"riverman" wrote in message
It'd be pretty hard for a fish to get 'snapped up in' little 1/2 to 1-inch
pieces of mono. I haul out lots more mono from spincasters's birdsnests
than
I ever leave behind.

Likewise. Sure, I break off a few fish, but very, very rarely lose a
significant length of tippet (the Salmon River notwithstanding). Like
Myron, I recover far more mono, hooks, lead, and just plain garbage than I
lose on a typical trip.

On the Salmon River (NY), I do frequently lose 18-24" of FC tippet on
larger fish, but just as my negative environmental impact is greater, so is
my net positive. I guarantee I've pulled more spin casting bull**** out of
that river than every other place I've fished combined. Between the
incredible fishing pressure that place receives and the similarly incredible
disregard for the river, the amount of discarded 30# mono in the bottom of
that river must be amazing. I regret my small contributions, but it's a
small drop in a very big bucket.

Joe F.