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Okay guys. I admit that it's been a few years since I've been Salmon fishing in Idaho. I've been studying the regulations of late and things that used to be in the rules don't seem to be in there any more. I just want to make sure I don't break any laws.
There used to be rules indicating maximum hook dimensions from shank to point and that only sinlge barbless hooks could be used. I'm not seeing anything about that in the current rules. Does that mean that any size hook can be used now? And barbed hooks are legal? Can I use a 2 or 3 hook rig? Not that'd I'd really want to, but is it legal to do so?
Or am I just blind and/or missing an important section of the Chinook rules brochure?
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I don't know about this year, but the last couple stated hooks cant be wider than 5/8 inches shank to point. I dont know how many hooks you can use, but I use 2 and fish and game folks havent said anything.
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I know for sure that last time I fished for Salmon there was a single hook rule along with a barbless rule and the 5/8 inch rule you mentioned.
I don't see any of it listed for Salmon in the current pamphlet. I do see rules about it listed in the steelhead rules pampphlet though. It makes sense to me that the rule would be the same for Salmon and for Steelhead, but if that's the case, it should be specified.
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The regs last year had all of that information on the pamphlet. I just went over the new ones and they do not have. Maybe they lifted the gap requirement. I couldnt find where it says barbless hooks either. Looks like a screw-up!!! This wont be good when people get checked.
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that's pretty unbelievable that they would forget to put the barbless rule in the regs... definitely going to have issues.
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I sent fish and game a message regarding the hook size and barbless rule. Hopefully they get this figured out or there will be a bunch of people using barbed hooks. Dont want people getting citations because fish and game screwed up with the pamphlet especially the new comers that dont know barbless is required.
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Those rules are in the General Fishing Rules Book, Page 43. The pamphlet that lists Salmon Seasons, and Steelhead Seasons is an addition to the General Fishing Rules Biook.
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I think you are missing the point Mojo. I'm certain that fish and game intends for Salmon fishing to be either the same or similar to steelhead in that you have limits on the number of hooks, hook size, and barbless. The point is that it is not clear, at least I can't find any place that makes it clear. Everything I find would indicate you could use up to 5 hooks, that are barbed, of any size, but I'm sure that is not what fish and game intends.
Someone said they contacted fish and game, and I had already done that as well. I'd expect either a press release or a revised pamphlet to come out as I'm sure they do not intend to let us fish for salmon with barbed hooks of any size.
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IWB,
Yes it probably is an oversight. The rest of us have been reading it for years so don't notice like you did. I have not seen the single hook rule of which you speak in the last few years and am not sure that I ever saw it. I have been after the F & G to limit hooks to single for salmon so I know that it has been that way. I think there are too many boat fishermen with flatfish (and treble hooks) on the main rivers that tangle the wild fish in nets and then they eventually pull the fish out of the water to get untangled since flatfish are spendy. When the fish is wild, well, you know the rest of the story. It hurts all of us in the long run when wild fish fatalities occur.
I also see folks on the SF of the Salmon with treble hooks. They snag fish after fish that way (unintentionally or so they say). The rest of us sport fishermen stand there -- honoring their "fish-on" like stool pigeons....
FR
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I'm with Rocket here. Been fishing salmon in Idaho since 2000 and I can't ever recall any type of "single hook rule". Be it number of hooks per line, or points (i.e. treble hooks).
Heard a couple know-it-alls blathering about it once or twice over the years, but never witnessed any verbiage about it in the pamphlet myself.
And it certainly never was the case with steelhead (single hook rule). Me and about a thousand other dudes been fishing Okie Drifters between a 2-hook rig since dinosaurs roamed the earth. Heck, you could even buy them pre-rigged that way in any tackle shop at one time.
They definitely need to get something in there about the barbs though (and gap). That's a tremendous oversight in my estimation.
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While you are at it, please ask the F&G to change the rules on the hooks that can be used for fishing for sturgeon. The way I read the rules one could use a treble hook, as long as the barbs are bent down. IMNSHO it should read barbless single hooks, instead of just stating, "... anglers are required to use barbless hooks..."
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[quote hooknhunter]I think you are missing the point Mojo. I'm certain that fish and game intends for Salmon fishing to be either the same or similar to steelhead in that you have limits on the number of hooks, hook size, and barbless. The point is that it is not clear, at least I can't find any place that makes it clear. Everything I find would indicate you could use up to 5 hooks, that are barbed, of any size, but I'm sure that is not what fish and game intends.
Someone said they contacted fish and game, and I had already done that as well. I'd expect either a press release or a revised pamphlet to come out as I'm sure they do not intend to let us fish for salmon with barbed hooks of any size.[/quote]
I get it. If you read the General Rules, under Salmon and Steelhead it shows methods of take. That is where it lists the hooks and size limitations for anadromous fish. Idaho has always treated the pamphlet as an emergency addendum to the genreal rules book. You are right that if they took the time to define everything again in the salmon rules pamphlet, or at least referenced the general rules book (which they used to do) on that pamphlet, it would be a lot clearer. It seems some things have fallen through the cracks in the F&G's effort to simplify the rules...
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Hey guys, there's no reason to use a "barbless" hook larger than a 1/0, which fit IDFG's hook-gap reg. sheesh, our ID fish are so much smaller than the AK fish we fight, and no where close to being the "physical shape" the AK fish are in (700 miles inland, vs 65 miles).....
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I use 2/0 and 3/0. Ive used 1/0s and seem to lose more fish. With the bigger hooks I tend to have more hooks that make it through the side of the mouth rather than just piercing the sides. To each thier own. What ever works. You do snag less with smaller hooks and they are a little cheaper.
If I fished where I caught more wilds then I would downsize for the sake of the fish. But I catch 3-4 wild chinook most years so not too worried about it.
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