chewydog,

Since the petition was directed to the New Hampshire DF&G, the term "traditional fly fishing" is to be understood in the NH context supported by the (hopefully) unambiguous definition. Given that I clearly defined "Traditional Fly Fishing" as:

"Traditional Fly Fishing - A technique for fishing where the weight of the line is used to cast a very light-weight fly that would not be heavy enough to be cast with a spinning or casting rod. No additional weight may be affixed to fly, leader, or line. The line shall be either a floating fly line, or an intermediate fly line with a sink rate of less than one inch per second, to which a leader of Nylon or silkworm gut is affixed. The rod shall be one designed for fly fishing and the reel shall be a single-action fly reel. The fly shall conform to the definition of Artificial Fly for Traditional Fly Fishing (above). No more than three such flies individually attached to the leader may be used. Dropper flies must be attached to the leader by Nylon or silkworm gut droppers no less than eighteen inches apart."

I think there is little room for misunderstanding the definition above; it should pass the "substantive due process" test.

What is traditional may also vary by local - a chair made by a PA craftsman in 1720 might be an Eastern standard for an "antique", and a Sears & Roebuck Golden Oak Bureau shipped west in 1930 may be an antique by Manitoba standards; neither is wrong. What is a fishing tradition in MT may never have been practiced in NY; and the converse.

BTW, the first line of my definition was taken almost verbatim from the Federation of Fly Fishers' glossary -

"Fly fishing: A technique for fishing where the weight of the line is used to cast a very light weight fly that would not be heavy enough to be cast with a conventional spinning or casting rod.

Fly: An imitation of a fish food item, traditionally very light and made of hair, feathers and thread tied to a hook. Modern flies have many synthetic materials and often include lead to help them sink." see http://www.fedflyfishers.org/Default.aspx?tabid=4447

Note *their* use of the word "traditionally."

Thanks.

Best regards,
Reed
http://www.overmywaders.com/


The Contemplative Angler (Blog)