Three Rivers snaggers

[chrisohm]

just sayin,if most people on this forum saw someone using a corkie with a 7foot leader they would probably call osp. i can't think of any drift fishing situation where one would ever need 7ft of leader.

I fully agree with this statement.

You don't need a 7 ft leader. 3ft at the max. Use slinky weights, adjust your weight to the current flow. You could even do a complete different setup with worms weights if you can think outside the box with a snap swivel. I would have more fun watching someone set the hook on a 7ft leader if they actually felt the bite. :lol: Anything over 3ft is ridiculous. If you want a fish that bad, may whatever God you pray to help you poor soul! ray:

 

[SantiamDrifter]

1 I've fished with a lot of people on this forum. And if the situation calls for a 7 foot leader that's what is used. 2. There isn't enough osp officers as it is. To respond to a call saying people are fishing with a 7 foot leader. Because its not against the law. And they don't have time to enforce ethics. And 3rd if you can't think of any drift fishing situation where one would ever need a longer leader. Its very obvious to me that your a young newbie and that's cool. We have all been there. I respect everyone's opinion and listen to there resoning. Some peeps in the past that I've disagreed with. But after listening to there reason. I saw it in a different way and understood. So if you want some time to research a situation and have a legitimate argument I would respect what you had to say. But when you say you can't think of any drift fishing situation. Where its needed... If you can't figure out why something is being done only means you haven't researched it and came up with your own resoning. And are just a follower of others.. so for what its worth I'll respect and discuss any situation and maybe it turns out I learn from what you say. And vise a versa. But when your defense is... Just because you can't figure it out. All that tells me is you don't what your talking about.

Are longer leaders needed? Yes. Are 7ft leaders needed, not if you know how to fish. He may be young, but he knows 7ft leaders are ridiculous. And to clarify, the OP was talking about a creek you could jump across in some spots. I've never needed, seen or talked to anyone I respect who uses 7ft leaders. We're talking drift fishing, not trolling for springers here.

 

[Flymstr]

I know I am going to get it for this, but here it goes. If you read the regs it clearly states that snagging is "The intent to hook a fish anywhere but the mouth". So with that, it does not matter what you are using as long as you are not intentionally hooking the fish in the body. I do agree that most of them are trying to floss fish, but it really isn't illegal, because they are trying to hook the fish in the mouth. The fact that they do hook fish in the body then reflects that they may be pulling and trying to get the hook in the mouth and missing, this would be snagging for sure, but if you just drift fish with a seven foot leader and you floss one, then really your intent was a legal one, but not an ethical one. I know in AK flossing is the number one way to catch Sockeye. We will foul hook 1 out of every 10, but that is inevitable when you fish that way, but our intent is not to foul hook any. Also I know from my experience on the AK river I fish, that a lot of fish, fished with a 2 foot leader are flossed. I see it with my own eyes everyday up there. If you have 5 to 20 fish in a run and you drift through with a 2 foot leader, you have a good chance of flossing a fish, this crap just happens. If the guys are strategically lining up on the fish and then pulling at the just the right moment then they are snaggers, but you can not judge someone just on the length of the leader they are using. Remember we all come from different places and fish different from one another. Just cause you don't agree does not make you the judge. Education is the way to get through to people, "did you spend the time to say anything to the person before being judgmental, or do you judge then just take your own action". The last sentence is not directed to anyone, just a statement.

I write this because I have been wrongfully accused and judged many times on this forum and others, and I just don't like the way judgement is thrown around so willy nilly.. I was able to prove myself to those people, even though I did not have to, and now I don't think the judgements will flow so quickly from these guys because they were educated on different ways to fish.

Hope I did not say to much and get people p o ed again.
Good luck out there.

 

[kirkster]

Are longer leaders needed? Yes. Are 7ft leaders needed, not if you know how to fish. He may be young, but he knows 7ft leaders are ridiculous. And to clarify, the OP was talking about a creek you could jump across in some spots. I've never needed, seen or talked to anyone I respect who uses 7ft leaders. We're talking drift fishing, not trolling for springers here.

Yes he is young because him and I a little over a year ago was planning a drift fishing trip. Then something came up and I was off the forum pretty close to a year. Now now back on the forum in that short amount of time. He believes every body draft fishing is a flosser. When just a year ago he hadn't even drift fished. So my judgement was from our conversations and the questions he asked me. So the only reason he is against all of this is from what is wrote in threads and not from expeirience. So I wasn't pre judging him I wasn't saying anything negative towards him. I simply stated he needs to do his own research and have a credited argument. Other than what he had because he simply is following what he has heard. As far as you pre judging me. Whatever to each his own. But if you see me making a judgment call its because I've actually got to judge it before making the judgement call. So in a years time he is so set against something that he was fired up a ready to do 1 year ago. So my comment about him being young and getting some years.of expierience. Is true the comment I made saying if your only argument is saying because he doesn't see any reason to do it. Basically tells me BT hasn't done any research of his own. Therefore doesn't know what he is talking about. So when you say he knows that something is ridiculous. He has no idea why its ridiculous other than from what other people say.

 

[SeanC]

My two cents probably don't mean much as I am new to stealhead fishing and trying to learn different techniques. But I will say this, most of my fishing has been saltwater fishing in southern california. I took my daughter out to try our hand at stealhead. I started with a short leader. After a while of no bites a guy told me your doing everything right but make your leader the same length as your rod.... I redid my leader as he sugested and success. I haven't caught as many steelhead as a lot of you, but I have been catching them since I changed the length of my leader. I haven't hooked any fish anywhere other than the mouth. I run a slinky wieght just heavy enough to clear the rocks on the bottom with a corky to the hook, with a piece of yarn. I take every effort to fish right, both ethically and legally as I am trying to teach my daughter the right way to fish and respect the fish.
Again, I am no expert at fishing rivers and I am honestly trying to do things the right way. But as I see it, every river is different, and different conditions call for different methods. Personally I wouldn't put distance between my corky and the hook. It seems to me that it would increase the chance of snagging the fish. Whereas putting the corky at the hook is creating a lure. The length of the leader in my case inly places the lure where the fish are at.
Maybe I am not understanding the setup that initiated this thread, and if that is the case please feel free to enlighten me. Personally I don't like using such a long leader where I have been going. But it works, and like I said my daughter and I have yet to hook a fish anywhere but the mouth.