snagging

OK, guys. I am wanting to try something new. Now before you start giving me grief for asking about snagging in the spillway, let me say that there was a time I thought having more than one hook in the water at a time wasn't really fishing. Now I spider rig and pull cranks as well. My Dad still thinks that isn't really fishing......... anyway, snagging? How do you do it. When is the best time? How cold does it needto be. Is night really better than day? How do you rig your tackle? Give me a crash course.

I did it when I was younger, before the weir was installed at Sardis lower lake. It's work.
Check state rules. Check spillway rules. Some restrictions on hook size and style.

I thought snagging was illegal?

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Originally Posted by Big Smooth

I thought snagging was illegal?

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Not in the spillways.

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Originally Posted by Big Smooth

I thought snagging was illegal?

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Nope, actually snagging season rite now unless things have changed.
Spillway needs to be running up even with the flats below the walkway at Nader. Needs to have been on for a few days and the colder the better. They will school up in a eddie up against the rocks. Used to use a spinning reel combo with a lite action rod and fast retrieve reel. Cast out let it sink down and slo retrieve, when you feel the fish a quick turn of the reel will do the trick.
that's old school, now they use long jig poles and never cast, just sling it out with 12 or 15 foot of line out, feel the fesh and set the hook.

Keeping snagged fish is now permitted year round in the spillways. The actual "snagging season" with no more than 2 single hooks no larger than #2 (no treble hooks) is Dec.1 thru the end of February.. The Regulation is F12-3428 at MDWFP web site.

Nights are better because it generally gets coldest at night, less pressure, etc. most times the fish are schooled up and they will run up on the rocks for a few minutes and then back out. If the guys beside you are catching fish and you are not, your not doing it right. Just watch them and ask questions. U will figure it out. The fish have to be there though. When the conditions are right alot of fish will get pulled thru the spillway and that's when it's time to go. Lake has got to be low, spillway on, and cold. Which most times that's January and February here. As far as sport goes, it was harder for me to learn how to snag as it was to spider rig. Alot of fish will bite when your snagging as well so put u a skirt on there.

I'm glad to see somebody else asking about this. I tried it last year for the first time, and I never landed a single fish. It is, in my opinion, much harder to learn how to snag than any other type of fishing I have tried. I'm going to give it another try because I hate being beat by something and because I've seen folks pulling out some big fish snagging.

Some look down on snagging but as long as its legal I really don't see where its any of their business what you do.
Once you get it down you will have it, sometimes its being in the rite place at the rite time.

You have to be standing on the right rock to get them sometimes. I don't care for it but it's legal, so have at it.