Fellas...rules are rules and they should be followed as closely as possible.

It is my belief that the person who sets the hook should land the fish. A guide handing off a hooked fish is as wrong as landing it and then punching it on another card. If he would like to land it and punch it then give it to a less fortunate angler so be it. There is a difference between the letter of the law and the spirit of the law.(it depends on what the meaning of "is" is. as one example)
This issue speaks to my point on another thread about guides being "commercials". They do get paid to produce dead fish for money.(again, with the exception of Bob at times) Don't get me wrong as I would love to be good enough to be a guide(I am working toward that goal) but the purpose of a guide is to bring the horse to water, not roll him over and pour it in. Location, tackle and presentation are in my view within the purview of a guide, while hooking, playing or landing a fish relegates him to mere angler status. As a fellow angler, no reasonable person would expect him to hand off a hooked fish so why should we accept this behavior from "professionals". He is, after all, being paid for his wisdom not his hookset. My perfect world would of course make exceptions for the young, old and/or handicapped but the spirit is the same, HOOK, PLAY AND LAND YOUR OWN DANG FISH!!!!!!

I am curious, do the guides on this board consider themselves sporties or commercials when fishing with paying customers?