Ask Fish and Game
idfg-staff
Q. I heard the salmon rules on snagging were changed. Is it true?
A. Yes. It has been illegal to snag salmon for a long time, but up until now if they were hooked in the head, it was accepted. The new rule is that it is only legal to keep a salmon if it was hooked in the mouth or jaw. In other words, if that salmon did not actually bite that hook, you cannot keep it.