Northwest Fishing Reports

Last evening I was at the sky, my guy snagged some fishing line, reeled it in and there was about a ten inch steelhead smolt attached. He unhooked it and sent it on its way. but my question is, what if this happens but instead of a small smolt its a nice steelhead?

I personally would let it go. Some guys would say they caught it.

technically you caught it.. i think.. maybe...possibly... how hungry are you?

happened twice to my dad. a small trout on ozzette lake and a big boot king on the skoke. both released.

if it a nice steelhat its going home baby haha

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Never thought about it, I guess I would probably let it go since I didn't "catch" it just to be safe. I pulled in and released a 5# sucker in the cable hole last month the same way.

oce a guy at the skok hooked a stringer with a king on it, nice looking fish and good size too, sucks for the guy that lost it haha.

It happens quite often in the hole where i fish on the skok actually. If someones main line breaks right above there swivel/weight. usually withi the next 10 minutes someone has hooked it, and were all scared that its gonna come off and were gonna have 2 cannon balls flyin back at us instead of one.

Seems like it might meet the letter of the law, but not the spirit. I don't think I would take the chance on some warden interpreting it the same way as me.

I'd throw it back, but I just catch and release, unless i'm camping or dead broke and cant afford grocery. I think as long as it is leagal to retain then take it home. One thing tho. If it was hooked in the eye or gill, by the previous fisherman, I belive you have to remove the fish even if the fish is under weight/length even if you snag the snag that snaged the fish eye/gill? I recought a fish that I had a hook n soft plastic broke off in a little bass, I got him to shore and broke off, my fault didnt check the knot/line. Watched him swim off with the little rubber cray stuck in his upper mouth. A week later, same spot we meet again. Same hook, same bait. I think half the time i'm catchin the same guys n gals. I almost feel like they know who I am, the ducks and geese certinly do LOL.

i always think a bout the time our weights snag on the bottom, we pull and break it off, so therer is just a corkie/yarn/bait/hook just floating in the current in the river, what if a fish bites it, theres a hooked fish just down there?

zefsidefishing wrote:i always think a bout the time our weights snag on the bottom, we pull and break it off, so therer is just a corkie/yarn/bait/hook just floating in the current in the river, what if a fish bites it, theres a hooked fish just down there?

yea theyll bite it, ive been snagged up before, rowed upriver to get the weight unhooked, and once i got it undone, a steelhead had swallowed my bait that was hanging off the rock, kinda cool, but if i would have broken it off, he would have been in trouble

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