Treatment of Snagged Fish in Streams

 

If you have spent more than one day on a salmon or steelhead river chances are that you have illegally hooked a fish. I know that I have done it numerous times, but watching a person on the Rogue River in Rockford, Mi catch, fight, and land a snagged king salmon brought several questions to mind about the treatment of snagged fish.

Most states DNR indicate a fish not hooked in the mouth must be returned to the stream immediately and can not be kept under any circumstances.

Now some river are easier to tell if you have snagged a fish than others, but my question is “Should you play out a knowingly snagged fish?”

When fish are hooked they begin excreting hormones that allow them to try to get away from their capturer. To avoid making this post overly scientific I will avoid the big terms that really have no place in general reading. As these hormones build up in the fish they require a longer time to recover. Consider it similar to a human sprinting and jumping for a few minutes! After that we are tired and sore and need sometime to recover.

Now fish are built to run and jump for long distances, especially during their spawning time, so compare them to professional athletes, but even they need a break once in a while!

So once you know that you have a fouled hooked fish on your line should you play them out and land them knowing that you are placing the fish in an unnecessary position where they could end up dying and no one is legally allowed to keep them? Or should you break off the line to prevent them from the added stress and tie on an new set-up and go on your way?

This is something I have struggled with for a long time and I have come to the following conclusion:

If you snag a fish when it would be easy to land them and remove the look without added stress on the fish I beliece that you should, especially in shallow streams that receive a lot of fishing pressure. The last thign that we want is another angler catching the same fish and getting your hook in their hand!

However, if the stream is large and it will take a significant amount of time to land the fish and the angling pressure is not too bad – or the stream is large enough to where the chances of another angler catching the same fish is minor – I believe that it should be broken off and ensure the fish will live to fight again.

Please leave your comments as this is a topic that comes up quite frequently in DNR meetings, fish biology research, and other applicable platforms and I would like different anglers points of view on this extremely important topic.

Thank you in advance!

J.Crane Flies & Tackle Staff

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This sucker spawn is tied to exactly replicate a chunk of skeen floating down the river that has been broken off from the nest and already ferteralized. This piece is especially powerful for BROWN TROUT sitting at the back end of beds collecting eggs! It also works magic for steelhead in rivers where the Salmon come uo and spawn before the Steelhead do!

 

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How Strategic Scientific Research on Stream, River, and Fish Behavior Creates an Optimal Fishing Experience for Salmon & Steelhead Anglers



Michigan's Grand River's 6th Street Dam in Winter after a Thaw

-          Each river ecosystem presents a unique set of variable that must be accounted for in order for an angler to place themselves in an optimal position for success during every outing. Just like market research is undertaken when a company considers launching a new product or service research on a stream provides the same information on how to position yourself in the marketplace.

-          Most angles do not take biology into consideration when heading out on a stream to fish, however it should be the first thing to consider before any fly, lure, or tackle is placed in the water.

-          Just like a young child that asks “why” about everything – an informed angler must do the same thing! Some examples of typical “Why” questions include:

o   Why am I fishing this particular spot?

o   Why did I place this bait on my line?

Winter Male Michigan Steelhead From the Rogue River

o   Why are the fish positioned where they are?

o   Why are other fisherman using what they are?

o   Why are the fish eating what they are eating?

-          These are just a few of the large number of variables that a fishery researcher will consider. In addition, the river itself holds many questions, such as:

o   What is the river made out of?

o   What is the primary fish in the river?

o   When do fish come into the river?

o   What is the natural reproduction rate for certain types of fish in this river.

o   How far do fish travel in this river?

o   How long do the fish stay in the river?

o   What is the geographic makeup of the surrounding area?

o   What do fish feed on during their spawning run?

o   What type of insects are present in the stream?

-          The answer to these questions are all combined to make up a strategic fishing plan for the river. Strategy is a concept that is often used in the business world to describe a set of steps a company will undertake to achieve a goal – often called strategic planning. The same concept is essential for success in a Steelhead or Salmon outing. As the cliche says goes, “If you fail to plan, you plan to fail.”

-          Too many anglers just show up to a stream, place a bait on their line, and off they go to begin fishing, however if you don’t want to place your time, energy, and success on the water in jeopardy it’s time to become more scientific in your approach.

-          In the next article we will discuss the use of each of these research questions and how they specifically impact angler success.

Tight Lines!

J.Crane