Report back on using Eel Skin in a Fly

All about flies Fly Tying
1

Just to be sure, I checked with the Idaho DNR about utilizing dried eel skin in a pattern and fishing in “Fly fishing only” water.
I got this response today:

"From: Parrish,David Sent: Monday, April 08, 2013 11:24 AM
To: IDFGINFO
Cc: Wooten,Greg
Subject: RE: WEB SITE - email

Byron,

In ?fly-fishing? only waters, you cannot use fish, fish parts, or other organic matter as part of your fly pattern. Therefore, dried eel skin would be illegal in a ?fly-fishing, only? water.

I understand the eel skin is more for presentation rather than an attractant, but current rules prohibit bait in fly-fishing only waters. Eel skin falls under the definition of bait.

Dave Parrish
Sport Fishing Program Coordinator

2

Thanks for that, Byron. Thin Skin for Idaho… :cool:

Cheers,
Hans W

3

In the Parrish’s response the official states “…or other organic matter as part of your fly pattern.” All furs and feathers are organic matter! That means that only synthetic materials in Idaho flies? I think that someone is misinterpreting the regulations :wink:

M

4

Personally, I can’t imagine using eel skin because it just sounds creepy. Regardless, when I read the response from Mr. Parrish I had the same thought as you did. Where the heck does he think ‘skins’, ‘furs’, ‘deer, moose, elk, etc. hair’, ‘hackle’, ‘maribou’, all sorts of feathers come from? A mixing vat/extrusion devise in some chemical plant! Maybe the Idaho DNR needs to have the word “organic” defined for it? What a ridiculous, yet typical governmental response.

5

Dave Parrish is correct.

Idaho regulations on pg. 50 state:

[i]Artificial Lure: Any device made entirely of rubber, wood, metal, glass, feather, fiber, or plastic with hook or hooks attached. Bait of any kind may not be used with artificial lures when fishing artificial flies and lures-only waters.

Bait: Organic substances, other than rubber, wood feather, fiber, or plastic, attached to a hook to attract fish. Bait includes insects, insect larvae, worms, dead fish, fish parts, any other animal or vegetable matter, or scented synthetic materials.[/i]

http://fishandgame.idaho.gov/public/fish/rules/seasonsRules.pdf

My home state of Wisconsin fishing regulations state that:

“Artificial lure means a spoon, spinner, plug or other fish bait made of hair, feathers, cork, wood, rubber, metal, plastic or other synthetic materials, or combinations of these materials. An ‘artificial lure’ may not include natural or organic food stuffs such as corn, marshmallows, dough, cheese, meat, living or dead organisms or parts thereof, except hair, feathers, cork, wood and rubber.”

Eel skin would be illegal under the Wisconsin regulations also.

http://dnr.wi.gov/topic/fishing/documents/regulations/TroutRegsText1314.pdf

6

Per Silver’s links:
So I could fish a hair bug of some sort, but not a zonker…

7

…or a piece of rabbit leather for a mouse tail…

They may not have gotten the best person to write the regs…

But AK is goofy too… they have a problem with beads used to tie flies unless the bead is ON the shaft of the hook. Many flies use beads attached on various outriggers or the articulation line on large flies…

8

In Idaho “fiber” may (?) be considered as hair/fur. “Hair” is OK Wisconsin. But is hair/fur on a strip OK? Probably since they don’t give citations for zonkers.

It is hard to cover all the possible permutations.

In Wisconsin, regulation changes are complicated by the Conservations Congress, which is an advisory group of sportspersons. There is an annual spring meeting in every county to ask for an advisoty vote on the proposed changes.

Here is the 71 page document for this years fishing regulation proposed changes. Fortunately we get a summary to vote on. There are also proposed hunting regulations changes that also need to be voted on.

http://dnr.wi.gov/about/wcc/Documents/spring_hearing/2013/FH-18-12.pdf

9

The Idaho regulation included feathers but not hair or skin. So to strictly obey the regulation, no deer, calf, moose or elk material on the flies to be used in the fly fishing only areas in Idaho. I understand the attempt to limit the use of baits. However, the writings of the regulations are far from beeing decent…
The definition of artificial fly form the 2012-15 Fishing Seasons and Rules of Idaho

“Artificial Fly:Any fly made entirely of rubber, wood, metal,glass, feather, fiber or plastic by the method known as fly tying.”

10

A few observations both Theoretical and Realistic:

  1. ‘T’ - The eel-skin is not “attached to a hook to attract fish”. It is part of the make-up of the overall fly. If “attract fish” is going to be the criteria, then any fly, or lure for that matter, would be prohibited.
  2. ‘T’ - As stated by others, if a piece of skin is not permitted, then zonkers, mice with tails and similar flies would be prohibited.
  3. ‘R’ - Is anyone really going to inspect a fly for its components?
  4. ‘R’ - Other then the fly tyer, who will know that the fly has an ‘illegal’ component.

Many states need to improve the knowledge of the people writing many of these regulations and the daffynitions they use.

11

I don’t see why and eel skin would be any different from a Zonker strip. Also, Swiss Straw is organic. Under those criteria, any fly with Swiss Straw would be illegal. And what about dubbing? Fur? Fibers are individual filaments, so fur and dubbing would not qualify. Fibers would be like micro-fibbets, or boar bristles.

What a dumb law. I would write my elected officials and get them to change it.

12

I have to admit that the NYS fishing regulations include 2 decent ‘definitions’ insofar as they relate to the initial topic of this thread or at least the part about ‘eelskin’:

1)Natural bait means all baits which entice or might be ingested or swallowed by fish including, but not limited to, fish (dead or alive), fish eggs, worms, shellfish, crustacea, amphibians (salamanders, frogs and toads), insects (including all stages of development such as larvae, pupae, etc.), pork rinds, liver, meat, corn or other vegetable matter, tapioca, candy, cheese, bread and putty or dough-like scented baits.

2)Artificial fly means a hook with no more than two points dressed with feathers, hair, thread, tinsel or any similar material to which no additional hooks, spinners, spoons or similar devices have been added.

I believe when a reasonable person, i.e. state game official, applies these 2 definitions to a fly (as we think of one) tyed with an eelskin shellback, although perhaps personally distasteful (no pun intended), he/she will conclude that that fly is perfectly legal.

13

I will give my next meager paycheck to any Fish Cop who could positively identify EEL SKIN as a component material of a fly if/when a fly is examined with no foreknowledge of what said Fish Cop is looking at.

14

When I read some of these regs that have been posted, I get the impression that if a person is using a Mepps Spinner in “Artificial flies only” areas, they will be legal?!! Give me a break!

15

Warren,
That is correct, actually. I was fishing the Ranch of the Henry’s Fork last summer when a pickup pulled up (at the top of the Ranch pkg. lot) and this guy jumps out, comes down to the bank of the river and chucks a spinner all the way across and starts reeling in as fast as he could…

He may well have been “legal”.

16

Sometimes in the last half century, eelskin wallets, belts, etc., were in vogue. If it’s the same stuff there should be some hanging out at thrift stores and in the backs of closets waiting to be repurposed. I remember the wallets cause problems with credit card strips, or that was the story going around.