[Dave B.]

I'm not much of a drinker and am quite relaxed but thanks for the offer. Just saying, all fish and trout in particular should never be handled by their gills if you intend to release them. Kinda like somebody shoving a hand into your lungs, not neccesarily the best practice.

Andy, I have no doubt Eddie is a good guy and clearly a skilled angler, the pics alone speak for that. That being said I don't think he needs you to jump to his defense, I'm certain he is quite capable fo defending himself if he felt he was being set upon, which was not my intent. The pics speak clearly enough for themselves, 2 shots with fingers obviously in the gills. No biggie, it's just a stockie, there'll be more.

Hey Eddie did you have an opportunity to tangle with the big 'bow that had been living in that pool earlier this year? She was easy 27-28 inches, finally removed by a couple of russian gents from PA after many repeated attempts to catch her. She usually hung out just under the tail of the current tongue on the far side of the stream.