Print

Please login or register.
1 Hour 1 Day 1 Week 1 Month Forever
Login with username, password and session length

[Robert_G]

I've never considered flossing for Sockeye as 'fishing'
Spending a day flyfishing for Rainbows and big Bulls on the Skagit...now that's fishing.

For me, Sockeye Flossing is a harvest and nothing more. I go out...catch my 2 fish and go home. I've bonked 14 so far this year, and have no intentions of stopping anytime soon.
But for me to say that I'm out 'fishing'.....that would be lie. I'm straight out snagging the fish in the mouth....period.
Our family eats salmon like we drink water and I can't afford to buy them. 14 fish = at least $250. My salmon tag plus tackle plus gas this season has run me about $30 max....being that I live in Chilliwack.

There is nothing wrong with flossing (harvesting) some Sockeye but please......don't try to convince me or anyone that you're out there 'fishing'.

[pnKroK]

yeah, thats why its called shopping

and there is nothing wrong with it

[ynot]

This is the meaning of fishing.
1. To attempt to catch fish; to be employed in taking fish, by any means, as by angling or drawing a net. [1913 Webster]

[pnKroK]

tell yourself that when you look down river both ways and its shoulder to shoulder as far as the eye can see.

seriously tho, i agree with you.  It IS fishing.

At what point does it NOT become fishing?  How many casts?  What type of lures?  What method?  What time of year?

For me, flossing the river is not fun and i don't feel good about myself when 90% of the time the hook is in the fish's back fin.  Then again, thats my opinion and its a free country.  I'm not telling anyone else to do this or do that.


what bothers me is the complete lack of respect for mother nature and all the good things she provides.  Now we can get in a debate about me driving my truck and burning fossil fuels to go out in to nature and enjoy it.  Thats not really my point.

Dare I say then that most people that are flossing really couldn't care too much about the ethics of fishing?  And the give and take relationship we should have with nature?  It seems to me its just a big free for all of lets see how much we can take and hope that there is enough next year and the next?

[Robert_G]

Perhaps I should have used the term 'sportsfishing'.

Sportsfishing means the fish willingly bites the offering.
Therefore flossing is not fishing.

[ynot]

pnkrock
i dont know where you are fishing but 90% in the back fin. i have never hooked a sock in the back fin. the odd one in the belly or tail maybe 1 out of 15-20. i have seen
lots hooked like that in the vedder but they were pinks.

[milo]

Perhaps I should have used the term 'sportsfishing'.

Sportsfishing means the fish willingly bites the offering.
Therefore flossing is not fishing.

I beg to differ.
Fishing with a harpoon or spear is very sporty and the fish isn't a willful participant. Try diving 20-30 feet deep and shooting a moving fish! HArdly anything is sportier than that. Unfortunately, it is not allowed in BC.  

Whether the fish bites the offering or not does not determine the sportiness.

Sportfishing (also known as recreational fishing) is fishing for pleasure (or competition).
If you are flossing sockeye and it gives you pleasure, or you are competing with your buddy who will hook more fish in a shorter time frame, you are sportfishing.

[pnKroK]

Agreed.

And sportfish to your hearts content.  But again...at some point it just goes from sportfishing to shopping.  And i'd much rather drive 10min. to the local store and pay a little extra for my fish.

Maybe i suck at flossing?  Is that possible?

Again, its not really the flossing i'm concerned about.  I'm not that crazy about it myself, but if people wanna do it, thats fine.

Hell, if dynamite was legal i'd use it.  Imagine that while you're diving...what a hoot.  I'd have a stick of dynamite strapped to a can of roe and watch all the fish come in for miles and then blow 'em to bits.

In that case, why are nets not legal?  We should just do that because thats what its really for.  when the sockeye run is done, you'll see the crowds dissapear and thats when the true sportfishers stick around.  The people who love it for what it is.  Not just a big meat draw.

At some point you gotta draw the line.

[tworivers]

Have to say yes KroK.
Especially if your hooking 90% by the tail.
Try changing something up with your gear, casting method, or body of water.
If you still don't feel right about any aspect of the fishery, then i'd say, don't do it!

[chris gadsden]

Stopped at a couple of walk in bars on the way to the Thompson River and sockeye were being beached everywhere, a couple of places I had not heard of before Cleaned up the beach and a nice cache of tins and bottles and picked some blackberries in the rain.

I also was surprised to see some top rods that fish the Chilliwack Vedder and complain every year about the TOW ing that goes on there but they were into it big time today on the Fraser today, I guess they will not be able to complain next year as you cannot have it both ways, no matter how you want to twist it.
nTime to head to the Thompson as I will be landing my first chinook jack in a little over an hour   and that's fishing in sage brush country away from the sockeye mania many miles away.  

[Robert_G]

I beg to differ.
Fishing with a harpoon or spear is very sporty and the fish isn't a willful participant. Try diving 20-30 feet deep and shooting a moving fish! HArdly anything is sportier than that. Unfortunately, it is not allowed in BC.  

Whether the fish bites the offering or not does not determine the sportiness.

Sportfishing (also known as recreational fishing) is fishing for pleasure (or competition).
If you are flossing sockeye and it gives you pleasure, or you are competing with your buddy who will hook more fish in a shorter time frame, you are sportfishing.

I call that hunting..
Anyways....I have no problem with either that or flossing as I have stated that I have already bonked 14 'flossed' sockeye this year....but again....I don't consider what I did to be 'sportsfishing'

[rosejeff]

The only time I've foul hooked a sockeye was when I was bar fishing, caught him in the back when hauling in my gear at the end of the day.
Can't say I've ever foul hooked a sockeye in all the times I've been out bottom bouncing.

[penn]

It's a matter of choice and how far you have to travel to the flossing grounds: I live in Steveston so I choose between: 2 fresh ocean-caught fish from the Steveston docks: $40-48.00... or $35.00 from one of the many ceremonial fish sale trucks; versus $30-40 for gas, 4 hours driving time on a good day with no accidents, $20.00 for  bettys, hooks, etc. left in snags, stress from ridiculous traffic volume, precision sequence casting necessary when fishing 3 ft. from a guy on either side of you, unless you don't mind being screamed and sworn at in several different languages ....not to mention lunch, drinks and $5.00 for ice.....or you can make one of those rock circles to pre-cook your fish for a few hours in the boiling heat. Also the fish you snag in the Chilliwack-Hope area in my opinion do not compare in quality to what you see for sale on the dock, (and you can pick the ones you want).....but to each his own.....There, you can have my spot in the crowd.  

Oh the joys of living in Richmond . I feel for you .
Let's see , $10 gas + one hook+one leader- 50 cents  + one home made weight =3 trips out = 6 sockeye . Just over $1 per sock , how can you go wrong . I should qualify that one weight though , I've only used one of my own weights so far, still got 4 I pulled  off the bottom I haven't used yet , so really on the gear part , I'm still in the Black . Haven't fished yet with more than 5 guys near me  either .

[alwaysfishn]

Oh the joys of living in Richmond . I feel for you .
Let's see , $10 gas + one hook+one leader- 50 cents  + one home made weight =3 trips out = 6 sockeye . Just over $1 per sock , how can you go wrong . I should qualify that one weight though , I've only used one of my own weights so far, still got 4 I pulled  off the bottom I haven't used yet , so really on the gear part , I'm still in the Black . Haven't fished yet with more than 5 guys near me  either .

So where are you fishing, Penn?  

[vancook]

Stopped at a couple of walk in bars on the way to the Thompson River and sockeye were being beached everywhere, a couple of places I had not heard of before Cleaned up the beach and a nice cache of tins and bottles and picked some blackberries in the rain.

I also was surprised to see some top rods that fish the Chilliwack Vedder and complain every year about the TOW ing that goes on there but they were into it big time today on the Fraser today, I guess they will not be able to complain next year as you cannot have it both ways, no matter how you want to twist it.
nTime to head to the Thompson as I will be landing my first chinook jack in a little over an hour   and that's fishing in sage brush country away from the sockeye mania many miles away.  

I envy you Chris, I was up on the Thompson over the August long weekend but with so many closures until the end of the month and lack of river knowledge I left my drift rod packed up the entire time. however I did enjoy catching a few rainbows.