Pegging beads...more controversial than pineapple on pizza???

[cdevine]

Awesome you are getting out so much even with the numbing cold and trying different things. Tough to not revert back to what is working. Weird on the gas thing. Did you notice your gauge lower or was there visible signs? If somebody's in a bind it's easier to ask for help I would think. But if you are siphoning gas you probably have some other issues.

[Gregg]

Yea, it was just under 1/2 tank when I parked it and totally empty when I got back in. Obvious fingerprint smudges on the tank door through the road grime. If someone's in a spot I'd always throw them a few bucks, but like you said, person probably has other issues. Will just be watching a bit closer...

[amoeba]

I'm OK with beads...pineapple on pizza, however, is just plain wrong.

[Steve S]

Why not be consistent and peg all your flies?!

[John Sv]

A few years back there was a company that tried to develop that basically. Tiny hook that was set away from the fly if memory serves. Mofflet? Something like that.

[amoeba]

Why not be consistent and peg all your flies?!

I'm OK with that if it works. Does it?

[hwchubb]

I don’t fish pegged eggs simply because the idea never appealed to me - which, along with my insistence on the swing fly, probably explains my empty 2017 steelhead card... But the arguments here that a closely pegged egg result in hookups in the mouth do seem to make sense.

That said, I’d rather spend my time arguing with those that would take our water, gut the clean water regs, etc. I worry that pegged eggs vs traditional flies, bobber vs swung, gear vs fly, and other arguments are going to divide and conquer, and ultimately play into the hands of those who would gain at the expense of all of us who enjoy the outdoors. We all have a common interest in the larger picture...

[Dragking]

So are you saying fishing a bead is illegal and you can be cited/fined in CA? Fishing a bead is snagging and its also not a fly. That Artificial Fly definition stated above is certainly subject to interpretation especially with synthetic materials now part of the game.

My question then becomes has anybody been cited or know of anybody who has been cited/fined for fishing this method? If I have a little time to kill I'm going to try and call and get an answer. I'm more curious than anything. Certainly don't want anybody to get in trouble.

I fish beads and Boles Bazooka-style eggs occasionally for fall run steelhead (typically in buckets behind active salmon redds) and for winter steelhead. About a month ago there was a warden pulling people over on the Trinity, checking licenses, cards, flies, etc. I was running a bead pegged about a pinky finger's length from a small, barbless egg hook. (For what it's worth, I've never had any issues with bad/deep hooks using this method.) The warden looked at the barb and that's all. Just my experience with one warden...not saying this CDFW policy or anything.

If memory serves, a few years back CDFW was soliciting comments/feedback on regs to prohibit flossing, and I think the idea was to prohibit lining fish but not necessarily use of beads. Maybe not, I can't remember.

[cdevine]

Good feedback. It certainly has a shade of gray to it but I can't find anything that says its illegal nor has anybody told of an experience that he/she knows of somebody actually being cited/fined in the state of CA. My experience has been wardens are very strict when it comes to crimping barbs. And they should be.

[k9mark]

Food for thought here. If we know that certain egg patterns can be taken to deep causing injury or mortality in fish, why fish it? If we know pegged eggs can hook a fish outside the mouth possibly causing injury to the eye, why fish it? Interestingly, if we look at the following reg as mentioned earlier it states;

"Article 1. 2.00 (b) b) Snagging is prohibited. Snagging is defined as impaling or attempting to impale a fish in any part of its body other than inside the mouth by use of a hook, hooks, gaff , or other mechanical implement."

"(c) It is unlawful to kill, or retain in possession any fish which has not voluntarily taken the bait or artificial lure inside its mouth."

In reading this reg we clearly see snagging is a prohibited act. No question there obviously. It further defines it as " impaling or attempting to impale a fish in any part of its body other than inside the mouth". We know that pegged eggs can do this.

The rub here is the DFW has bigger "Fish to fry" than worrying about this. But the reg is clear and if I had to take this into court, I feel quite confident I would garner a conviction re: pegged eggs.