either, but I hooked my first steelhead in the Bowling Alley drift when I was 15 – just after my family moved to the northwest from the east coast. I set the hook, my old Mitchell 300 started screaming and a few seconds later three feet of chrome came flying out of the water, shook his head and snapped my 10 pound mono like it was spider silk. It was only 4 or 5 seconds between the time I set the hook and the time he broke my line, but those 4 or 5 seconds were etched into my memory for all time. Afterwards I just stood there staring at the river for the longest time. I was in shock. My hands were shaking. Hooking my first steelhead was a bit like losing my virginity. It’s one of those things I won’t ever forget. And even though I’ve only fished the Washougal a few times in my life, I will always remember the first time I fished it, and that river will always hold a special place in my heart.

 

[FishaholicAZ]

Howdy all... I dont know how many of you fish in Washington but I try to stay as up to date on fishing rules that affect my "hoem" area.
Recently, there has been a push by some special intrest individuals to change the laws on what is determined to be legal fishing techniques to suit their own needs. At least that is what I understand from all the other fishers I have spoken with.
I am talking about the change in regs where your line and bait/lure always have to be moving... I am sure that this is a very difficult task to accomplish on some rivers. The ones in particular that I am speaking of are the Nasselle, Nemah, Grays, Elochoman and now I also believe the Washougal all have this rule intacted on them. My understanding is that some Fly anglers pushed for these law changes. Now, I dont mind it at all but its very difficult to keep your bait moving in a lot of those streams. However, one good thing about the rule change is that it seems to keep a lot of the "snagging crowd" off the river.

What are your feelings about this and do you think that something like this will work or is even fair?... What if your a plunker? Now what?

Not trying to rile any feathers... just want to see where everyone stands on this issue.

Thanks for your responses...

Fish on
Romeo

 

[Lured In]

AZ...I believe your supposition is correct and organizations like TU, OT, and WT are partially involved in this.

One of the other 'hidden' focuses here is moving away from bait fishing of any kind. As you may be aware, the "selective gear rules" for WA are as follows: no bait, barbless hooks and no scent. So I ask you, does this read like the first 3 commandments of the flyfishing purist's handbook? :shocked:

I don't plunk and never have. So I don't see any personal change for myself as a result of this regulation change. I do find it disurbing as it does seem a little fishy.(pun intended). Most snaggers I have seen are drift fishing (kind of) and waiting for line bumps and rubs to reef on the rod. Not sitting there with their lines in the water. :shrug: Unless there is another psycho way of snagging while plunking, I am not sure how this would reduce snagging.

The only thing I can think of is that it opens holes/runs that were traditionally dominated by plunkers. As you know, good courtesy would prevent someone from drift fishing or fly fishing the same water that has plunkers on it.

My only concern with the Washougal is that I like to hold plugs in the current for the silvers. My lure is moving, but the line is not. Does that mean I can't do this anymore?

 

[The Overfishin Condition]

There's two sides to this matter. The fact is, somethig has to be done about snagging, however, this might not be the solution, because, snaggers are already fishing illegally, so in all likelyhood, they'll just violate this law too. This does take plunking out of the arsenal, however, if an angler wants to plunk now, there are plenty of other places to do so on rivers where it is permitted. I'm not too upset about the law, because anything that reduces the snagging, or makes snaggers easier to catch, is fine by me, plus, I my line is always moving anyway. Tight and moving lines, TOC.

 

[nitrobass]

I'm pretty much opposed to any law that tries to limit how I can fish, as opposed to when, limits, etc.

 

[stilly bum]

oops

[ 08-08-2003, 02:39 AM: Message edited by: stilly bum ]

 

[stilly bum]

Originally posted by Elwix:
The regulations read:

“Night closure and non-buoyant lure restriction and line and weight and lure or bait must be moving (not stationary)”

It seems to mean no night fishing AND no non-buoyant lures AND your line and weight and lure or bait must be moving. Since they already state that non-buoyant lures are not allowed it seems the last bit is specifically aimed at people who are holding a buoyant lure (kwikfish, spin-glows etc) stationary and letting the current work the lure. At least that’s how I read it...

<font size="2" face="verdana,arial,helvetica">A lot of people don't take the time to read what a non buoyant lure restriction is. It DOES NOT outlaw non-buoyant (sinking) lures. It means lures that don't float (spoons, jigs, spinners, etc.) must have a single barbless hook. It's aimed at snagging.

I don't see how requiring a lure to be moving will reduce anything but plunking. Drift fishing, jig fishing, spoons, spinners, and plugs will still be legal.

 

[Big TULE]

Oh yeah and i think the new regs will help the snaggers, they will just drift the hole instead of sitting for hours waiting for a so called line bump... I think it will make it easier for them because they have to cast out and reel in many more times.

 

[Flatfish]

I have lined (snagged) sockeyes on the Frasier river. My sinking lure and lead were moving the whole time I was fishing.

Fly fishing for is a great way to snag( line) a fish. But it is most effective in the daylight.

If I wanted to snag a fish, I would. The only way to stop snagging is for sportsman to turn in the bad guys. The cops can't be everywhere at once. We can. If you want snaggers gone, then do it yourself.

This is an effore to stop snagging. They are having a real tough time doing that. Maybe that is why sportsman are being written up for small infractions( not tagging a fish during a hot bite in the ocean ? If I am not tagged at the
dock, write me up. But when it is hot and heavy? C'mon.) instead of the real bad guys getting a ticket. Kinda like getting pulled over for doing 56 on the highway. Yeah it is breaking the law, but there are worse things to be ticketed for.

I do not snag fish. I am not a proponet of snagging fish. The law has a tough time getting their job done. They do good work, but we can help them. A video camera and a cell phone are our weapons.

OT if a thorn in my side. But they are not at fault on snagging issues. We are for letting it happen.

Mark and the barbless dog.

[ 08-08-2003, 08:31 AM: Message edited by: Flatfish ]

 

[corkyking]

I don't snag,it's not the way I fish. But what's wrong with snagging salmon, which are going to die anyway, until your limit is filled and then getting the heck off of the river so I can fish.

If I snagged(which I say again, I don't)would I be ruining a valuable resource? Based on what the commercial fishermen are getting for their labor I have questions.

Do you think that people would snag out all the natives?
This fin clipping has been used as a political gambit for so long and has been so abused by fisheries folks and native americans that that it has lost any validity it may have had.
Most of the native spawning grounds have been closed for years so spawning is not an issue there.

In Alaska they put out the call on radio, TV and newspaper for their citizens to come and net the excess fish.

The last two times I been out fishing I have been checked by fisheries. You know, it's nice for a change, to see our tax dollars actually working. As in most cases in the last few years there are enough laws on the books to choke a horse, now if they would only be enforced.

And this fly fishing deal! Talk about flossing on a major scale. Who are ya trying to con.

So go ahead and snag, take your limit and go home because It's hard enough on the already bruised and battered ecological psyches of the poor flyfishermen who have to endure seeing me using a spinning reel on "their" river. I feel so intimidated that I occasionally have to go get my own flyrod. In fact I'm going to get it right now and fondle it until I calm down. :grin:

 

[FishaholicAZ]

Thanks guys... Some good opions thrown out there but I still think that maybe I am reading these regs wrong.
I love fishing those rivers mentioned in my first post because I have unrestricted hiking on most stretches of the lower parts of them streams and I love the scenery around them.
As for "snagging", I have seen them all from spinners being raked across the back of fish to fly flingers setting the hook when drifting through a thick school of fish. I just dont think that this law is intended for any other reason than the get the hardware fishermen of the streams and make it easier for the "Fly Fishing enthusiest" to make their own rivers of refuge.
I always fish barbless hooks because it does less damage and its way easier to shake off a foul hooked fish. Not to mention its easier to remove from your finger...
I guess my main beef is that a certain few try to change things to suit their needs just chaps my hide.
Big tule - Rachi is the last name... You may know me. I used to live in vancouver and graduated from EHS... Go Plainsmen!... Washougal was a great river. I caught many a fish there but stopped going because the crowds are to rowdy and I dont want to get beat up over a fish. The silver fishing can be great up there though.

Fish on
Romeo