Handling Fish

I just came across a great article from Louis Cahill over at the Gink and Gasoline blog.  Titled "14 Ways to Prevent Fish Mortality," there are tons of great tips for everyone from the beginner to the seasoned veteran.  Over the years I have seen everything, including someone playing a 12 inch rainbow on the Caney Fork for over 5 minutes.  One of my favorite all-time fish abuse stories is the South Holston body slam.  After catching a big trout in the neighborhood of 26-28 inches, a man lifted the fish and slammed it to the ground (slight exaggeration because the fish probably squirmed out of his hands), at least that's what it looked like to me.  The funny part about this story?  The guy then proceeded to "wonder" out loud to his buddy for the next hour why the fish was just sitting in 6 inches of water behind a rock and not moving for the next hour.  Regardless, I'm sure we could all treat fish with a bit more respect to ensure that they are healthy for someone else to enjoy.  Check out the article, and if you don't already subscribe to Gink and Gasoline, I recommend you do that while you're over there...