N.Y. salmon fishing laws

[Troutmeister]

Was talking to a N.Y. angler who said he was fined for snagging a salmon. He explained that he foul hooked the fish, brought it in, unhooked it and released it, but since he touched it it was in his possession. Warden said you have to cut the line without touching fish.
Anybody ever hear of something so ridiculous and is it true?

Another one is the law about weight has to be at least 24" from your fly. Does this mean weighted flies are illegal? I'm assuming not since I've seen weighted flies and buggers for sale at Fat Nancys.

 

[ryc72]

the weight being 24+ inches from the fly are both accurate. and if i remember correctly, there needs to be a break point like a swivel or something. guessing thats so a rig can be broken off easily if a fish gets snagged. weighted flies are allowed but the split shot does still need to be 24+ inches away from the fly.

the snagging part is ironic considering that the rigs that most guys toss is intended to floss the fish which is just another form of snagging.

 

[Bruno]

I am suspect on this one. I bet he was being watched for a bit and was deserving of the ding.

 

[flyflicker]

Yeah, I’m with Bruno. Lots of “lifters” up there.

 

[mcneishm]

With regard to the NYS salmon laws, here is a picture of the sign NY DEC has posted along the Salmon River. This particular one was in the Upper Fly Zone tho you can find them nearly everywhere but DSR. I suspect, as others have speculated, that DEC was watching this guy for a while.

The second one is a hand drawn graphic (poorly by me) of a legal rig. Note the swivel that I use both for the required breakpoint as well as a place to attach the tag to put sinkers. You do not have to put your sinkers on a tag. You can put them on the leader or tippet as long as they are 24" about your fly.

 

[moon1284]

Don't snag fish and you'll be fine. Don't line fish and you'll be fine. It's pretty simple.

Also the right thing to do is always to immediatley break off a foul hooked salmon or steelhead. It's easy to tell if they are foul hooked and on any lake Ontario trib (they're all usually crowded) it's inconsiderate to other guys there to fight a foul hooked fish.

 

[laurelrun]

Only thing to add is the regs allow up to 1/8 ounce of added weight for a fly, so a couple twists of lead aren't an issue.

I agree with everything shared above. You know when you have one foul-hooked, or will very early in the fight. No reason to crank one in if it's snagged.

 

[Troutmeister]

I know you can be fined for lifting or trying to snag, but I'd never heard the part about if you handle a foul hooked fish to release it, it's in your possession. I've foul hooked many that were caught in or near the head
and fought and landed them, removed the hook and released them. I think it makes more sense to remove the fly than to let it on their body.
I always remove other flies found on the fish before releasing.

Laurelrun, Up to 1/8 oz. of weight for the fly is what I wanted to know, thank you.

 

[bigjohn58]

I'm convinced the ONLY way of catching fish in NY tribs in the fall is to snag or floss. IF you see someone catching a lot of fish they ARE snagging or flossing. If you think you are catching fish because of the fly you have on you are kidding yourself. You will occasionally get a salmon that hits your fly out of anger. A steelhead might eat your fly or the occasional brown or Atlantic but the vast majority of those are flossed or snagged as well. I've been up there way too many times and I know better. I don't even enjoy the style of fishing necessary to catch fish up there. I do it just for the pure size of fish you encounter but I'm finding my desire to go to NY in the fall is less and less. Also if I snag a fish I'm bringing it in or attempting to. I hate losing my flies and if I can get my fly back I'm going to.

 

[moon1284]

Most people who catch a lot are at a minimum Lining fish. You can get salmon and steelhead to hit flies i.e. swung flied. Bringing in a snagged fish is unethical and illegal.

 

[Biggie]

I pretty much agree with bigjohn. I suspect most guys don't realize they are lining the trout. But the operator of the rod knows if the fish bit or not on most occasions. Once in a while a big brown will open his mouth a suck a fly in and not move till you set the hook, but this is rare. Kills me when guys have 30+ hookups fishing over fish on redds and say they are slammin the flies. 30+ years fishing up there and I have done all of it at one point.

 

[mcneishm]

I fish almost exclusively at DSR, primarily because it is not as crowded as elsewhere, it's patrolled by DSR folks, and the number of snagging clowns seems to be far less. That said, I've watched guys hook fish after fish that would run wild and jump like hell all over the place, a sure sign they've been foul hooked. For the most part, these fish will break off tho many are hauled in and oodles of hero pictures taken. DSR takes a fairly "soft" approach to dealing with snaggers. I've reported it a number of times. They send a river walker who watches the guy then takes him aside and advises him that what he's doing is not according to Hoyle. Then when the river walker leaves, the guy is right back to doing it. I wish they'd take a much harder line. I have never seen any DEC enforcement officers there.

As others have said, you can tell almost immediately whether it's a good hook.

 

[laurelrun]

Here's my experience. If you fish the salmon run in NY, you will inevitably foul hook fish. When you do it, you know. Or just as likely, you'll see. Fouled hook fish often take to the air. It's pretty simple to point your rod straight and break off or pull out a fly.

No doubt, some, maybe most, of the fish you hook in the mouth are lined. Most of the time, it would be impossible to tell.

I've seen browns, steelhead, kings and cohos actively strike a fly. I've also seen them move to attack a fly not in their drift lane. The trout are eating. The salmon, maybe they're just mad. But they do hit.

Fishing the Salmon river isn't like blue-lining little natives, or getting a perfect drag-free drift to a rising brown with no one in sight. But it damn sure is fun to hook and land a 25lb. king or a super fresh chrome steelhead. I like all of the above, and I'll keep doing them.

 

[hooker-of-men]

The trick to success at salmon river is to tie a giant stonefly nymph exactly 34 inches below a small barrel swivel that is tied with the tag end extended enough to fit 3 large splits shots and then carefully rip all that **** off your line and go fish somewhere else where you're not tit-to-tit with my neighbor Gary who goes centerpinning one time a year so he can post a hero shot of a flossed fish on facebook.

 

[PennypackFlyer]

Here is a couple of other items to note:

Fishing is prohibited at night from ½ hr. ...
Only one hook with a single hook point and a gap not exceeding ½ inch is permitted except on floating lures as noted below.
Hooks attached to any lure, except an artificial fly, must be free swinging and unweighted.

 

[timmyt2]

LOL hooker of men

 

[Biggie]

Hooker of Men: Centerpinning and flossing can't be done.(JK) but for sure hero drifts aplenty.

 

[hooker-of-men]

Ha! Thanks for the clarification, Biggie. I don't actually even know how centerpinning works, and I am blissful in my ignorance.

 

[kobalt335]

From my understanding you are allowed to land a foul hooked fish, but it can't leave the water and it can't be netted. If somebody nets a foul hooked fish for you, you are both eligible for a fine. So pretty much you can bring the fish in, use forceps to grab your fly then let it swim away.

 

[Tigereye]

New York Codes, Rules and Regulations, Part 10, Section 10.2 ...
Justia Law › states › title-6 › chapter-i › subchapter-c › part-10
(3) fail to immediately return foul-hooked fish to the water;. (4) take or attempt to take fish by snatching or any other fishing technique that results in ...

Doesn't say anything about not landing a foul hooked fish. But be " returned to the water" . To be returned, it must first be taken from the water. To remove hook? I would think so.

Lifting, snagging, snatching I'll say is unsportsmanlike and should be illegal.

As for flossing. I know of at least 4 guides on the river and see countless others doing exactly that. Infact during a strong run its almost impossible not to floss a fish.

As for touching or netting a fish being interpreted to mean taking posesdion. How do they explain those who have 3 on the stringer and continue to fish catch and release?