Reply To: Responces from The MDC officials about rubber and plastic materials.

All,

Below is an email update I recieved today regarding the definition of a “fly”.  It appears our writing campaign has paid off.  Congratulations to all who helped bring attention and clarity to the issue.   Well done!

Regards,

Lou

 

Good afternoon Mr. Forbringer.  I just wanted to provide an update on our discussions related to this issue. I hope the following is helpful.

In recent months, due to public interest and the need for consistency, Protection and Fisheries division staff have been evaluating how the fly definition is interpreted and how it interacts with the other definitions of flies, lures, and baits.   During this process, a document from the original 2004 Wildlife Code change was discovered.  This document provided further guidance of the original intention of the regulation change.

Below is an excerpt from the original document outlining how the new definitions were to be interpreted.
<p style=”text-align: left;”>1. The use of the phrase “…any material…” in the fly definition allows fly tiers and anglers to use the    wide variety of natural and synthetic materials currently available and eliminates the list, never all-inclusive, of approved materials.  This should eliminate a great deal of confusion and allow more consistent interpretation of this definition.  Flies containing rubber legs, foam, leather, beads, cork and a number of other materials will now conform to the definition of what is permitted in a “fly.”</p>
As you can see, the original intention was to allow any material to be used in the construction of a fly.  Flies however cannot be lures defined as soft plastic bait or natural and scented bait.  As an example, a rubber worm cannot be permanently attached to a single hook and be considered a fly because a synthetic worm meets the definition of soft plastic bait.  However, rubber legs or antennae on a fly would be permissible.

Thank you for bringing this question and issue to our attention.  I hope this explanation provided some additional clarity into the use of flies. Again, just to be clear, the fly in the photo within the e-mail chain below is a “fly” and can be used in “fly only” zones/water.

Please feel free to contact me or your local Conservation Agent if you have any questions or we can provide additional information.

Brian D. Canaday

Fisheries Division Chief

Missouri Department of Conservation

2901 West Truman Blvd.

P.O. Box 180

Jefferson City, Missouri  65102

573-522-4115 *3174 (office)

573-508-9491 (work cell)

573-526-0990 (fax)

[email protected]