Great they are doing this but I wonder how they will interpret sinking head fly lines and the leader length attached to them ?
4 foot is to small, hardly ever use that length unless the river is really high and clouded etc...
Michigan has no reg on leader length but does on hook gap size and no weight below the lure, fly or bait. Have to check again since some things are changing this year.
NEW YORK STATE DEPARTMENT OF ENVIRONMENTAL CONSERVATION
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
For More Information Contact: Leslie R. Wedge, Fisheries Manager
NYSDEC - Region 7
1285 Fisher Avenue
Cortland, NY 13045-1090
607-753-3095, ext. 212
The New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) will conduct a public meeting to review proposed
changes in fishing regulations for Lake Ontario tributaries in Region 7 (Cayuga and Oswego Counties) at the Oswego County
BOCES located just west of Mexico on County Route 64 on August 14 from 7:00 to 9:00 p.m. The proposed regulation
changes were developed in response to numerous complaints from the angling public about widespread illegal snagging of
trout and salmon. If the proposal is enacted, changes in regulations will take effect October 1, 2002.
A panel of 17 expert fishermen was assembled to advise DEC on issues in the Salmon river and Oswego River fisheries. The
panel was comprised of area guides, and other anglers with extensive experience but no commercial interests in the fishery.
Panel members were longtime residents of the area or individuals who had fished there for many years. Many of the panel
members also have extensive experience fishing for salmon and steelhead on many other Lake Ontario tributaries and in the
Pacific Northwest.
The goal was to develop a regulations package that would allow DEC law enforcement personnel to be more effective in
curtailing illegal snagging while impacting legitimate fishing opportunity as little as possible. Panel members were asked to
identify the major problems with the fishery and to suggest possible solutions that would result in more opportunities for
legitimate angling. The panel identified 3 major issues: snagging with J-Plug type lures, the use of rigs with weight below the
hook to snag fish, and the use of long leaders to snag fish with a technique known as "lining". These observations mirrored
complaints that DEC has received from the general public.
Tackle restrictions that would curtail snagging with J-plug type lures and weight below the hook rigs were recommended
unanimously. As a result, the proposed regulations will require that floating lures have the hook(s) attached to the lure body by
ring or swivel such that the hook(s) are free swinging and the maximum distance between the lure body and hook point(s) is
one and one half inches. Floating lures will be restricted to one hook point on the smaller tributaries in Cayuga and Oswego
Counties from September 1 through March 31 and on the Salmon River from August 15 through October 31. Treble hooks will
be allowed on floating lures at all times on the Oswego River. The use of weight below the hook will also be prohibited under
the current proposal.
The Panel did not reach a consensus on the"long leader" issue but an overwhelming majority of the panel members
recommended that the distance between the terminal tackle (bait, lure or fly) and any added weight should be no more than 4
feet (a maximum leader length of 4 feet). The proposal will include the stipulation that the distance between the terminal tackle(bait, lure or fly) and any added weight be no more than 4 feet, and will apply to all Lake Ontario tributaries in Region 7.
Some advocates of fishing with a long length (often 8 to 10 feet) of leader between the terminal tackle and added weight, which
are often fished with small flies, light lines, and very sharp hooks suggest that fish are biting the flies and are legally and
ethically caught. This technique does not involve the use of heavy weights or constant jerking of the rod but sometimes
involves a single lifting motion at the end of a drift. An overwhelming majority of our panel, many of whom have used long leaders, suggested that the long leaders are extremely conducive to foul hooking fish and that the technique could easily be abused to illegally snag fish.
The requirements that hooks be attached to floating lures with a ring or a swivel, and that the distance between the terminal
tackle and any attached weight cannot exceed four feet have also been proposed for Great Lakes tributaries outside Region 7.
However, the requirement for a single hook point on floating lures and the prohibition of weight below the hook are not includedin proposals for those Regions.
The purpose of the August 14 meeting at the BOCES in Mexico is to provide information about the proposed regulation and to
receive public input on the proposal. <-------
4 foot is to small, hardly ever use that length unless the river is really high and clouded etc...
Michigan has no reg on leader length but does on hook gap size and no weight below the lure, fly or bait. Have to check again since some things are changing this year.
NEW YORK STATE DEPARTMENT OF ENVIRONMENTAL CONSERVATION
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
For More Information Contact: Leslie R. Wedge, Fisheries Manager
NYSDEC - Region 7
1285 Fisher Avenue
Cortland, NY 13045-1090
607-753-3095, ext. 212
The New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) will conduct a public meeting to review proposed
changes in fishing regulations for Lake Ontario tributaries in Region 7 (Cayuga and Oswego Counties) at the Oswego County
BOCES located just west of Mexico on County Route 64 on August 14 from 7:00 to 9:00 p.m. The proposed regulation
changes were developed in response to numerous complaints from the angling public about widespread illegal snagging of
trout and salmon. If the proposal is enacted, changes in regulations will take effect October 1, 2002.
A panel of 17 expert fishermen was assembled to advise DEC on issues in the Salmon river and Oswego River fisheries. The
panel was comprised of area guides, and other anglers with extensive experience but no commercial interests in the fishery.
Panel members were longtime residents of the area or individuals who had fished there for many years. Many of the panel
members also have extensive experience fishing for salmon and steelhead on many other Lake Ontario tributaries and in the
Pacific Northwest.
The goal was to develop a regulations package that would allow DEC law enforcement personnel to be more effective in
curtailing illegal snagging while impacting legitimate fishing opportunity as little as possible. Panel members were asked to
identify the major problems with the fishery and to suggest possible solutions that would result in more opportunities for
legitimate angling. The panel identified 3 major issues: snagging with J-Plug type lures, the use of rigs with weight below the
hook to snag fish, and the use of long leaders to snag fish with a technique known as "lining". These observations mirrored
complaints that DEC has received from the general public.
Tackle restrictions that would curtail snagging with J-plug type lures and weight below the hook rigs were recommended
unanimously. As a result, the proposed regulations will require that floating lures have the hook(s) attached to the lure body by
ring or swivel such that the hook(s) are free swinging and the maximum distance between the lure body and hook point(s) is
one and one half inches. Floating lures will be restricted to one hook point on the smaller tributaries in Cayuga and Oswego
Counties from September 1 through March 31 and on the Salmon River from August 15 through October 31. Treble hooks will
be allowed on floating lures at all times on the Oswego River. The use of weight below the hook will also be prohibited under
the current proposal.
The Panel did not reach a consensus on the"long leader" issue but an overwhelming majority of the panel members
recommended that the distance between the terminal tackle (bait, lure or fly) and any added weight should be no more than 4
feet (a maximum leader length of 4 feet). The proposal will include the stipulation that the distance between the terminal tackle(bait, lure or fly) and any added weight be no more than 4 feet, and will apply to all Lake Ontario tributaries in Region 7.
Some advocates of fishing with a long length (often 8 to 10 feet) of leader between the terminal tackle and added weight, which
are often fished with small flies, light lines, and very sharp hooks suggest that fish are biting the flies and are legally and
ethically caught. This technique does not involve the use of heavy weights or constant jerking of the rod but sometimes
involves a single lifting motion at the end of a drift. An overwhelming majority of our panel, many of whom have used long leaders, suggested that the long leaders are extremely conducive to foul hooking fish and that the technique could easily be abused to illegally snag fish.
The requirements that hooks be attached to floating lures with a ring or a swivel, and that the distance between the terminal
tackle and any attached weight cannot exceed four feet have also been proposed for Great Lakes tributaries outside Region 7.
However, the requirement for a single hook point on floating lures and the prohibition of weight below the hook are not includedin proposals for those Regions.
The purpose of the August 14 meeting at the BOCES in Mexico is to provide information about the proposed regulation and to
receive public input on the proposal. <-------