Rule about being hooked in the mouth...

[StockOption]

...does this only apply to fish that are caught while sight fishing only?

I'm wondering what is the rule that caused Grigsby to have to release his 9lb fish today on the Delta?

[Steve Ericksen]

I recall a recent post saying this rule now extended to all fish being weighed in, regardless of them being site-fish.

I can't find the post in the search history, any one remember this????

[bahlzar]

I believe he snagged it in the head with a crankbait..

[R watts]

If I'm not mistaken this rule has been on the books for sime time, I think it is 1.05 DFG regs, that says fish must be hooked inside the mouth. Korny went over the regs at the last tournament and explained that if your crank bait or any other bait is hooked outside the mouth, which does happen from time to time, that that fish is not legal. Korny explained that this is for all fish and not just bed fish.

[BigBossMan]

Fish and Game code 15. "Angling" means the taking of, or attempting to take, fish by
hook and line with the line held in the hand, or by hook and line
with the line attached to a pole or rod which is closely attended or
held in the hand in such a manner that the fish voluntarily takes the
bait or lure in its mouth.

[kb]

It was a bed fish and was hooked from the outside of the mouth inside......wasn't a crankbait.

kb

[Doug Hodel]

I know that there has been a little bit of debate relating to this topic and I called the DFG today and talked to a Warden named Ken. I asked him the specifics regarding snagging and hooking in the mouth. He informed me that even if the fish is attacking the bait it must be hooked in the mouth, it can't be on the head, side of the face, etc. Here is the way the exact reg reads.

Article 1. Fishing
Methods and Gear
Restrictions
2.00. Fishing Methods--General.
(a) All fish may be taken only by angling with
one closely attended rod and line or one hand
line with not more than three hooks nor more
than three artificial lures (each lure may have
three hooks attached) attached thereto. Anglers
in possession of a valid two-rod stamp and
anglers under 16 years of age may use up to
two rods in lakes, reservoirs and the Colorado
River District. See District Trout, Salmon and
Special regulations for exceptions.
(b) Snagging is prohibited. Snagging is defined
as impaling or attempting to impale a fish in
any part of its body other than the mouth by
use of a hook, hooks, gaff, or other mechanical
implement. This definition does not include
activities otherwise authorized under these
regulations for the lawful use of a gaff, bow and
arrow, or spear.
(c) It is unlawful to kill, or retain in possession
any fish which has not voluntarily taken the bait
or artificial lure in its mouth. Any fish not taken
pursuant to these regulations, shall be released
immediately back into the water.

[Cooch]

This rule leaves a lot of grey room for mis-interpretation, huh?

(b) Snagging is prohibited. Snagging is defined
as impaling or attempting to impale a fish in
any part of its body other than the mouth by
use of a hook, hooks, gaff, or other mechanical
implement.

A bigger question here is, if you get sited by an officer, and take this to court, would it ever stand up? Say if yer tossing a topwater bait, the fish must clearly attempt to eat it, on his own accord. Technically speaking, it wouldn't matter if the hook is impaled on the outer portion of it's jaw. Clearly, biologically speaking, the outer portion of a fish's jaw, IS his mouth! I have no problem at all with fish foul hooked in the belly, dorsal, tail, back of the gill plate and such, turn em loose. But if that hook is anywhere forward and attached to a fishes jaw, whether it be inside or out, it's still impaled to it's mouth! I don't git it? Is that such a difficult thing to comprehend?

So I point blank ask, why the hell don't they just clearly state, if it's not "inside" of the fish's mouth, you must throw it back? As the rule reads now, I think we're making a bigger issue out of this than is the intent of the original "snagging" rule. Certainly though, if ya got a tournament org who has this specifically stated in their rules, which are more clearly defined than those of the State of California's DFG, and we're not just talking about sight fishing rules, ya gotta live with the BS rule if'n ya wanna compete in their events. All you Spook, popper and Rippen' fishermen, yer really screwed in these events!

[Doug Hodel]

I agree with you Cooch that we are making a bigger deal out of it than originally intended and I think with the Elite Series it really brought it to the attention to most of us.

I feel that if it is hooked in the mouth whether in or out it is hooked in the mouth. If a person uses common sense it can be figured out really quick whether the fish was attempting to eat the bait or just slapping at it.

[MrSkeeter]

let me throw another wrench into the works here ... how many times have you seen, when cranking or ripping a big stickbait, that the fish originally hits the bait's belly hook (you can see teeth marks on the belly side) and during the fight, the fish works the bait's belly hook out and is now only hooked with the bait's tail hook in the fishs' belly or onto the gill plate. Is that then considered an illegal fish??

[Cooch]

MrSkeeter,

In the past, one would not have thought twice about keeping that as a legal fish. But in accordance with this rule that has been exposed, it is an illegally caught fish and must be returned.

[bryanmc]

(c) It is unlawful to kill, or retain in possession
any fish which has not voluntarily taken the bait
or artificial lure in its mouth. Any fish not taken
pursuant to these regulations, shall be released
immediately back into the water.

Maybe I'm oversimplifying here but.... Could someone please point out the word HOOK in the above quote from the regulations? It says it has to have "voluntarily taken the LURE" in it's mouth. If a fish trys to choke down your rof 5 hudd nose first and the belly hook catches her under the jaw how could she not be legal according to the statute? She DID take the LURE VOLUNTARILY INTO HER MOUTH.. Seems like some orgs are substituting the word HOOK for LURE without thinking. I think folks need to stop changing the words in the regs and just read them with some common sense.

[shifterpilot2001]

The snagging section that Cooch sited says it all..... in any part other than it's mouth.....regardles of what a DFG representative says....as far as the State is concerned, per the verbage, you can legally keep it if its hooked from outside in, which happens a bit...

this remends me of the thread on Trolling.... or dragging as most call it..... it's still trolling....and most do it.....like a man said once here... he will continue to do it, and will continue to take everyone's money doing it.... lol...

I myself, will keep any fish that is hooked in the MOUTH-LIPS, be it inside or out...as Doug said, you can tell if it was trying to eat the bait... and thats all I need to justify keeping it...

Man.... I wonder when California is going to try and dictate what kind of paper I wipe my *** with ???


Mike Conser

[Kentuck]

I finally took the time to watch the BASS Clear Lake Shoot out and all I can say is this rule is full of it. Ranks right up there with the 4-fish rule they hit us with a couple of years ago. We all know this law was mainly for salmon fisherman. Stinking DFG is giving us CA folks a bad rep again. What do you think those good ol' boys back east were thinking when Kennedy let those big fish go that were hooked on the outside of the lip? Those fish voluntarily hit that bait. He should have been able to keep them.

[Bob Simard]

But I've been wondering what that picture was of. That is absolutely histerical. I wish I'd thought of it! Killer. Thanks for it - now that it's bigger and I can see it, I'm stealing it!

[Jon]

The west coast still smoked anythng from the east coast. And, that includes letting go what might have been wrong caught fish, according to regs. Were it not for that stupid 4 fish limit interpritation a few years back Sieg would have crushed that record a few years ago. Be it FLW or BASS.
Jon