Linesides, Saltheart.
For years we have been hearing that going down to the lighter tackle is more sporting. It may be in the pure enjoyment sense but two things happen: If you spend half an hour bringing in a fish, you may be missing others, but more importantly you run a greater chance of tiring out that fish, especially when the temps are high in August, decreasing its ability to survive.
When I first started fishing seriously, I did not know that it was dangerous to hold the fish by the gills. Just a bad habit that I inherited from fishing with family when I was a kid. Fortunately, some people pulled me aside and explained it, just like you said Linesides, about how much you'd enjoy somebody grabbing a handfull of your lungs!!! That can do some major damaged in the gill's ability to extract the oxygen from the water...
The next thing that really irks me is the amount of time a fish is spent out of the water and how harshly it goes back in. If you or a friend is going to take a photo, get it quick and move on. No need to run up to the car to grab the camera. If you are prepared, do it and get that fish back in. I hate it when I see some people dragging a fish by the tail and whipping it into the water too. Irks me.
Get the fish in, kiss it ( unless you're fishing that old sewage outflow <img src="/Images/Tounge_Wink_Face.gif"><!--e5--> ), and send it back in. Short and sweet...
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