I've been thinking about this question for a long time. It's important to establish who actually "took" the fish to count toward legal limits and also for purposes of a contest. There are a number of steps to "catching" a fish. If you put lines out behind a boat and don't designate who each one "belongs" to is it kosher to just take turns reeling them in? When you "help" a little kid, whose fish is it? I know some people abuse this by making sure that they catch a limit for everyone in the family or group but it's hard to believe that a very young child actually caught a fish. I hope I've laid out what I'm talking about clearly enough that some of you can speak to this. To be more specific: I have signed up my 4 year old great-granddaughter for the catfish contest. I'm not sure how much I will have to help her land fish that big. What do you think?
The older I get the more I would rather be considered a good man than a good fisherman.