How people without a kayak or a boat catch kokanee - snagging

From September 1 to October 31, kokanee can be snagged at the outlet of the Helena Valley Regulating Reservoir.  I consider this kind of a nasty sport, only one notch better than dynamiting fish, but hey, some people think regular fishing is kind of a nasty sport.  For chuckles, I'm going to post these pictures, clearly identified as involving snagging, on the bulletin board of one of our more snooty local fly fishing stores, which ought to horrify the staff.











The fish the snaggers were snagging were redder and further into spawning mode than the fish I caught in the reservoir using conventional fishing techniques.

If you think about it "catch and release" can also be seen as a nasty sport, as it still puts a hook in the mouth of a fish, makes it fight for it's life while you're reeling it in. 

If it's legal to snag, who cares?  At the end of the day its just meat. 

Since the fish are going to die anyways I don't see a problem.  But it is an acquisition of meat not a sport.

Harvesting legally is harvesting legally. I have an AK friend that has participated in a snagging fishery for kings. His take was he is just putting meat in the freezer and you don't make a dear bite an apple before you shoot it.

My dislike of snagging is just a matter of personal taste.  I love spearfishing, and I'm a big game hunter, but I can't get excited about snagging fish.

snagged or not it all tastes the same to me. im gonna get hammered for this, but...u pay for license, ur allowed so many such and such fish a day.... why care how they are caught?

Because there is a connection between method of take and the bag limit. What would a fair bag likit be under, say, gill netting allows to the general public ? 2 per season ?

My dislike of snagging is just a matter of personal taste.  I love spearfishing, and I'm a big game hunter, but I can't get excited about snagging fish.

TLW and I went for a drive yesterday to check out a Grayling lake in the Uintah mountain range. Along the way there and back home, we saw four road killed deer (does) and one cow elk. Never once along our drive, was I thinking about harvesting one and filling our freezer

I have to agree with Pete on this. I don't think his (or my) intention is/was to say snagging shouldn't exist, only that it hardly qualifies as a "sport" I understand fully, the desire to put meat in the freezer, to feed self and family, etc. but for me personally, snagging just isn't appealing. As the saying goes, To each his own.

TLW and I went for a drive yesterday to check out a Grayling lake in the Uintah mountain range. Along the way there and back home, we saw four road killed deer (does) and one cow elk. Never once along our drive, was I thinking about harvesting one and filling our freezer.

As I said, just a matter of personal taste.  I "harvested" two freshly road-killed elk last winter.  They were very tasty, and I'm still eating elk steaks, hamburger, and sausage I made from them.  See http://www.northwestkayakanglers.com/index.php?topic=14677.0 .

Harvest and sport fishing are two sort of different endeavors that can overlap.  Then you have the "flossing" of sockeyes here in Alaska.  Certainly not "willing biters".  I do think its sporting in a way.  Does take skill and technique and you still have to be able to land them.

To be honest, I don't really consider myself very "sporting" when I go fish.  I try to skew the odds every tiny bit possible as long as it is not illegal to harvest fish for the freezer.  There used to be a day when I was almost exclusively an ultra light kind of guy.  But really, I think many people would argue that if I was a true "sportsman" I wouldn't subject my fish to prolonged battles on ultralight gear.  The older I get, the more I am proud that my tackle and techniques land fish faster than the average Joe Fisherman.  I've had people tell me that's not very sporting.  Not sure what they mean.  I am floating on a piece of tupperware trying to coax a fish out of its natural environment.  I rarely release target species.  So better, for my tastes, to get them on board as quickly as possible to dispatch them quickly or so I can release them while they still have a ton of energy left.

I don't have an issue with snagging as long as it is legal.  I also completely understand the people who don't snags choice not to do so.  there are several snag fisheries available here in Alaska to snag and I do not participate in them...says the guy who uses 5 ft diameter nets to intercept sockeyes in a river....haha.

TLW and I went for a drive yesterday to check out a Grayling lake in the Uintah mountain range. Along the way there and back home, we saw four road killed deer (does) and one cow elk. Never once along our drive, was I thinking about harvesting one and filling our freezer.

As I said, just a matter of personal taste.  I "harvested" two freshly road-killed elk last winter.  They were very tasty, and I'm still eating elk steaks, hamburger, and sausage I made from them.  See http://www.northwestkayakanglers.com/index.php?topic=14677.0 .

Just to clarify a couple of things. I'm not saying I wouldn't harvest a road killed animal, just that I haven't. A few months ago, while still living in Washington state, my nephew and I were on our way to fish Canyon Creek. Without warning, a doe walked out in front of me and despite only doing about 20mph and quick to brake, I still hit her. The only damage to my truck was a small crease in the license plate. She on the other hand, walked to the side of the road and fell over, thrashing around. There was no visible external damage, but within under a minute, she stopped thrashing and quietly lay there breathing. Without a doubt in my mind, there was serious internal damage. I took out a sidearm and put a round behind her ear, quickly dispatching her. I didn't have cell service so I was unable to notify the local sheriff or Game & Fish. Had many things been different at the time, I certainly would have harvested her. Instead, I drug her further off of the road, deeper into the tall grass and left her for nature to take its course.

Pete, you and I have never met, but I will say, I enjoy your many contributions to the NWKA forum. In fact, after reading the link you provided about harvesting the two elk, I can honestly say, I now have even more respect for you, as a sportsman and in general. It was not my intention to miss quote you or to put words into your mouth and hope I didn't come off as such. As for folks who choose to snag fish, I'm not saying anything against them, I'm just saying its not for me. And finally, as many have already replied to this thread, stating, as long as its legal, why not? I agree.

Sorry in advance for rambling, just didn't want it to seem as though I'm some purist snob, total asshole or PETA mouth breather.

Were all PETA members on here PETA = People Eating Tasty Animals 

Once upon a time, I considered snaggers to be subhuman and beneath contempt.

And then something occurred to me; they aren't sportsmen, and I should not judge them as such.  They are harvesting food.  If the stock can sustain it, honestly I'm at peace with snaggers.  If I was hungry, if I had a family to feed and they were hungry, I would be irresponsible not to snag, net, whatever.

Now...that said.. if the stocks are suffering or if people are poaching fish illegally, be it by snagging, net, or legitimate sports tackle, whatever, then those people need to be dealt with.  Harshly.

But yeah if it's not illegal, if it doesn't negatively impact the stock, if the meat isn't going to waste.. so be it. 

Boat-fished long before there were fish flashers and learned how to use a jig to read the bottom of a lake.  I'm still not sure I find sonars to be sporting... but maybe that's because I don't have one?   

(We need a tongue-in-cheek emoji)

Funny thing is you don't need to snag kokanee even when in their spawning phase. They will quite readily take small marabou or tube jig in pink or red under a bobber.