This is the amazing spot where the incomparable Klamath River meets the Pacific ocean; The very spot where a zillion chrome bright, extremely aggressive king salmon squeeze through a tiny gap in the sand every fall. Postcard perfect…almost.
But something has changed here. The anglers who line up on the spit to catch the kings have changed their tactics over the years and now pretty much only line or “floss” the kings with 10+ foot leaders and small beads. Now, I’ve always believed to each their own when it comes to preferred fishing methods…I don’t care if you’d rather catch fish with a fly rod or chicken liver balled up on a treble hook…but one thing I just can’t get behind is snagging fish in the mouth.
And let’s be honest here, that’s all lining is. A salmon eats a bead as willingly as a guy on a motorcycle eats a bug! The fish has no say in the matter…Is that really what this sport is about? Not in my book!
Not in the California Department of Fish & Game’s either. Check out Chapter 1, Section 1.05 of the regulations…
Flossing at the mouth of the Klamath (& mouth of Trinity, too) is all the more bizarre to me when you consider that Klamath kings are super kooky fish that bite spinners and eggs like piranhas. Just ask the guys at Blake’s Riffle…
{ 7 comments… read them below or add one }
I use spoons, spinners, bounce roe, and swing flies for salmon and steelhead. The last two techniques, do floss a lot of fish that do not "voluntarily" strike the bait or fly. I also know that fish will actually strike the bait or fly with those techniques, also. Should we really get upset when someone just ties on yarn or a bead and uses the same technique? Who's to say that the fish don't strike the bead or yarn?
There are so many sides tot his debate…it's not really as clean cut as some like to make it. Once you go out on a limb and admonish lining of kings, you'd better not plan on ever fishing Sockeye on the Russian or Kenai in AK…same technique, but for some reason that is "OK." Unfortunately many that hate on King flossers are they same ones that go to AK and get their Sockeye fight on by lining fish. Then there's the whole fly fishing issue…which Hammy above was eluding to. I can't tell you how many times I have witnessed fly guys pulling Steelies off of redds using a setup similar to what Hammy describes. Somehow they get a free pass? And JD….out of fairness to the bead fishermen, not all of them (in fact only a small minority) are pulling fish of redds. Let's keep this party going…if you are going to hate on the bead fishermen and the fly guys, then you need to hate on the jig fishermen too. Ever watched guys ripping Gibbs Minnows? Ugly. Then there is the mentality that the only good fish is a wild fish and all hatchery fish must be killed (but not by bead fishing, mind you). Heck…we're on a roll here…how 'bout we just hate on everyone that sticks a hook in a fish and drags it in…that's what PETA would like. Get my point?
The more we in-fight as fishermen the less we unite to fight the real issues…habitat degradation, water deliveries to the south, the polluted Delta, hatchery reductions/cutbacks, lack of spawning gravel, etc. I am not necessarily endorsing bead fishing, but you can see how hypocritical these positions can get. To that end, prove to me that bead fishing is truly flossing fish. Are you under water when the fish gets hooked? Can you proved to me that the fish did not voluntarily move to the offering and take it? Rainbows, Dollies, and Sockeye in AK sure hit beads when drifted. The "hook outside of the mouth" argument does not fly, either. Ever done a lot of spoon or spinner fishing…how many fish do you hook outside the mouth? Were those fish flossed?
Just trying to make a point…many of us think our way or our beliefs on what is right is the only way. Truth be told, we would be better serve by uniting around a common cause, our fisheries, and defeating the addressing the many issues our anadromous fish face these days…
I'm playing devil's advocate here, but would it be OK if I was down there swinging a fly on a dense sink tip with a 12-foot leader (aside from the fact that I would probably get beat up for doing that there)? Is the cost of the gear the distinction? Hasn't everyone caught a fish hooked outside the mouth that they were sure "voluntarily" struck at the lure or bait?
Yup that really sucks especially at that part of the Salmons journey. When I first moved up here to NorCal and witnessed this on the American, I said to my buddy, “That’s just snagging! How lame!”
lining kings in not that bad of adeal especially great lakes kings that once enterd]ed river systems dont feed anymore but only have spawning on the mine . and dont give me that your techniques will make them it. it is only like shooting a deer , you dont bait them., you pursuit them .
Are you serious, HookJaw? First off, I'm not fishing for kings on redds. Secondly, I can prove t o you beyond a shadow of a doubt that kings will gobble (swallow) a cluster of roe. And what about a Kwikfish? Not lining them with those plugs, either!
Anybody got an idea for some new legislation to stop this?