Snagging of fish

take plate #

esspecialy after that land is opening up!!!

I've said this before, but it is worth saying again.... Keep the local WCO's #'s handy and call on these ****holes.
 
The lack of respect for these fish never ceases to amaze me...

I just watched a show on versus (formerly oln) about a fish and game warden who did put on wet suits and grab lines, cut lines, and arrest everybody. They profiled his 20 yr career. Showed him in wetsuits and "costumes" to bust poachers. Gotta admire his dedication.

I have only been steelhead fishing once, actually three weeks ago on Elk below the legion hole, the conditions weren't great and ended up with three hookup's all day, two were on and off like that and one was soild which I got on a brown sucker spawn which I fought for a couple of minutes, but lost on 5x tippet (the water was very clear and low).  Anyways, there were three guys below me flyfishing, I was frustated with my first outting and sat down for a smoke to watch these guys to see if I wwas doing something wrong, cause they were the only ones catching fish.  They were casting rather eradically, really fast and spashy into these pods of steelies, just casting not setting up a good dead drift and catching fish hand over fist.  I can't see how this style of flyfishing, and I have been fly fishing for 6-7 years can be productive for any type of fishing and assumed they where just snagging the sh*t out of these fish. Am i rite or am i doing something wrong?

  That was a good show. I liked the one when they got the guys poachin sturgeon. It's a big problem on some rivers.
 
  Don't worry be happy.

  I miss my beagles, that's why I'd like to take them guys rabbit huntin with me.
 
  Didn't make it out for duck this morning either. Didn't feel like puttin on the wet/suit & flippers.
I miss my springer for that
 
   Be Happy

ORIGINAL: Sculpin 14

They were most likely lining.

 
Well what is "lining" then?

HUH!!! So I am guessing lining is legal? Is it common enough that no one cares? Cause if it were illegal and I was you know, the MAN.... It would be fairly easy to "catch" these guys in the act cause it is fairly eradic and obvious.

Snagging in any form is illegal, but if you have someone who really knows how to line fish well, it can be difficult to prove they are doing it.  The real obvious guys are the ones who are pulling the line sideways as it goes through the drift and lift quickly at the end of the drift.  Be careful about confronting someone who is doing this because they will usually deny it and/or tell you that is how you are supposed to catch steelies.
 
Another way to tell if this is what they are up to is to look at how they have the shot placed on their line.  If there is an excessive amount of shot for the conditions bunched up about a foot to two feet from the fly this should give you an idea either they really don't know how to put the shot on the line or they put it on that way intentionally.  A proper way to shot a line is to spread the shot out over the line or leader with as little shot as possible.  Most of the time you don't need very much at all.
 
A third sign someone is trying to line fish is to watch how they cast to the fish.  They will try to drop the weigh on the near side of the fish, right near their head and then swing the line around into the fish's mouth.  The casts will be usually pretty short and there will be little or no drift.  It is cast, wait, yank, cast, wait, yank, cast, wait, yank.... ad nauseum.  They may watch to see if the fish reacts to the line and then yank up quickly to pull the line through the mouth and set the hook.
 
BTW - you can line fish pretty easily using a noodle rod so this is not just something fly guys will do.
 
 

Or have someone who knows the details explain it to you and point out people doing it while you are on the stream.

At the risk of being beaten up by the other dougnuts... who have accused me of flossing kings
 
 
Why would you line fish that can be taken easily, most times, with a reasonable presentation....just ignorance and fish greed.

Tippy,
 
MOST of the folks lining fish are not aware of what they are doing. That is the way they were taught to rig, and "fish" for them. They honestly believe that the fish is taking their bait. Many could be educated, but only if approached in a non-accusatory manner. Others will disbelieve, and still others simply won't care.

  You are right about some not even knowing they are snagging/lining. Hate to admit when I started steelhead fishing I was a liner and didn't even know it. Mind you this was 20 years ago, but I used to pound the hell out of them with small spoons. Didn't know any better wasn't anybody around to tell us different..We never did the cast and yank or lifting. Just cast till you lined one. Beings it was hooked in the mouth we felt it was a legally caught fish... 
  There is also a very fine line between lining and a bite. All it is is a turn of the head basically some takes are slams. And some are just that a turn of the head.