What is the deal with people talking poorly about snagging. Is it any easier to go and snag fish rather than have them bite? (I am talking Reds and paddle fish from my experience) Talking with people on the river and telling them about Alaska they almost try to talk down to me for snagging fish. In the Kenai river to catch reds you (hook) them in the mouth (they don't feed) I have had forty plus fish days legally hooked on a fly rod, which is incredibly fun. What is the word on that from this group?

There are some places in Washington and Oregon where the absolute dregs of the fishing community congregate and snag illegally. These locations get totally trashed with litter, and it's a pretty ugly sight watching folks abusing the resource including how they treat the fish that do get released. So yes, snagging has a very bad reputation in the PNW. I don't have a problem with it in areas where it is legal such as flossing reds in Alaska, but for Washington and Oregon it's frowned upon. Posts about flossing or snagging usually generate a lot of negative energy on internet boards around here.

Practices and opinions change with the times and geography, but around here these days "snag" may as well be lumped in with the other four-letter words. In a different age or location, it was/can be a non-issue. With the resource on the decline and population on the rise, I doubt we'll ever see a return to a time where snagging will be acceptable in the PNW. There probably is a time, place, and species where "skillfull flossing" is appropriate, but good luck trying to define that in the regs. Allowing any sort of snagging is a slippery slope so the view around here is to simply steer well clear of the drop-off.