Educate me on snagging

[huzzsaba]

So after watching videos of snaggers, and reading posts and articles regarding snagging, it leaves me wondering if fishing using a float is the only safe way of fishing.

 

I always thought that casting and reeling in is fine, but I read that this can cause snagging. I was also taught that when you feel a bite, then you should quickly pull up on the rod, but again according to what I have read, this can be considered snagging.

 

What is the best way to go about this? I dont want to go out fishing and be doing something I am not suppose to.

 

i would also like to know if snagging is different in rivers vs lakes.

 

And just to be clear, I have not done any snagging or gone fishing with that intention. The only fish I did catch was properly caught through the mouth. I have heard quite a bit about snagging and would not want to be one of those types.

 

Thanks

 

 

[muddler]

Your last sentence answers your own question. We all have accidentally "snagged" a fish. You are legally required to quickly release this type of catch. It is when a person purposely target a fish in a situation so the fish is impaled somewhere in the body to land a fish that it is considered "snagging".

 

Proper float fishing might result in accidental snagging. "Flossing" is purposely done to snag a fish. In an obstruction in a stream that concentrates a large number of fish(like a dam) and running open hooks (some disguised as spoons) though the concentration for the purpose of impaling a fish in the body for "sport" is "snagging".

 

I once accidentally caught a huge snapping turtle by the leg on a jig fishing foe walleye. I can assure that I was not snagging the beast. I couldn't cut the line fast enough. Darn thing wanted a chunk of me.

 

muddler

[BillM]

If you don't know what snagging is and all your fish aren't coming in ass first, you're doing a good job and have nothing to worry about.

[manitoubass2]

In a walleye tourny, last half hour. I felt a big bite (lol) and thought YES, we have a monster walleye, 13lbs at least!!! It even seemed to fight like a large river walleye

 

nope, 5-6lb sturgeon hooked right in the sphincter. heartbreaking for me as well as the fish im sure:(

 

to me snagging implies any incidental catch were the fish is not hooked through the mouth and must be immediately released .

 

and like billm said

[huzzsaba]

Thanks for the replies.

 

Last month, my wife and I went for a walk at Erindale park and witnessed one of the guys with a salmon on, but it was definitely hooked by the side or tail. I hope it was not intentional. To make matters worst, the fish swam around a big rock which pinned his line against the rock. and that wasn't all, I think his line was also tangle on his reel, so the fish stayed in that position for at least 30 mins that we decided to stay and watch. God knows how much longer it was in that position after we left.

 

Unfortunately I couldn't help him because I didn't come prepared to wade into the water, but there were plenty of others fishing and wading, but nobody thought of going in and helping out the fish. Maybe its against etiquette to go in after someone else's fish, but in this case, I wish someone had interceded for the sake of the fish.

 

I guess it also doesn't help when the guy fishing didn't speak English, nor did he ask anyone to help him out.

Edited November 26, 2014 by huzzsaba

[FloatnFly]

the salmon run brings out the worst of the worst snaggers....errrrrr "anglers" meat hunters as we call them, they are after nothing but the roe, and salmon are so huge, they are easily targeted in small streams, it is common to see hand sized trebles on the end of 80lb braid attached to muskie rods in some places.

 

I once saw a guy wading in shorts with a wooden broom stick, to which he had tied some shoe string with a massive treble. saw him stalking salmon in the creek, i must have scared him cause he ran off pretty dam fast through the bush.

 

to avoid snagging, fish a spot that doesn't have more than 10 fish in it. fish pools, not the rapids or shallows, and change out any treble hooks for a smaller single hook