Title says it all. How can illegal fish snagging be prevented or taken control of?
I work for the California Department of Fish and Wildlife. The question has been recently posed to the public. I don't mean accidental snagging while fishing, I mean intentionally snagging.
gofish
Favorite Answer
Never will be totally eliminated. Wardens can't be everywhere, and there aren't enough of them anyway. Believe most snagging is done by repeat offenders. So, idk, record license plates or boat #'s and report them. Check with fish & wildlife to see if it would do any good. Photos or video may help but you may not want to invite trouble from some crazy azz cracker/redneck who's breaking the law anyway.
Aubrey, I think we all completely understood. Illegal snagging kind of says it all.
Peter_AZ
The same way you would prevent any other violations -- more wardens in the field. (I've fished saltwater in CA for decades, several dozen times a year, I get checked by a warden no more than once or twice a year. I fish freshwater maybe 3 to 10 days a year, I've NEVER seen a warden.)
I would assume there are places where snagging is more prevalent; send the wardens there.
Where does all that license money go (other than trout hatcheries?)
?
I don't think the people that answered really understood what your asking but I think I do.. fish snagging Is when your usually using multiple hooks and your reeling in extremely fast hoping to snag a fish on the way in on purpose, you can prevent doing it but not doing that obviously but I feel like you mean when your fishing normally and accidently snag a fish on its gils or somewhere else by accident, its not a big deal you clearly didn't mean to just don't do it on purpose and if someone is clearly doing it on purpose call fish and games and they will come deal with it
Anonymous
I've done it by acceident. Fishing for brookies in a Maine deadwater and got a nice strike, set the hook and had a hell of a fight on my hands. Thought it was a monster. Got it to the canoe and discovered I had nice little 12 incher hooked by the belly behind the last fin. He had all the leverage swimming away from me. Must have had two fish going for the bait. Jerked it out of ones mouth and into the belly of the other. Kept him and ate him.
Ghost of society
Educate people by telling them to call the 800 number to report violators.