Do you ever wonder?

Do you ever wonder what fishing the river would be like if the regulations were different?
I have heard that at one point the regs said that your weight had to be atleast 10 feet from your hook?
I wonder how big the "flies" would be if the 1/2 inch reg wasn't in place?
I wonder if you were still allowed to use trebles (on lures) how the fishing would change?
I wonder if it would be any different if you were not allowed to keep trout during the salmon run?
I wonder if a 1 per day limit on the lake would change anything?
I wonder if guys would act differently if their families came on their trips?
I wonder if there would be as many "fly fishermen" if the same limit of weight on the line applied to the whole river instead of just the fly zones?
Just useless ponderings
But I like to think about how things might be.....

I wonder what it would be like if they just enforced the regs as they are now. During shark season I would guess less than 25% fish within the regs. No trout until 11/1. Hmmmmmm.........

Personally, I don't think all C&R would be good. There would be a very high mortality rate, the fishery or the economy wouldn't support that.
I believe the reduction from 3 steelhead to 1 now was needed and is helping the numbers of steelhead. Now if we can only get the lake to reduce their steelhead creel to 1 also , it would also help the returns .

What would it be like if the fly zones were closed again ? Would it create natural reproduction for trout seeing as there are cold water springs in those sections ?
What would it be if they closed the two major tribs of the SR ?
And yes , Clint has the best suggestion, enforce the regulations we have now

I forgot my bag today.
There were coffee cups cig packs, beer can and more where I had cleaned Fri as I left.

If they close the "zones" and not replace
 them the SR would not be on my list to fish anymore.

I like the water but I like that it is fly fishing more.It's not what it was but far better than all tackle allowed.
 
 
 

Thanks for sharing that Fichy. I'm heading up there now because I love that River and Steelhead fishing. It's not peaceful always but it's a joy to make the trip up there from VA. This kind of story hits home as I have a young one now at home. How can you look your wife, child or boss in the eye when you get back and tell them I went fishing and I broke someone's eye socket with their child standing feet away?

What's the world come to when you have to kick someone's****over a fishing spot. They can have it, there's plenty more spots to hit in 2 weeks. Have at it.

I wonder what it would be like to not have to get into a scuffle over a **** fish I'm gonna throw back anyway.

Be safe out there everyone and have some fun and smile at the guy standing next to you or walking down the trail. We're more similar than you'd think.

ft09

All's I can say is that I have walked away many times shaking my head, but I often carry on the river and I ain't talking fishing gear.

pafisher
I like the water but I like that it is fly fishing more.It's not what it was but far better than all tackle allowed.
 
 
 

PA, is that really flyfishing you see in the zones?   I have seen some people that are flyfishing, but a lot more stealth lifters employing flylines.  When 2 Bob and I started fly fishing up in the SR, the upper river (Pineville up) was treble hook snagging, the lower river was single hook snagging , although it was not legal.  There were a few egg fishers and a few fly fishers, and a ton of single hook snaggers.  The only change I see is on the signs, and you don't see the crickets anymore.  

good to see my musings got some good conversation going
i think not trout take before november would be awesome
outlawing spounge might help too

Well 13, I know all about chrome, he also wanted a 25" length limit . You are right and I read the lake forums views, more salmon, less lakers ( even though they are putting fish on clients rods ) and the DEC has no clue on how to manage the fishery, sad to read at times.

The DSR did enact an no kill trout rule , I'm not in favor of their ruling and just another nail in their coffin for me to give up my pass. Would it reduce the number of anglers on the river ? Maybe but don't you think the fly zones are pretty crowded now with a C&R rule in place ?
I'm not a big fan of making more regulations until the current ones are really enforced. People always seem to " find " away around the regulations to fit their methods.
What the river needs is more fishermen and less BS , until the BS ers bet slapped then no matter what changes as far as regs, things will always be the same

The weight thing is huge, I agree with Wayne. It makes the illegal fishing possible. With good technique you can get down in the column, even if you are trying to floss fish, but that still takes acquired skill. Running around with a string of marbles driving hooks into fish you've chased down or waited for  not only is kind of barbaric, but it also brings the least of sportsmen out in droves. I guess it's fun in its way, it just isn't anything that you can look at seriously and call  fishing. You can be wasted out of your mind and still hook big fish. Kind of takes the fun out of it knowing they're as hard to hook as sunnies. Bring back a section of snagging zone and impose a weight limit and enforce the laws. It'd make a difference. It'll never happen, though.  You can pack people in like sardines if they're fishing illegally. It takes a little space or rotation (God forbid)  to be legal. In light of that, it seems like a speed trap mentality to ticket people in the Town Pool for lifting. How the hell else do you fish when you're 5 feet from the next guy and have such a short drift? Turn it into a snagging zone and be honest about it. No crickets, just allow people to continue what they're already doing.
   Talking about attitude changing, every incident of violence, theft, rudeness, carelessness, and of being a slob gets condoned under the all forgiving "it's salmon season, always been this way, always will. I've heard that far too many times as of late.
 

Was up about 3 weeks ago and some fish were in front of me for a bit and a guy walked up behind me and said I had to put on a couple of larger weights in addition to my bbs
He said I was clearly going right over them and could never 'hit' them with so little weight on. 

fichy
 
How about the entire river going fly gear only with very little weight added.?
 




that, my friend, is what they call the place you go if you've led a good life....

I can dream......right?

Zero weight on the river would be awesome..
I think me and 3 fan would have an absolute blast plugging pee wee warts