Is It Legal?

[ozark trout fisher]

I have two questions regarding the legality of different fishing methods at Montauk.

1. Is it legal to wade out in the fly area with bait rigged on, and cast below the dam where bait is legal? I can't imagine it is, but I saw several people doing it last weekend. I thought about saying something to them, but since I wasn't 100& sure, I chose not to.

2. Is it legal to spin fish with marabou jigs in the C&r area?

I was pretty sure marabou jigs were considered flies. So I used them to catch trout up there in the catch and release area, but I got yelled at by someone telling me that it was fly fishing only, and that I'd better not be using my spinning rod. He threatened to report me even after I explained that I was pretty sure I was legal, but I don't think he actually did, as I saw him go in the opposite direction of the hatchery office... In any case, I continued to spin fish for several more hours there, and I didn't get any visits by a conservation agent.

I think I'm in the right on this one, as I checked the regulations twice before I did it.

[KCRIVERRAT]

Maribou jig is a single hook fly, whether it's on a fly or spinning rod. Think you're O.K.

[ozark trout fisher]

Maribou jig is a single hook fly, whether it's on a fly or spinning rod. Think you're O.K.

Glad to hear it. I understand some fly fisherman being upset by me using a spinning rod in a traditional fly fishing area, but I feel it is my right as long as I stay in the law. A few weeks ago I would have wished that fly only areas didn't exist at all. But after a couple of trips to Montauk experiencing the rudeness of some in the bait area, I definitely want to keep those fly/artificial only areas.

I really like the C&R area. Heck, one kinda clueless lady asked me when I was there if I was fishing in the hatchery, which is I guess a reasonable mistake based on the number of fish in the Catch and Release Area at Montauk.

You can't hardly make a cast without hitting one, but yet they still managed to be pretty hard to catch.

[Randall]

Without doing any research, I'd say that wading in the fly area and casting in the bait area would be legal up until you got the fish into the fly only area. This really could go on for a while, but suffice it to say that a person fishing bait in the bait area while standing in the fly area is probably going to be okay.

As far as what you can use to be considered a "fly", pretty much anything with one hook point that is not natural, scented, or soft plastic is legal. If you wanted to fish a rapala with the trebles removed and a single hook put on it, you could.

[zsmith62]

As far as what you can use to be considered a "fly", pretty much anything with one hook point that is not natural, scented, or soft plastic is legal. If you wanted to fish a rapala with the trebles removed and a single hook put on it, you could.

I believe the first part of that statement is true, however, simply replacing the trebles with a single hook on a jerkbait would NOT be legal in the fly zone. MDC's definition of a fly is "An artificial lure constucted on a single-point hook, using any material except soft plastic bait and natural and scented bait that is tied, glued or otherwise permanently attached."

So, by that definition, given by the conservation department, your jigs would indeed be legal...of course you could always learn to fly fish...

[ozark trout fisher]

I believe the first part of that statement is true, however, simply replacing the trebles with a single hook on a jerkbait would NOT be legal in the fly zone. MDC's definition of a fly is "An artificial lure constucted on a single-point hook, using any material except soft plastic bait and natural and scented bait that is tied, glued or otherwise permanently attached."

So, by that definition, given by the conservation department, your jigs would indeed be legal...of course you could always learn to fly fish...

Yeah, thats how I understand it as well. It seems kinda silly to me that a single hooked rooster tail spinner with a couple of feathers, or a marabou jig IS legal, but a single hooked crankbait isn't. Oh well.

As for casting bait from the fly fishing area into the bait area, it might be legal, but why do it? I say if you do that kinda thing you are just asking for trouble. There are some many places to fish bait in the park where you aren't inviting trouble, so why cast from there? Why not just fish from below the dam instead from above it? That way you are not in any kind of legal gray area.

And of course I could learn to fly fish, but the jigs seem to be working just fine now.

[tippett7]

You could always use jigs with a fly rod. I think if you learned a fly rod you would throw that spin rod away.

[FishinCricket]

You could always use jigs with a fly rod. I think if you learned a fly rod you would throw that spin rod away.

Not exactly... I have been practicing and learning with my fly rod, but the action I have been making for years with my ultralight an a small maribou is impossible (so far) to duplicate with a fly rod.. And that's not even mentioning strike indicators (or as I call them, bobbers), which essentially takes the rod out of the equation. Go to bennetts fly area and you will see 90% of fly rods have strike indicators attached. I ain't knockin the method, just calling it what it is. Right?

[Zack Hoyt]

What action are you talking about cricket? I have been able to make far more action and direction changes with my fly rod than with a spincast.

[bigdub]

I agree with Cricket, I can't get the action I want with a jig on a flyrod without using a indicator(BOBBER) LOL and suspending and twitching it or using choppy water!! I am no pro fly fisherman by any stretch of the imagination and haven't practice the this technique a great deal, but I just can't feel the strikes or get a good action on the jig!!