In the Event of

[Ron in Maine]

There is morally right, and legally right. And then there is what you are willing to do, or in this case, possibly pay. If you take the fish, you might make the argument that you are doing what is right. Just keep in mind, if and when you get caught with it, the man fining you is doing what is right, and you should be willing to pay the fine and not utter one disrespectful word. To me, it sucks to kill a fish that you do not mean to kill but it happens. It would really suck to kill a fish that should not have been killed and be fined a lot of money on top of it for doing what is right.
And although not on topic, per say, keep in mind, when a fish busts off and runs with twenty feet or yards of line, that line has a good chance of getting caught up on something and also killing that fish. Do what you can to protect our resources while enjoying them. We have seen how hard it is to recover this one.