FG

[Redrebel]

I ran up to flaming gorge again. I fished a couple of days. The Kokanee were easy to find for some people and others were striking out. I didn’t hear of anyone catching a large lake trout. The biggest I pulled on board was 7 pounds. Not exactly what I was looking for. I was talking to someone who fishes up there a lot, and he said there was a turnover in the lake and that could be affecting the lake trout. 
They did fill in the holes at the bottom of the Lucerne ramp. That was appreciated. The only big downside was the wind, and I did have a couple of gentlemen that waved so nicely as they crossed over my stern  with their downriggers at 90 feet and decided to pull my two steel lines. Over 45 minutes later and me driving to another spot to get away from them was really a difficult thing to overcome because it was in the prime time of morning fishing. I stayed positive and let it go. 
The three mornings that I was able to fish, I launched about an hour before sunrise, and it was such a peaceful, beautiful ride out of Lucerne to my spot. Osprey were flying overhead and vocalizing. Sometimes you just have to appreciate being out in nature.

[Jmorfish]

Sounds  like a pretty good trip overall..at Strawberry you'd expect to get your long lead lines crossed by other boats..even on weekdays during primetime fishing, but you wouldn't think there'd be any reason for it at the Gorge...good thing you could 'let it go'...I'll be up there soon enough, and hope I don't run into the same guy you did...but we're mostly short-lining off down riggers..guluk..

[TRUBBS]

ive unfortunately been guilty of catching others "long lines" with my DR's as well, thought I had plenty of room to go behind them.
its never fun for ether party, but atleast you were able to move on and try to have a decent day, so folks let it ruin the whole trip and let it trun into a screaming/yelling match like its done intentionally.

During the busy weekends, on the "hot spots" it gets busy and crowded and easy to get intermixed with others when doing the combat fishing.

[smokepoles]

Well, my experience has been that long lining is frowned upon at the gorge as if kokes in area there will be some concentration of boats. Best to keep the riggers short drop back.

[Redrebel]

Well, my experience has been that long lining is frowned upon at the gorge as if kokes in area there will be some concentration of boats.  Best to keep the riggers short drop back.

To those who don’t understand how the long lining works I get why they get frustrated. Long lining is the old-school way of doing things at the gorge and it’s frowned upon by those who became lazy with their presentation. I can easily get out of the way of Downrigger’s and they can easily get out of the way of me if you pay attention. There is a guide up there, who has been steel line fishing for nearly 30 years. I can say that getting called out in the middle of a sportsman’s expo presentation by Jared, and then him trying to dig himself out of a hole, Gave me a better perspective on his Outlook On steel line fishing.
To give you an example, Saturday morning, my first two runs. I had no boats in my area. On my third run, Jim came in with his charter and came right in the line that I was trying to run. trying to stay on specific structure is important when steel line fishing. He is a well respected guide, and I know exactly what area he was going to. I kindly adjusted and went to different structure and had a bite. I didn’t worry about him coming into the area or the other four boats that came and join me once I turned around. We all got around each other just fine. The gentleman that ran into my lines on Thursday when there was zero boats in the area and he was zigzagging all across swim beach. He wasn’t paying attention and I got vocal and told him to stop his boat and thank you for the extra work, pulled in my lines and I didn’t pull his balls off his downriggers  like I easily could have . Frowning upon another man’s way of fishing is looked down upon. You fish the way you want fish and I’ll fish the way I want to fish. 
Lastly, please explain the difference of a steel line coming off of a downrigger going down 90 feet and a steel line coming off of a fishing rod going down to 90 feet. The only difference is you have a heavier ball and you will go directly down. There’s still a piece of line going through a school of fish that will simply swim away and come back. Sometimes I think people overthink things.

[smokepoles]

Well, my experience has been that long lining is frowned upon at the gorge as if kokes in area there will be some concentration of boats.  Best to keep the riggers short drop back.

Frowning upon another man’s way of fishing is looked down upon. You fish the way you want fish and I’ll fish the way I want to fish. 
Lastly, please explain the difference of a steel line coming off of a downrigger going down 90 feet and a steel line coming off of a fishing rod going down to 90 feet.

Hey, I didn't say I had an issue with long lining.  However, there is indeed a big difference in how far from the boat a 90' deep long line carries away from boat vs a 90 foot deep downrigger ball with say 20' drop back to lure.  In any concentration of boats it can get problematic to keep your boat , or ensure others keep, far enough from the end of the long line that is at least a couple three hundred feet away.  In any case, I especially find irritating those single person boats on auto pilot that rely on everyone else getting out of their way. I will admit that although never caught up with another, I am likely guilty of cutting too close behind anyone that may have been long lining, and my apologies to them  

Also, Willard is a good example where long lining and side planers are widely used and i find that people generally allow more distance betweenn boats than at FG.

[Redrebel]

I think you’re missing the point. There was no concentration of boats. I’m not an idiot. On a busy Saturday in May where there’s maybe 20 boats in an area I will reel in my steel and put out Downrigger’s.
I’d like to give you another good example of when I was Koke fishing at Jordanelle .I turned a corner and another boat was coming in My starboard direction. It was 2knots and as I like to call it he had his support vessels ( planer boats) with him. They got tangled in my downrigger for a quick second while I had a double hook up on. That was a situation where two boats were trying to work around each other, and it was no big deal. fishing for Lake trout there should not be a boat 75 feet behind me. Not on swim Beach and not when there’s only two boats in the area.
Your Statement about boats on auto pilot is confusing. Any fishing vessel trolling in any given direction if they are on a straight heading, no one should go in their way. Can’t Two boats work together?
Sounds to me like you might have been one of the five boats that I dealt with the week prior when I was Koke fishing. I found the fish for everybody and everybody trampled on me. Boats were 30 feet in front of me when I was on the straight direct heading in my single boat on auto pilot

[Mildog]

Red Rebel you are spot on some people are just clueless!!
It’s frustrating when people don’t pay attn and don’t give plenty of room to others especially ones they are moving close to, that were there first , too boot then they see a net and virtually climb in the boat with you!
Sorry you had to deal with that on a day that wasn’t even crowded!

[smokepoles]

Redrebel and Mildpg, although I am an old fart, I am still learning, and l do my best to allow others to fish as they wish. You are correct that auto pilot on straight line is not any issue except when an area of concentrated boats all trying to avoid that auto and then going through the middle of fish as they see fit but with no concern when they start their track as to who was on track first, really impossible to tell, so all need to be flexible.

[Redrebel]

Redrebel and Mildpg, although I am an old fart, I am still learning, and l  do my best to allow others to fish as they wish.  You are correct that auto pilot on straight line is not any issue except when an area of concentrated boats all trying to avoid that auto and then going through the middle of fish as they see fit but with no concern when they start their track as to who was on track first, really impossible to tell, so all need to be flexible.

You said it best, all need to be flexible. Including myself.

[FishfulThinkin]

One thing that would help a lot is if everyone would know the laws of the lake by actually reading the boating laws and rules. When heading towards an oncoming boat, both boats should veer to the right and pass with a minimum of 150 feet. When crossing, the boat to the left has to yield to the boat to the right and when overtaking, you must be more than 150 feet to either side of the vessel you are passing. These laws apply whether trolling or cruising. I always try to correct course a long way ahead when trolling but I can't count the times that I adjust my course to the right as is the law and the oncoming vessel adjusts left and just keeps coming at me! This won't solve all our problems, but if every boater on the lake just followed these 3 laws it would make a big difference. 

https://issuu.com/utahrecreation/docs/dn...KAE9_zU1NQ

[BYUHunter]

Long-lining and side planers have their place, but as has been mentioned previously, a busy day for Kokes in May or June is not it.

If you're running planers or long lines when there are 50 boats in the area, the geometry does not work to where you will always be able to avoid problems.

But to be the only boat on the lake and have someone giving you a colonoscopy is ridiculous.

[Therapist]

RedRebel!! Back in the day I used to outfit guys going to the Gorge for Lakers. Penn 49M reels, Sabre 210 rods w/carbide guides, 120lb steel line, Berkley 210lb crosslock snapswivels, and Henlin T55 Flatfish. They also had to have spare treble hooks and split rings to replace the ones they pulled apart when they would hang up!! Didn't know anyone still fished that way!! What is your rig, as Penn no longer makes the 49M, Sabre is made in China, and Henlin is owned by Yakima and they don't make the T55 any more!!

[Fowl-Hook]

Well, my experience has been that long lining is frowned upon at the gorge as if kokes in area there will be some concentration of boats.  Best to keep the riggers short drop back.

To those who don’t understand how the long lining works I get why they get frustrated. Long lining is the old-school way of doing things at the gorge and it’s frowned upon by those who became lazy with their presentation. I can easily get out of the way of Downrigger’s and they can easily get out of the way of me if you pay attention. There is a guide up there, who has been steel line fishing for nearly 30 years. I can say that getting called out in the middle of a sportsman’s expo presentation by Jared, and then him trying to dig himself out of a hole, Gave me a better perspective on his Outlook On steel line fishing.
To give you an example, Saturday morning, my first two runs. I had no boats in my area. On my third run, Jim came in with his charter and came right in the line that I was trying to run. trying to stay on specific structure is important when steel line fishing. He is a well respected guide, and I know exactly what area he was going to. I kindly adjusted and went to different structure and had a bite. I didn’t worry about him coming into the area or the other four boats that came and join me once I turned around. We all got around each other just fine. The gentleman that ran into my lines on Thursday when there was zero boats in the area and he was zigzagging all across swim beach. He wasn’t paying attention and I got vocal and told him to stop his boat and thank you for the extra work, pulled in my lines and I didn’t pull his balls off his downriggers  like I easily could have . Frowning upon another man’s way of fishing is looked down upon. You fish the way you want fish and I’ll fish the way I want to fish. 
Lastly, please explain the difference of a steel line coming off of a downrigger going down 90 feet and a steel line coming off of a fishing rod going down to 90 feet. The only difference is you have a heavier ball and you will go directly down. There’s still a piece of line going through a school of fish that will simply swim away and come back. Sometimes I think people overthink things.

Most fisher people have no clue that long lining consume the entire water column from top to bottom 800ft behind the boat  using this method. This method was and is unpopular because it requires so much space that is no longer available at the George or anywhere else. Cut behind a long liner with down riggers and you will hang 125 lb steel cable and the contest begiins for each party to retrieve there gear first and start cutting cable to do so.

[Redrebel]

Well, my experience has been that long lining is frowned upon at the gorge as if kokes in area there will be some concentration of boats.  Best to keep the riggers short drop back.

To those who don’t understand how the long lining works I get why they get frustrated. Long lining is the old-school way of doing things at the gorge and it’s frowned upon by those who became lazy with their presentation. I can easily get out of the way of Downrigger’s and they can easily get out of the way of me if you pay attention. There is a guide up there, who has been steel line fishing for nearly 30 years. I can say that getting called out in the middle of a sportsman’s expo presentation by Jared, and then him trying to dig himself out of a hole, Gave me a better perspective on his Outlook On steel line fishing.
To give you an example, Saturday morning, my first two runs. I had no boats in my area. On my third run, Jim came in with his charter and came right in the line that I was trying to run. trying to stay on specific structure is important when steel line fishing. He is a well respected guide, and I know exactly what area he was going to. I kindly adjusted and went to different structure and had a bite. I didn’t worry about him coming into the area or the other four boats that came and join me once I turned around. We all got around each other just fine. The gentleman that ran into my lines on Thursday when there was zero boats in the area and he was zigzagging all across swim beach. He wasn’t paying attention and I got vocal and told him to stop his boat and thank you for the extra work, pulled in my lines and I didn’t pull his balls off his downriggers  like I easily could have . Frowning upon another man’s way of fishing is looked down upon. You fish the way you want fish and I’ll fish the way I want to fish. 
Lastly, please explain the difference of a steel line coming off of a downrigger going down 90 feet and a steel line coming off of a fishing rod going down to 90 feet. The only difference is you have a heavier ball and you will go directly down. There’s still a piece of line going through a school of fish that will simply swim away and come back. Sometimes I think people overthink things.

Most fisher people have no clue that long lining consume the entire water column from top to bottom 800ft behind the boat  using this method. This method was and is unpopular because it requires so much space that is no longer available at the George or anywhere else. Cut behind a long liner with down riggers and you will hang 125 lb steel cable and the contest begiins for each party to retrieve there gear first and start cutting cable to do so.

Dude, if I had 800 feet of line out I would respectfully say that you really have no idea how steel line fishing works at the gorge. At the most when I’m dragging I’m usually out maybe 175 feet maybe 250 if the wind is bad. Yes, I may take up more water column than a downrigger but if you usually wait about maybe 90 seconds you will pass my lines when you are going 1.5 miles an hour. I think it all comes down to respect on the water. I’m not perfect. I’ve made my mistakes, but it’s easy to avoid a steel line fisherman even if you are going after the kokes.

---

RedRebel!!  Back in the day I used to outfit guys going to the Gorge for Lakers. Penn 49M reels, Sabre 210 rods w/carbide guides, 120lb steel line, Berkley 210lb crosslock snapswivels, and Henlin T55 Flatfish.  They also had to have spare treble hooks and split rings to replace the ones they pulled apart when they would hang up!!  Didn't know anyone still fished that way!!  What is your rig, as  Penn no longer makes the 49M, Sabre is made in China, and Henlin is owned by Yakima and they don't make the T55 any more!!

I have two different rod set ups. One is an off the shelf Shimano Tallora And the other is a custom rod built by a gentleman here in Salt Lake. If anyone wants his information, I can get it to you. They run about 200 bucks. I prefer them over the Shimano because I can read what my plug is doing a little better. Both rods have a Okuma cold water line counter. It is designed for steel line and copper line. The guide has yet to wear out with a few years on each one. I run a 90 pound seven strand stainless line. I run flatfish from fifties to 60s. Only one Tail hook, larger split rings and I dress some of the hooks with tails of different colors. Yakima does make a bait that is close, but you do have to alter it slightly.

[Mildog]

Well, my experience has been that long lining is frowned upon at the gorge as if kokes in area there will be some concentration of boats.  Best to keep the riggers short drop back.

To those who don’t understand how the long lining works I get why they get frustrated. Long lining is the old-school way of doing things at the gorge and it’s frowned upon by those who became lazy with their presentation. I can easily get out of the way of Downrigger’s and they can easily get out of the way of me if you pay attention. There is a guide up there, who has been steel line fishing for nearly 30 years. I can say that getting called out in the middle of a sportsman’s expo presentation by Jared, and then him trying to dig himself out of a hole, Gave me a better perspective on his Outlook On steel line fishing.
To give you an example, Saturday morning, my first two runs. I had no boats in my area. On my third run, Jim came in with his charter and came right in the line that I was trying to run. trying to stay on specific structure is important when steel line fishing. He is a well respected guide, and I know exactly what area he was going to. I kindly adjusted and went to different structure and had a bite. I didn’t worry about him coming into the area or the other four boats that came and join me once I turned around. We all got around each other just fine. The gentleman that ran into my lines on Thursday when there was zero boats in the area and he was zigzagging all across swim beach. He wasn’t paying attention and I got vocal and told him to stop his boat and thank you for the extra work, pulled in my lines and I didn’t pull his balls off his downriggers  like I easily could have . Frowning upon another man’s way of fishing is looked down upon. You fish the way you want fish and I’ll fish the way I want to fish. 
Lastly, please explain the difference of a steel line coming off of a downrigger going down 90 feet and a steel line coming off of a fishing rod going down to 90 feet. The only difference is you have a heavier ball and you will go directly down. There’s still a piece of line going through a school of fish that will simply swim away and come back. Sometimes I think people overthink things.

Most fisher people have no clue that long lining consume the entire water column from top to bottom 800ft behind the boat  using this method. This method was and is unpopular because it requires so much space that is no longer available at the George or anywhere else. Cut behind a long liner with down riggers and you will hang 125 lb steel cable and the contest begiins for each party to retrieve there gear first and start cutting cable to do so.

Dude, if I had 800 feet of line out I would respectfully say that you really have no idea how steel line fishing works at the gorge. At the most when I’m dragging I’m usually out maybe 175 feet maybe 250 if the wind is bad. Yes, I may take up more water column than a downrigger but if you usually wait about maybe 90 seconds you will pass my lines when you are going 1.5 miles an hour. I think it all comes down to respect on the water. I’m not perfect. I’ve made my mistakes, but it’s easy to avoid a steel line fisherman even if you are going after the kokes.

---

RedRebel!!  Back in the day I used to outfit guys going to the Gorge for Lakers. Penn 49M reels, Sabre 210 rods w/carbide guides, 120lb steel line, Berkley 210lb crosslock snapswivels, and Henlin T55 Flatfish.  They also had to have spare treble hooks and split rings to replace the ones they pulled apart when they would hang up!!  Didn't know anyone still fished that way!!  What is your rig, as  Penn no longer makes the 49M, Sabre is made in China, and Henlin is owned by Yakima and they don't make the T55 any more!!

I have two different rod set ups. One is an off the shelf Shimano Tallora And the other is a custom rod built by a gentleman here in Salt Lake. If anyone wants his information, I can get it to you. They run about 200 bucks. I prefer them over the Shimano because I can read what my plug is doing a little better. Both rods have a Okuma cold water line counter. It is designed for steel line and copper line. The guide has yet to wear out with a few years on each one. I run a 90 pound seven strand stainless line. I run flatfish from fifties to 60s. Only one Tail hook, larger split rings and I dress some of the hooks with tails of different colors. Yakima does make a bait that is close, but you do have to alter it slightly.

I set a bunch of people up like Therapist mentioned back in the day at the store. I still have two, custom rods I built one on a Fenwick blank and one on a Sabre one is spooled with copper one with steel . Usually only 300 feet of wire on the reel.
So not sure how someone would drag 800 feet behind them.
One day for nostalgia sake I want to drag the bottom again. But I’m
Not sure I could find a day where I would go crazy trying to
Find a spot to fish that way after hearing Red Rebels story.
Maybe I will get a chance sometime??

[Redrebel]

Well, my experience has been that long lining is frowned upon at the gorge as if kokes in area there will be some concentration of boats.  Best to keep the riggers short drop back.

To those who don’t understand how the long lining works I get why they get frustrated. Long lining is the old-school way of doing things at the gorge and it’s frowned upon by those who became lazy with their presentation. I can easily get out of the way of Downrigger’s and they can easily get out of the way of me if you pay attention. There is a guide up there, who has been steel line fishing for nearly 30 years. I can say that getting called out in the middle of a sportsman’s expo presentation by Jared, and then him trying to dig himself out of a hole, Gave me a better perspective on his Outlook On steel line fishing.
To give you an example, Saturday morning, my first two runs. I had no boats in my area. On my third run, Jim came in with his charter and came right in the line that I was trying to run. trying to stay on specific structure is important when steel line fishing. He is a well respected guide, and I know exactly what area he was going to. I kindly adjusted and went to different structure and had a bite. I didn’t worry about him coming into the area or the other four boats that came and join me once I turned around. We all got around each other just fine. The gentleman that ran into my lines on Thursday when there was zero boats in the area and he was zigzagging all across swim beach. He wasn’t paying attention and I got vocal and told him to stop his boat and thank you for the extra work, pulled in my lines and I didn’t pull his balls off his downriggers  like I easily could have . Frowning upon another man’s way of fishing is looked down upon. You fish the way you want fish and I’ll fish the way I want to fish. 
Lastly, please explain the difference of a steel line coming off of a downrigger going down 90 feet and a steel line coming off of a fishing rod going down to 90 feet. The only difference is you have a heavier ball and you will go directly down. There’s still a piece of line going through a school of fish that will simply swim away and come back. Sometimes I think people overthink things.

Most fisher people have no clue that long lining consume the entire water column from top to bottom 800ft behind the boat  using this method. This method was and is unpopular because it requires so much space that is no longer available at the George or anywhere else. Cut behind a long liner with down riggers and you will hang 125 lb steel cable and the contest begiins for each party to retrieve there gear first and start cutting cable to do so.

Dude, if I had 800 feet of line out I would respectfully say that you really have no idea how steel line fishing works at the gorge. At the most when I’m dragging I’m usually out maybe 175 feet maybe 250 if the wind is bad. Yes, I may take up more water column than a downrigger but if you usually wait about maybe 90 seconds you will pass my lines when you are going 1.5 miles an hour. I think it all comes down to respect on the water. I’m not perfect. I’ve made my mistakes, but it’s easy to avoid a steel line fisherman even if you are going after the kokes.

---

RedRebel!!  Back in the day I used to outfit guys going to the Gorge for Lakers. Penn 49M reels, Sabre 210 rods w/carbide guides, 120lb steel line, Berkley 210lb crosslock snapswivels, and Henlin T55 Flatfish.  They also had to have spare treble hooks and split rings to replace the ones they pulled apart when they would hang up!!  Didn't know anyone still fished that way!!  What is your rig, as  Penn no longer makes the 49M, Sabre is made in China, and Henlin is owned by Yakima and they don't make the T55 any more!!

I have two different rod set ups. One is an off the shelf Shimano Tallora And the other is a custom rod built by a gentleman here in Salt Lake. If anyone wants his information, I can get it to you. They run about 200 bucks. I prefer them over the Shimano because I can read what my plug is doing a little better. Both rods have a Okuma cold water line counter. It is designed for steel line and copper line. The guide has yet to wear out with a few years on each one. I run a 90 pound seven strand stainless line. I run flatfish from fifties to 60s. Only one Tail hook, larger split rings and I dress some of the hooks with tails of different colors. Yakima does make a bait that is close, but you do have to alter it slightly.

I set a bunch of people up like Therapist mentioned back in the day at the store. I still have two, custom rods I built one on a Fenwick blank and one on a Sabre one is spooled with copper one with steel . Usually only 300 feet of wire on the reel.
So not sure how someone would drag 800 feet behind them.
One day for nostalgia sake I want to drag the bottom again. But I’m
Not sure I could find a day where I would go crazy trying to
Find a spot to fish that way after hearing Red Rebels story.
Maybe I will get a chance sometime??

Don’t let my story stop you. I’d be happy to try and team up. I usually don’t fish steel after May so time is running out.

[BYUHunter]

I'll amend my above statement based on further clarification:

Hanging 250' of line off the back of your boat is asking for trouble. That is 85 yards, 100 feet beyond the legally-required passing distance under power. I can't tell what someone is doing 250' away on their boat, nor do I care. I wouldn't know how to tell that you are fishing steel line.

I'm not saying who's right or who's wrong, but if I had 250' off the back of my boat, I would fully expect someone to snag it, regardless of time of year. Running downriggers with a bit of a setback seems like an excellent way to achieve the same result.

[Redrebel]

I'll amend my above statement based on further clarification:

Hanging 250' of line off the back of your boat is asking for trouble. That is 85 yards, 100 feet beyond the legally-required passing distance under power. I can't tell what someone is doing 250' away on their boat, nor do I care. I wouldn't know how to tell that you are fishing steel line.

I'm not saying who's right or who's wrong, but if I had 250' off the back of my boat, I would fully expect someone to snag it, regardless of time of year. Running downriggers with a bit of a setback seems like an excellent way to achieve the same result.

I respectfully say you are wrong. You cannot achieve the same result. You will never be able to achieve the same result that my flatfish will do with the steel line than running a down rigger. You will constantly have a false release and not have the same presentation. Another example of someone not understanding how steel line works. You can argue all you want. Those who don’t like steel line fishing don’t like any of the original fisherman that taught people how to fish the gorge and catch very large fish. 
Comes down to respect. I have fished the gorge for over 15 years and I understand many of the gentlemen on this board are much older than me and the fished longer. However, I became good friends with a guy who is fished up there for over 35 years and 30 of those being paid. He was taught by one of the original steel  Fishman, a gentleman named Bruce. I urge you to reach out to Bruce and Kyle And ask them how they feel about your opinion. I would imagine you will get an earful and tell you to keep your head on a swivel that if you can’t realize what another man is doing when you were 100 feet away from him you might want to put the boat back on the trailer. I will reiterate one last time. The gentleman came by me with the rods, nearly touching, and then they did a sharp left face. It was an idiotic move, and I mentioned it on here to allow other people to understand that you need to be more respectful. I intentionally added it to my report to allow people to see that some people might think that they’re doing the right thing, but in reality you’re not. Just because you have been doing it longer doesn’t mean you are doing it right. 
I can add another example of being a courteous fisherman. I met a gentleman by the name of Travis up at Willard the other day and our rods nearly touched as we passed each other on the structure We were trying to follow. We each talked to each other and  told each other which way we were going as we went by, we appreciated  each other‘s communication. we found out we both like to fish the gorge and we each made a new  fishing friend.

[BYUHunter]

I'll amend my above statement based on further clarification:

Hanging 250' of line off the back of your boat is asking for trouble. That is 85 yards, 100 feet beyond the legally-required passing distance under power. I can't tell what someone is doing 250' away on their boat, nor do I care. I wouldn't know how to tell that you are fishing steel line.

I'm not saying who's right or who's wrong, but if I had 250' off the back of my boat, I would fully expect someone to snag it, regardless of time of year. Running downriggers with a bit of a setback seems like an excellent way to achieve the same result.

I respectfully say you are wrong. You cannot achieve the same result. You will never be able to achieve the same result that my flatfish will do with the steel line than running a down rigger. You will constantly have a false release and not have the same presentation. Another example of someone not understanding how steel line works. You can argue all you want. Those who don’t like steel line fishing don’t like any of the original fisherman that taught people how to fish the gorge and catch very large fish. 
Comes down to respect. I have fished the gorge for over 15 years and I understand many of the gentlemen on this board are much older than me and the fished longer. However, I became good friends with a guy who is fished up there for over 35 years and 30 of those being paid. He was taught by one of the original steel  Fishman, a gentleman named Bruce. I urge you to reach out to Bruce and Kyle And ask them how they feel about your opinion. I would imagine you will get an earful and tell you to keep your head on a swivel that if you can’t realize what another man is doing when you were 100 feet away from him you might want to put the boat back on the trailer. I will reiterate one last time. The gentleman came by me with the rods, nearly touching, and then they did a sharp left face. It was an idiotic move, and I mentioned it on here to allow other people to understand that you need to be more respectful. I intentionally added it to my report to allow people to see that some people might think that they’re doing the right thing, but in reality you’re not. Just because you have been doing it longer doesn’t mean you are doing it right. 
I can add another example of being a courteous fisherman. I met a gentleman by the name of Travis up at Willard the other day and our rods nearly touched as we passed each other on the structure We were trying to follow. We each talked to each other and  told each other which way we were going as we went by, we appreciated  each other‘s communication. we found out we both like to fish the gorge and we each made a new  fishing friend.

I couldn't care less about the opinions of Bruce, George, or somebody's cousin twice removed. The reality is that anyone should be able to fish however they want, within the parameters of the law, and as long as they are not creating negative externalities for others. The negative externalities is where long lining comes in:

Nowhere in my comment did I say I am not paying attention to a boat 100' away, I said 250', because in your own words, that is at times the amount of line you have out. If a boat is 250' away from me, I can't tell how they are fishing, nor is it my responsibility to send smoke signals or morse code to try to decipher how they are fishing. Anything 150'+ is a perfectly acceptable passing distance, per the law.

I get that it's your world, and we're all just living in it, but all of your talk of respect seems to be a one way street. You want everybody to respect your long lining and bow and present alms as you pass by, but in your narcissistic world-view fail to realize everyone else has just as much right to be there as you do, using their preferred techniques. Lakes have gotten busier. More people have boats. You can beat your head against the wall all you want about "the way things used to be", but if you're hanging 250' off of the back of your boat, don't come crying and acting surprised that people snag you. It will happen again and again and again. 

"Just because you have been doing it longer doesn't mean you are doing it right". The irony.