Nobody said all fly fishermen are snaggers! I have caught kings in rivers on flys to, actually seen them come up and nail it. However, There are alot of flossers out there, some that dont even know it. While fly fishing you are using the biggest leader anybody can possibly use, there is no obstruction between the fly and the pole.

As for garbage, per capita fly fishermen are just as messy as gear fishermen.

Again, I am not bashing all fly fishermen as I to flyfish sometimes. But people have got to realize that just because somebody is fly fishing doesnt mean they are the ethical elite. Everybody has there faults.

Fly fishermen are kinda of fun to pick on though because alot (not all) seem to have an I am better than you syndrom.

Fly fishermen are just as messy? Why not take a look at one of the heaviest hit fly fishing only creeks in the state, Rocky Ford. I've never even seen a beer can left along the creek. Amazing that at a place were fishermen are literally shoulder to shoulder there is little to no trash left. I'm not saying fly fishermen are any better, that's just my observation. I've never seen that at predominately gear chucking river.

Of course just because you have a fly rod in your hand doesn't mean you are any more ethical. There is a sizable group of flyfishermen that think WDFW rules, such as closed waters or species specific closures, don't apply to them because they C&R only. But then again, there are gear chuckers that fish the NF and switch to fly, but in reality are using gear methods to fish.

As for attitude, In my opinion, its usually the gear chuckers that have an attitude towards flyfishers, not the other way around...

CFM: I think you may have jumped to an erroneous conclusion

[QUOTE]Originally posted by cowlitzfisherman:
Are we now seeing a special breed of fly fishers who are becoming snaggers? Or are we seeing snaggers who are becoming fly fishers?

I do not pretend to be 100% certain why the rule change went in but I do know some history on this river. A few years ago some really top-notch steelheaders began fishing with fly line and a large Corkie as a strike indicator. They use bar bell eye flies or jigs beneath their indicator/floats. The effect was deadly. Some of the local fly guys were offended by what they thought was unethical and perhaps illegal. The WFD was called and they spend at least one day observing the guys using the weighted fly strike indicator combination. They concluded that what the guys were doing was 100% legal, since the regs did not prohibit weighted flies and the guys were using dry fly lines, fly rods and fly reels.

While I do not want to get my exercise by jumping to conclusions, I suspect this is what caused the rule change. As far as weighted flies working well for snagging, I must disagree. I have done my share of flossing Alaska sockeye and the best rig is a weighted fly line with an unweighted fly. That rig will still be legal, as I understand the new rules. Several years ago STS ran an article eon the best flossing rig an in that they recommended a small Corkie to keep the fly floating just above the bottom. The article caused uproar. Don’t look for any future articles on the subject.

This rule change (shortterm) is specific to saving the kings from harassment. Some people will use any means to get a jerk on the other end of there lines. I believe the indicator fly/jig will still be legal after the kings spawn. It is not the method(fly or gear) that is the problem but the people that have to catch a fish by any means.

By the way....while you guys argue about what flossing is the tribes are just plain snagging..no disguises needed...just big hooks and weights. On the Stilly in particular for the holed up Kings...just got a report yesterday. Why not got nuts over that??? Some of those guys might benefit from flossing lessons..Like Ole Chief Summer Teeth...He smiles and says: "Some are teeth and some ain't"

Grandpa:

Why not got nuts about that?

Maybe because there is no use beating a thourouhly dead and rotten horse.

Sure it stinks, but we have *****ed, sued, protested and sued again. We lost. Get used to it.

surecatch - The issue here is not fishing rights.

It's snagging protected kings... Kings that are closed to fishing for by agreement with the tribes that have rights to fish the area.

The kings there are protected from harvest by Indian and Citizens alike. Anyone snagging them can be reported to the appropriate authority be it DFW or Tribal enforcement and that authority should be expected to enforce the protection.

I don't thing the weightrd fly and indicator crowd were the main problem either. It's more of a problem when those Teeny-reading city-slickers with their polarized glasses drift their weighted fly's right at the fishes mouth or if that fails under it's belly.

The rednecks might be scary to get near when they try casting a spey rod but they are for the most part harmless.