Date: November 12, 2001
To: PFIC Message Board
From: Leapin Bass
Subject: Snagging Fish
Snagging should be outlawed in saltwater. Personally I think it is lame and unsportsmanlike to snag fish but my opinion is no reason to outlaw it. I also think it’s completely unfair for an awesome fish like a corbina (probably the most sought after by snaggers) to be caught by someone with practically no fishing skills whatsoever when another guy spends hours trying to quietly stalk them.
One of the main reasons I think it should be outlawed is because it is very dangerous. Every time I've seen people trying to snag fish there are big weights and multiple BIG treble hooks flying everywhere. If there is anyone else fishing in the area the snaggers almost always snag other people's lines, etc.
Another reason is the damage it does to fish that “get away.” I've never snagged fish but I bet more of them “get away” then are caught. Of course these fish “get away” with huge fatal or non-fatal gashes in their sides. I have seen them caught (by hook and line methods) and washed up on the beach. It is wrong to injure a whole bunch of fish in order to catch one.
There are lots of people who snag fish in the “No Fishing” zone of Stearn’s Wharf. An area packed with tourists.
Name: Corbinaman1
Snagging Corbina Sucks! It should be illegal! That takes all the sport out of catching such a challenging fish!
Name: ORB
Yeah I must admit I agree it does seem a crappy way to fish, although I don’t think that is a valid reason to ban it. If it is true that more fish/humans are hurt or damaged compared to regular fishing though, then that might be sufficient justification. Do the snaggers have a big impact on the fish population, or are they just an annoyance? I just think that you have to be very careful about banning things because you disagree with them, because fishing itself is often in a tricky area in that respect. Cheers, Oliver.
Name: Leapin Bass
Impact or annoyance... that is the question. You are right that something being an annoyance is no reason to ban something. Being dangerous to people and fish could be. These will be the topics I bring up when I talk/write to the DFG and I they will decide. I am also curious as to why it is illegal in freshwater but not saltwater.
Name: Mikey
Good points again, leapin bass. I agree with you about the corbina... but don’t you feel the same way when you go out on a boat with your own gear, and some 7 year old catches the jackpot with a rental setup, using a stepped on anchovy? It's the same type of thing. Sometimes, it's luck involved. With snagging, I also agree with you, but there are times when I'm sure you have caught fish and fought them for a while, and they come unhooked. To say that maybe that fish wasn’t harmed is wrong - the fish could be injured, maybe even fatally.
Name: fishaholic
I think the snagging discussion is a very controversial subject, because I snag at Newport a lot. I don’t snag halibut, or corbina. The only thing I ever snag or try to snag are zebra perch and mullet. I don’t snag game species.
Name: baitfish
There should be a detail on the reg regarding baitfish since you are jigging for them, it might be a grey area. The way I look at fishing is the fish voluntarily taking the bait or attempting to take the bait, bait meaning real or artificial. I don’t think of snagging as fishing, since the fish does not have the option of taking the bait. I look at this more like hunting.
I can only say that Corbina can be tough to catch as can a whole gambit of other species, but that means you need to either find what works, including fishing moss or finding the way to fish mussels for the zebra perch. I just think that it should be fishing and not hunting.
Name: Leapin Bass
I am referring to game fish more than bait fish.
Name: fishaholic
Fine, then you can call it hunting, and when I turn 16 I’ll buy a hunting license, but I fish the end for regular fish more than I snag.
To: PFIC Message Board
From: Leapin Bass
Subject: Snagging Fish
Snagging should be outlawed in saltwater. Personally I think it is lame and unsportsmanlike to snag fish but my opinion is no reason to outlaw it. I also think it’s completely unfair for an awesome fish like a corbina (probably the most sought after by snaggers) to be caught by someone with practically no fishing skills whatsoever when another guy spends hours trying to quietly stalk them.
One of the main reasons I think it should be outlawed is because it is very dangerous. Every time I've seen people trying to snag fish there are big weights and multiple BIG treble hooks flying everywhere. If there is anyone else fishing in the area the snaggers almost always snag other people's lines, etc.
Another reason is the damage it does to fish that “get away.” I've never snagged fish but I bet more of them “get away” then are caught. Of course these fish “get away” with huge fatal or non-fatal gashes in their sides. I have seen them caught (by hook and line methods) and washed up on the beach. It is wrong to injure a whole bunch of fish in order to catch one.
There are lots of people who snag fish in the “No Fishing” zone of Stearn’s Wharf. An area packed with tourists.
Name: Corbinaman1
Snagging Corbina Sucks! It should be illegal! That takes all the sport out of catching such a challenging fish!
Name: ORB
Yeah I must admit I agree it does seem a crappy way to fish, although I don’t think that is a valid reason to ban it. If it is true that more fish/humans are hurt or damaged compared to regular fishing though, then that might be sufficient justification. Do the snaggers have a big impact on the fish population, or are they just an annoyance? I just think that you have to be very careful about banning things because you disagree with them, because fishing itself is often in a tricky area in that respect. Cheers, Oliver.
Name: Leapin Bass
Impact or annoyance... that is the question. You are right that something being an annoyance is no reason to ban something. Being dangerous to people and fish could be. These will be the topics I bring up when I talk/write to the DFG and I they will decide. I am also curious as to why it is illegal in freshwater but not saltwater.
Name: Mikey
Good points again, leapin bass. I agree with you about the corbina... but don’t you feel the same way when you go out on a boat with your own gear, and some 7 year old catches the jackpot with a rental setup, using a stepped on anchovy? It's the same type of thing. Sometimes, it's luck involved. With snagging, I also agree with you, but there are times when I'm sure you have caught fish and fought them for a while, and they come unhooked. To say that maybe that fish wasn’t harmed is wrong - the fish could be injured, maybe even fatally.
Name: fishaholic
I think the snagging discussion is a very controversial subject, because I snag at Newport a lot. I don’t snag halibut, or corbina. The only thing I ever snag or try to snag are zebra perch and mullet. I don’t snag game species.
Name: baitfish
There should be a detail on the reg regarding baitfish since you are jigging for them, it might be a grey area. The way I look at fishing is the fish voluntarily taking the bait or attempting to take the bait, bait meaning real or artificial. I don’t think of snagging as fishing, since the fish does not have the option of taking the bait. I look at this more like hunting.
I can only say that Corbina can be tough to catch as can a whole gambit of other species, but that means you need to either find what works, including fishing moss or finding the way to fish mussels for the zebra perch. I just think that it should be fishing and not hunting.
Name: Leapin Bass
I am referring to game fish more than bait fish.
Name: fishaholic
Fine, then you can call it hunting, and when I turn 16 I’ll buy a hunting license, but I fish the end for regular fish more than I snag.