Fishing: Ammended

Work yesterday was slow, so I printed out the 2012-2013 Department of Fish and Game Freshwater Fishing Regulations to study before heading out anywhere to fish. I'm glad I did. You wouldn't think freshwater fishing was incredibly different than saltwater fishing, but they've got some strict rules.

Barbed hooks: most hooks are barbed unless you buy them special. Turns out in a lot of places in California (especially the Klamath River) barbed hooks are illegal. Do fish stay on non-barbed hooks? I guess I'm about to find out. Turns out Oregon does not have these same rules. In the regulations, it lists specifically which areas are restricted to non-barbed hooks only, so whenever you set out to fish, you have to look up the limitations of each area.

Species limitations: there's a whole grip of them. Salmon get complicated. And as it turns out, steelhead is a completely different fish than salmon. Who knew? With my salmon report card, I've got to write down every salmon I land, write down if it had an adipose fin (if it does it's wild and I have to release and record it, if it doesn't and it's over 22 inches I can keep it but the DFG can request the head in order to collect some sort of tag). If I catch a Coho salmon, I have to check and record whether or not it had a maxillary, which to me looks like a frowny lip. If he's pouting, I have to record it. And you can't keep Coho's here. Or wild salmon. Thankfully someone thought up the clever idea of cutting off the adipose fin from hatchery salmon. I also have to record whether the fish was an adult or "jack". I apparently do not need to know whether the fish is male or female, but I do have to be able to differentiate between a steelhead and a chinook salmon....because I don't have a steelhead card, and even if I did, I'd have to put the record on the correct card.

Different species have different required size and quantity limitations, which I was aware of. But there's also a season for different species, except when specified in this book. There are a few species that are year round "open season". So I ordered a book on fish identification. Until then I have to rely on internet pictures.

So last night I went to Walmart to see if they had non-barbed hooks. I figured shopping in California as opposed to the more lax Oregon I'd be able to buy non-barbed hooks. Nope. So I bought a few more lures and jigs and went home to bend the barbs down. Some of them were easy, the others were not. I'm going to need to pick up some files. I hear some of the DFG are pretty anal about the barb. Sometimes they run a cotton ball along the hook and if it snags, you get fined $350. A guy on my crew did. Even after he bent the barb back. I'm also going to look online for non-barbed hooks and lures.

And turns out one of my fishing spots I've been eyeing on my way to work is a catch and release only. Argh. But I've found some other places to fish, so I'm pretty excited.

I put line on my reel last night as well, so I'm all set to go. I might start out at the local resevoir, which to my knowledge does not require barb-less hooks.

I also managed a short run yesterday.