1 crazy lady

[chef]

i fished a little river near my home yesterday for some steelies.went 0 for 2 on them. however there were a lot of fresh salmon still comming into the system. i hooked about 5 fish with 2 of them being fresh fish and fair hooked. i kept my first and only salmon of the year a beautiful 25# fresh female. i had just landed this fish and had put it on the stringer and this crazy lady comes running up to me screaming her fool head off at me saying that i am no sportsman that i snagged this fish (which i didn't, it was hooked so deep in the mouth that i had to use hemos to get the hook, a size 8 egg fly, out). she proceded to take my stringer while i was in the water and try to release my fish (stringer and all) into the river. i ran up and graved my stringer as it went by me and had to move to the other side of the river to get away from this lady! whare she continued to SCREAM at me until i gave up and left. a member of peta you think?
chef

[Erik]

I think she should go down and hang out at Henrys landing!
What a drag, we salmon anglers get it from all sides! On one side you've got these quirk and jerk guys yelling the fish are going to die anyways so you might as well let us snag em. And then theres the people on the other side that think everyone who fishes for salmon is a snagger. Who could blame them! At any rate, I don't think any of us salmon anglers are reveared in the angling world. Then again, I don't fish for salmon because I think others will think I'm "cool". I do it because having a great big fish like that slam my rod after hours of endless drifting is one of the most rewarding experiances I have ever felt!
Wow, a twenty five pound fish, man that had to be fun! Congratulations!

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Phish

[chef]

the biggest that i have ever landed! and it was still silver!! never in my life have i saw so many aggresive salmon. it would have been a perfect day out if it wern't for the crazy lady. the thing was that as i fished if i foweled a salmon i amediately broke off. i was out for steel not noids.

[WEEZER]

Man I don't know what I woulda done in that situatiuon!!!!

[7mm deerslayer]

Hey chef, I fish Tippy Dam and let me tell you that is a trip. There is drunks on both sides and always yelling at the guy next to them for catching a fish. I feel that the fish are going to die anyways so let people snag them. I feel that it is wrong for someone to throw a giant hook with lead line to catch them. If an angler hooks a 25 pound salmon in the tail its a hell of lot battle than if he would of hooked it in the mouth. Some of the guys I fish with are Midnight snaggers and usually do quite well. I think it should be up to the angler, Its about morals not about fish living or diying. There going to die anyways. So why not enjoy them on your dinner table instead of seeing them dead on the bottom.
We seen so pretty good fights out at tippy. It's to bad that someone can ruin a great day of fishing like that for ya. Next time tie your stringer around her and send her down stream. HaHaHa

Congrats on your catch, keep up the good work

[Erik]

Well I don't like snagging, even if the fish are going to die! First off, it's not fishing, and it's not sportsmanlike. Second it makes a mess in the river, if you only knew how much fire line and lead I've pulled from different rivers, not to mention all the trash that seems to go along with this activity. Third snaggers don't only snag salmon, they ultimatly hook other species as well, including young smolts, walleyes, and even turtles. I once witnessed a group of snaggers that had hooked a snapper and were afraid to try and get their hook out, so they released the turtle with the big hook and lead still stuck in it! Fourth, a group of snaggers during the course of their day, while ripping hooks through the water, injure many more more fish than they even are aware of and make it hard for the salmon to spawn. As for the fish dying, yes they are going to die, but after they finish spawning and protecting their redds. Once they die they put much needed nutrients and food into the river. Food and nutrients that the parr will need to survive! Snagging sucks, its not fishing, it hurts the environment, and gives honest fisherman a bad name! Oh, and I almost forgot, its ILLEGAL! So don't be so apathetic towards your snagging "buddies", they need to learn how to fish!!!!!

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Phish

[J-Lee]

I feel the same as you Erik. I know that I spend a fair amount of fishing time cleaning up line and tackle when fishing certain areas.

[WEEZER]

I'm sick of people saying "The are going to die anyways!!!" They aren't JUST going to die! THey are going to spawn, protect their redds for a while, then in 4 years their offspring will return! People think that they don't reproduce naturally...WELL THEY ARE WRONG!!!! Some of the rivers that I fish haven't been stocked since I have been alive so they must be getting the job done on their own!
The only river that I'm not sure about natural slmon reproduction is the Ausable!My thermometer is broke but I'd say that the water is too warm this time of year for succesful spawning! This still doesn't give anyone the right to rip fish with torpedos, it's really disrespectful.
Tell your snagging buddies to pack out some trash next time they go "Midnight snagging".
WEEZER

[primo]

to me snagging is bad as baiting,their both unethical.We have lost our sense of fair chase and every year it gets worse. its time to put morals back into our outdoor activities.Or maybe i'm just old and sentimental.

[toto]

I agree with weezer and primo, baiting and snagging go hand in hand, they both are unethical, and somewhat illegal. As for some rivers not being stocked, one good example is the Betsie has never been stocked with salmon, to my knowledge, at least not in my lifetime, and I am just a little older than weezer, not much.....okay I'm 45. But the returns of salmon in the Betsie is huge most years, and by and large are all natural fish. This should prove they can reproduce and do quite well.

[Sarge]

I'm not a salmon fisherman. (or any big fish for that matter) not because I wouldn't like to, but because I've not had the means and opportunity so far, when I could take advantage of them. Even so, I feel like the way to handle any of our wildlife, is to harvest in the most ethical way possible. This is both the "RIGHT" moral thing and the right thing for the benefit of the species. It seems like those who are willing to take shortcuts are being selfish and don't really care about their grandchildren having the same resources they do. Such folks are not sportsmen, they are just meat gatherers. Are they bad people? Probably not, but I don't want to chum around with them. I like being with sportsmen and teaching young sportsmen how to be their best, rather than how to score at whatever the cost.

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Sarge

[TGehrs]

I sure agree with the last couple posts.I've never been comfortable with either baiting or snagging even when it was legal.