OK, here it is..... Simply make snagging legal. Here's how it would work.... Take a few choice fisheries (Carbon river hatchery zone, Skokomish, Quilicyne, Hoodsport hatchery zone, Barrier dam, etc) and make it legal to retain snagged fish in those areas..... Hell, make it legal to use triple hooks for that matter. Here's the catch.... You have to retain the first two fish you catch. No six silver limits or anything like that, just two snagged fish, that's it. You snag your fish and then get the hell off the water and make room for the next guy. This will serve two purposes; #1) It will concentrate all of the snagging into just a few areas, leaving the other rivers clear for the "real" fishermen. #2) The snagged fish in question would presumably be all hatchery fish that are surplus..... Hell, why not snag them, they're made for bonking. Also, by specifying that you have to keep the first two fish caught, you're ensuring that these guys will just snag they're two fish and leave, not continue to rip on the fish all day long trying for the elusive "Headshot". I know all you purists out there will probably crucify me for this post, but stop and think about what I am saying here. There is absolutely no way to eliminate the snagging that has all of you guys so pissed off every fall, but it can be regulated and possibly contained to just a few pre-spcified areas. Well Sissies, Whatdaya think of my plan?

These guys are not following the rules now so I would have to say they will not follow the new rules. It's a flop before it starts

I think you'd just be allowing them to perfect their technique so they could be more successful elsewhere. Keep the pressure on the snaggers. Make them learn how to fish legally.

of course there will still be snagging on the other rivers, but it would get the majority into those few areas and off the rest of the rivers. i like that idea.

i whould vote for it ... like he said surplus hactery fish made for boonking in the head. great idea

Fine logical idea except for one thing .....you'd still need more enforcement officers on the rivers to enforce your new rules and thats the problem now....not enough officers to enforce the no snagging rule. So if we ever do get enough officers on the rivers the question arises..."why allow snagging anywhere?"

Guys, go down to the Barrier Dam sometime when the fish are really in, or go to the Skok when the fall chinook are in. Fish Cops are all over the place! At the Barrier Dam, when the fish cops aren't there, you'll see the State Patrol in their place. The Cops at the Barrier Dam are writing tickets constantly! In fact, I believe the police presence worsens the snagging problem. When the cops are gone, snaggers will snag their fish and keep them, but when the cops are standing on the bank, wating everyone fish/snag, the guys will simply release one snagged fish after another until they can get a headshot, or until they can line one in the mouth ( If they'd just learn how to line em, they could keep everything). So, as far as places like the Barrier Dam are concerned, Numbers of cops is not a problem. On the Skok, I made ONE trip this year where I didn't see a fish cop. The fish cops are constantly at the Hoodsport hatchery so I don't buy the lack of enforcment arguement one bit. Its as simple as this: Snagging will never be eliminated, niether will prostitution or marijuana use, so rather than spend time and money fighting these things, why dont we legalize and regulate these things..... The snagging in particular, as it applies to this thread.

If the officers are at the Skok then there's not enough officers at the Quilcene and if the officers are at the Quilcene then there are not enough officers at the Skok ....if they're at Hoodsport then there's not enough officers at the Skok and the Quilcene So who do you have in mind to enforce your new 2 fish rule? Oh and you should know that the snagging carnage will not limited to those 3 spots on the canal....when the salmon are in (and btw these are not hatchery fish) Hamma Hamma, Duck, Dose, Tahuya, Union, Little Quilcene the same morons will be there snagging too. Who will keep this from happening...while making sure the snaggers take only 2 fish a day? Oh you are also fully aware I hope that these few officers also needed to enforce hunting regulations ...bow hunting season starts in September for example. So your disbelief that there aren't enough officers already is somewhat difficult to understand....maybe you were thinking that an "honor" system among snaggers would work? Before replying LZZ try to consider this....you have at the most 5 officers to work the area between Belfair and the Hood Canal bridge.....and that's reality my friend. If you were in charge of those officers would you be able to enforce your new rules? and at the same time protect the nonhatchery runs in between?

Oh and please do a little research on what happened I believe on the Kalama several decades ago where they allowed a snag fishery on a hatchery run only within a small portion of that river near the hatchery.....spread throughout the whole river and every river with 200 miles like wildfire......uncontrollable wildfire.

This poses an interesting argument. For those people who believe that legalizing specific offenses will allow better monitoring and free up resourced to go after more offensive crimes this line of thinking might prove to be a way to show that legalizing 'recreational' drugs would have merit. (No I am NOT saying that anyone on this board holds this belief...just that some people in this world do and will use anything to further their case) If anything, changing the rules to allow specific snagging fisheries would allow law enforecment/gov to have a record of those that do snag fish and would have a tendency to do so in other locations. "I see where you were snagging your limit over there but it is not legal here. You are a known snagger so I do not believe that you caught those fish legally here..." I also see where this would just encourage others to try snagging as a method of fishing instead of learning the sport properly. To me I think that is more of a reason to not try this method. Why encourage more people to fish this way? It would still take a large amount of law enforcement to keep up on the rivers that are not open to legal snagging.

I would rather like to see a three strikes kind of law...three violations (any violation) and you can not get a license for 2 years. Do it again after that and you don't get a license in the state again ever.
Add to this the confiscation of gear at each offense and a hefty fine and I would think that this disgusting method of catching fish would be greatly reduced. (Not to mention other violations.) I am not fool enough to believe that it will ever be stopped.

Just my 2 cents worth.

Busy....that was very cool! Let's take it a step further ....all snaggers must register with the state as such just like sex offenders....maybe the state could require them to wear a special license on the outside of their clothing while snagging or fishing on a nonsnagging river. Hey even better for funding enforcement...require a special $100 license? All for them rules!

Busy I've been advocating stiifer fines and punishments for these lowlifes for years.....I prefer a one time and your out for life rule....including all fishing and hunting priveleges.

Hey LZZ I'm not busting on you...gotta a lot of respect for you......but I'm wondering if some others who support this concept are the ones who will be ready and willing to participate? No offense intended to anyone in particular.

Aunty M is right. Solving this problem is up to us. Although I am a newby salmon fisherman, I have been doing pretty well where I fish, and I am often approached by other newbies asking questions (talk about the blind leading the blind!). I am never zipperlipped about what I am doing, and I also encourage other newbies to release nates and not to snag. I haven't seen anyone actually trying to snag, but I have seen many foul-hooked fish retained. Alot of the new fishermen I talk to do not know that keeping a foul-hooked fish is illegal. And many don't even know why nates should be released, even on rivers that allow the retention of wild fish. Until I started following the threads on this and another local board, I was unaware of these and many other issues as well.

Here's an idea. Since the WDFW lacks the manpower to have a presence at every fishing hole, maybe they can offer a program to educate and then "deputize" fishermen on different rivers. Let the ethical fishermen help enforce the rules by giving them a ticket book to issue fines to the idiots out there. If we can have a "citizen's arrest" for other crimes, why not for fishing crimes? It will never happen, just a thought.

Tight lines!

I thought ZoZo's idea was pretty good. I might even try it.......

Ah, there's nothing like a butt-hooked salmon. I learned how from Jim Teeny.

This was already tried in the 70s on the Washougal, and it was a travesty - great training ground for snaggers. The RA3 post on the Washougal pretty much said it all - the problems it started never went away .

Thanks Spawnout! It was the Washougal where that disaster originated not the Kalama.
Hey give me the funding for 10 officers and even the Barrier Dam is tameable.....they had up to 5 on the Quil this year...they didn't get all the snaggers but the ones they didn't get are damm careful....having a bunch of righteous fishers on the river helped a bunch also....kinda like putting sunlight on vampires.

Hi All from the Great Lakes, we have had legal snagging in the past here and there may still be a few spots where you put your name in a lottery and if you get picked you snag some fish. The Sable River below Hamlin lake in Ludington Michigan was a 200 man limit per day three shifts. There was never a fish planted there and with no spawning gravel there was no other way except to net them all. I went up there as a kid and jerked a few out. It was dangerous with treble hooks and lead flying around . There were fights and drunks and all other forms of unsportsman like conduct. I gave up snagging when I figured out that the fish tasted terrible compared to fresh from the big lake. I stay off the rivers now except for steelhead . I do my fishing in the lake where there is always room and the flesh firm and orange. I think it is better to put all the snaggers in a few places instead of having them look for the remote holes where a fly fisherman or other legal fisher would go to escape the hordes. Im glad I dont have to deal with the hassles anymore. I feel for the guys who do. Fishall FISHALL LURES

Hey man, I like the idea, then that way they we would all be in a coiuple of spots.
Sounds good to me.
Peace Superfly

Wow Gooose, Comparing Snaggers to pedophiles? I think everyone here is missing my point (except for superfly). Get em all in one place is what I say too. Hell, I might even join them from time to time when I need to harvest some eggs.

Sorry LZZ I didn't miss your point and knowing Joe he didn't miss yours or mine....but back to my point.....please explain how given the facts....how you would make the thing work....sorry but it's a utopian idea that has no no chance unless we have more enforcement and if we have more enforcement then why not enforce the current rules. So please let's discuss your idea in detail?

OK. The system as it stands does not work. I happen to know that a snagging ticket is one of the hardest game offenses to prove in court. Short of video tape, its a hard case to prove. Therefore, it would be safe to say that prosocuting snaggers is a big waste of money and time. Take me for example, I've been stoped and accused of keeping a snagged fish before when the fish I had was totally legal, caught on eggs, the only problem is that the fish had a rip in its side that could have been caused from a seal or a net or anything for that matter. To the same token, I have sat on the Skok and lined one fish after another while the Game Warden was standing right behind me, watching me fish and he didn't say a word about how I was fishing. My point is, that even if we had more officers on the beat, only the most blatant of snaggers would ever get caught, and a pretty fair ammount of those guys would beat the ticket in court.I dont know for sure that legalized snagging in certain areas would work for sure, but it seems to work just fine in Alaska, and the current system down here definately does not work, so why not explore other options?

I have to agree with LZZ. I think it may work. The only problem I can think of has already been stated. It is, "well, I can snag over there, why not here?". Just the same a legal dope. I don't have a problem with most pot heads, they are too slow to cause much problem. But when they move to the next bigger and better high, crack, they become a real pain in the butt. In most of these snag fests the hatchery is fairly close. Why not put up some "traffic" cameras? This way the gamies can sit in comfort, sipping coffee, and zoom in on snaggers. When they record enough for court, hop into their rig and go write the dumbarse up. These camera then can be put into pan and scan mode to record after hours. They make great heavy duty cases to protect the cameras. It is not really that expensive either. It is awful hard to fight recorded footage in court. And if filming up women's skirts in public is not an invasion of privacy, then taping rivers wouldn't be either.