Northwest Fishing Reports

Satisfy an Eastsider's curiosity please. I hear talk about flossing. What is it? And what makes it unethical is some people's eyes?

Lotech Joe wrote:Satisfy an Eastsider's curiosity please. I hear talk about flossing. What is it? And what makes it unethical is some people's eyes?

No such thing, just sniveling from wanabe elitests. It's fishing with a long leader, they think the fish sit on the bottom with an open mouth so you can drag the leader through their mouths and snag them in the cheek..... Pretty improbable if you ask me.

What Bodo said pretty much sums it up. Occasionally a salmon or trout doesn't strike short and grabs your gear above the business end, you set the hook, and it enters from the outside. My father "flossed" a coho out in the Sound just this past weekend. The hook, on the spoon he was trolling, entered through the gill plate from the outside, a classic example.

Bodofish wrote:

Lotech Joe wrote:Satisfy an Eastsider's curiosity please. I hear talk about flossing. What is it? And what makes it unethical is some people's eyes?

No such thing, just sniveling from wanabe elitests. It's fishing with a long leader, they think the fish sit on the bottom with an open mouth so you can drag the leader through their mouths and snag them in the cheek..... Pretty improbable if you ask me.

Usually the same ones that are yelling out that braid is so bad. Bodo has it except its not with a long leader its anything being dragged across a fishes mouth. You can floss a spinner, a spoon, a jig, a leader. People that use bait will go ahead and say because they are using bait that the fish takes it and that anything else is unnatural and the fish cannot want that there for you flossed that fish into taking it. Fly fisherman use long leaders all the time, did those fish take it or are they flossed? Long leader dont mean floss. How you use your line means floss. Not really sure how it started but it is crap.

oh jeeeez, this is gonna start a war all over again!

tommytitan08 wrote:oh jeeeez, this is gonna start a war all over again!

Whats up lil one? You hitting rivers again yet, or is the leg too bad still?

I recently learned, watched a you tube video due to a comment placed on Fishbait's fishing report. A guy drift fishing a river at the end of his drift would pull his rod across the current with the tip parallel to the water's surface instead of picking his rod tip and lure straight up before the retrieve back to shore. Looked like regular fishing to me although the single tip hook did stab the king on the top of the head in front of the eyes instead of in the mouth. I think it's solely technique and intent, like Pooh said, any legal lure can be used for "flossing".

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dental_floss hahahahaha!

It happens when you get the fish hooked in the mouth purposefully when they don't voluntarily take the hook. There are lots of ways to do it, but most involve using the current of the river to your advantage. Salmon go lockjaw sometimes, and when there are a bunch of guys fishing for the same fish at the same time, it is faster than waiting for a fish to get angry enough to bite your bait. Potato potato, it's been a method in salmon fishing since salmon fishing was first discovered, and in combat fishing it means that some people can bring home fish when they'd otherwise go home skunked. It's not easy to do well, so it takes a bit of skill to get the hang of it.

its not improbable at all. You over been to whatcom creek? 3/4 of the fish i catch i watch my leader go past the chum salmons head, and when the weight goes past, the yarn swings right into the fishes mouth. ALL the time. So no, its not improbable. It happens all the time.

Thanks fellas. I think I know now what flossing is. You can tell if a fish has been flossed if his smile looks like Michael Spinks.

flinginpooh wrote:

Bodofish wrote:

Lotech Joe wrote:Satisfy an Eastsider's curiosity please. I hear talk about flossing. What is it? And what makes it unethical is some people's eyes?

No such thing, just sniveling from wanabe elitests. It's fishing with a long leader, they think the fish sit on the bottom with an open mouth so you can drag the leader through their mouths and snag them in the cheek..... Pretty improbable if you ask me.

Usually the same ones that are yelling out that braid is so bad. Bodo has it except its not with a long leader its anything being dragged across a fishes mouth. You can floss a spinner, a spoon, a jig, a leader. People that use bait will go ahead and say because they are using bait that the fish takes it and that anything else is unnatural and the fish cannot want that there for you flossed that fish into taking it. Fly fisherman use long leaders all the time, did those fish take it or are they flossed? Long leader dont mean floss. How you use your line means floss. Not really sure how it started but it is crap.

Whoa. Bud. I can't see how you could floss with a 1/2 Spoon or a size 4 Spinner or even a jig. I think you are confused my honey badger friend.

I laugh all the time hearing guys yell out loud when they are drift fishing(Flossing), "IT'S IN THE MOUTH!!" lol

You just don't hear that when people are fishing with Spoons, Spinners, Jigs, or bait, you just don't.

Just for an example, question, if I use a 7' leader to get my bait, spoon or corkie and yarn further from the weight because I feel that the fish are scared of the weight, am I guilty of flossing if I use a standard drift fishing pattern of cast and retrieve?

out of topic question: what size dick nite is preferred in the rivers fishing for salmon? #2????? Thanks!

You can floss with small Dick Nites.

MarkFromSea wrote:Just for an example, question, if I use a 7' leader

Just that statement alone will get you convicted in a court of anti flossers. As long as you aren't setting the hook every second or two during your drift, I wouldn't consider it snagging/flossing. But hay, as long as the fish is legally hooked, who cares what others think.

#2 seems to be popular, but don't be afraid to throw out a #1 as well.

Lets face it guys, any of us fishing the Lower Puyallup is guilty of flossing weather we want to admit it or not. Long leader or short. The river color/visibility is near near zero at all times. Without some sent on our yarn the fish has no idea our offering is even in the neighborhood. Its mouth is open our line goes by and yes we have flossed the fish. Of coarse it is best if you don't make a 180 degree hook set two or three times during or at the end of each drift.

Im done flossing-for good ! Im goin bigger and better ! and by that- i mean a big old fashin treble hook ! Lol jk.

You can floss with a 7 foot leader, you can floss with a 3 foot leader. I use longer leaders for when i do happen to floss- and so the fish arent getting scared of my weight.

7' is bad then........ Certainly 2' is too short. 4' or 5' seemed to work well a couple years ago on the Duwamish and Green to catch pinks and silvers in the mouth with corkie and yarn, sometimes with eggs(silvers). I never have had consistent luck catching salmon out of rivers, still working on it. Haha! And, no, I don't set the hook every second or two either, just a standard drift, give a tug when feels like a bite.

Thanks on the size!

Well let me admit it, when i drift fish most of the time my fish are hook because they decided to bite it but everytime i get a fish its because i most some scent on it never without none if i floss a fish its probably because the water color or some thing but ive seen some huge salmon attack some little floating bright colored things like some trash but sometimes they spit it out if they just see a green thing which is your grreen yarn they will probably be like why dont i give that a try and like someone said forgot there name they dont bite because of hunger they bite because of aggresiveness in the rivers ive not saying all this is correct but its just some statements ive gathered through the past lol so just go with the flow](*,)

This is always a heated topic every fall. Pinks, kings, chum, w/e. I always look forward to the replies. It's been described pretty well. My opinion is...if there are enough fish in a hole or system, fish will be flossed. 2 foot leader or 8 foot leader...it's about numbers of fish in a given area. Some will say they never do it, but I have my doubts...just me. If it's in the mouth, sounds good to me...go have fun.

Yup and who knows if the fish bit or not if if you flossed it as long as its in the mouth you can keep it it's all legel because no one has proof if you flossed it or not