It’s snagging season in Colorado for kokanee salmon. Snagging, the act of hooking a fish without bait, is legal during certain periods of the year in Colorado to help control carcass litter. As the salmon spawn in the fall, they slowly die. Therefore the point of snagging this kind of salmon, is to catch it while the fish is still fresh, thus eliminating the possibility of this waste in our streams and rivers. According to Examiner.com, “Take care, however, when you do snag a kokanee, to look over the fish for large white spots. These are signs that the fish is in the more advanced stages of its death and has actually already begun to rot.” During the spawning run, anglers can take ten salmon per day with twenty in possession.
The following is a 2009 list of snagging dates for kokanee salmon:
- Beaver Creek- Oct. 1 through Dec. 31
- Blue Mesa Reservoir- Nov. 1 through Dec. 31
- Blue River (from Green Mountain Reservoir to first Hwy 9 bridge)- Sept. 1 through Dec. 31
- Cheesman Reservoir- Sept. 1 through Dec. 31
- Clear Creek (Chaffee County)- Oct. 1 through Dec. 31
- Crystal Reservoir- Sept. 1 through Dec. 31
- Elevenmile Reservoir (E. of inlet buoy line)- Oct. 1 through Dec. 31
- Green Mountain Reservoir- Sept. 1 through Dec. 31
- Grimes Creek (from water line of Vallecito Reservoir upstream)- Nov. 15 through Dec. 31
- Gross Reservoir- Sept. 1 through Jan. 31
- From East and Taylor rivers down to Blue Mesa- Nov. 1 through Dec. 31
- From Blue Mesa Dam to Morrow Point Dam- Sept. 1 through Dec. 31
- Morrow Point Dam to Crystal Reservoir- Sept. 1 through Dec. 31
- Granby Reservoir (excludes Columbine Bay) – Sept 1 through Dec. 31
- McPhee Reservoir- Sept. 1 through Dec. 31
- Morrow Point Reservoir- Sept 1 through Dec. 31
- Navajo Reservoir (mooring cove)- Sept. 1 through Jan. 31
- Ridgway Reservoir- Sept.1 through Dec. 31
- Taylor Reservoir- Sept. 1 through Dec. 31
- Uncompahgre River (from Road 23 bridge down to Ridgway Reservoir)- Sept. 1 through Dec. 31
- Vallecito Creek (from Weminuche Wilderness down to the road 501 bridge)- Nov. 15 to Dec. 31
- Williams Fork Reservoir- Sept. 1 through Dec. 31
Source: Associated Content Inc. article