I feel the same way now as I did when I wrote that, Locust...I think everyone knows my personal feelings about the particular regulation (outlaws too much perfectly good behavior, doesn't outlaw too much really bad behavior).

Katmai Kid...where the fish was caught, the limit is "zero", so there are no wild steelhead that can be taken completely out of the water...if the fish must be released, then it must not be taken out of the water, per the rules.

Keith, stupid rule, idiotic rule...whatever you want to call it...none of those things make it an "illegal" rule, and courts aren't in the business of overturning legal rules just because you, or some, or a lot, or everyone thinks they are stupid.

showmemore,

As far as I know, it's not against the law to post a picture of it...and I don't recall anywhere saying that it is OK to take the fish out of the water. I do, however, recall saying that if that's the rule, then that's the rule...often. And it is the rule.

Someone asked me to post the pic, because they didn't know how...so there it is...the pic.

Did it hurt the fish? Probably not.

Was it against the rules? Yes.

Is it OK because it probably didn't hurt the fish? No...that's the rule.

Fish on...

Todd