Snagging

Until about fifteen years ago, I thought a snag was something that happened to my nylons, nice sweaters, and blouses. A snag was something that always made me frown and probably say something not accepted in good company. Snags can be caused by rough fingernails a lot. I have gotten snags in my clothing by rough grasses and children’s toys. Once in awhile a snag can be repaired. It seldom looks like new, however, but I have been successful at times. In the fifties and sixties I have heard the “snag” called a “run” in hosiery. We fixed a beginning of a run with clear fingernail polish. That was a trick too when taking them off the polish stuck to your leg and if you weren’t careful, it really hurt.ll when I was about fifty years old, I learned another form of snag. I had often heard of a fisherman complaining about getting snags in a river especially, they break the line. Snags are usually old limbs that float and sometimes cannot be seen.

The official Snagging is fishing for Paddle Fish or Spoonbill fish. These fish are huge. The fisherman does not use bait. He uses very heavy weights and treble hooks. These “snag” the fish because they do not come up to feed, they feed from the algae on the bottom of the river. This gunk is filtered by their gills. These fish are prehistoric leftovers. Fishermen think that they are absolutely beautiful because they are so big. It is nothing for a guy to have to put them over the top of his truck to get it home to dress it out. I have seen them about five feet long; they have to be over twenty four inches long to keep them.

The season for them is March 15 through April 30th. During that time there is a lot of bragging and complaining. The complaining is that it is too cold (I have seen ice on the fishing line), it is too hot (lots of sunburn in April, like yesterday) and of course, no results from all the work they have to go through. It is a constant cast and reel in. The poles are huge and of course, the weights are very heavy. My son told me last night that it was not very fun. They got no fish that they could keep plus he had a terrible sunburn. I have a feeling that Fran will be not having company for Snagging again!
By the way the appropriate term for this kind of fishing down here is "Snaggin'"!