I ended up accidentally  killing the biggest Pike I ever landed a few years ago. It was a 46" 26 lb fish. It engulfed a #18mm rapala that was a real chore to remove, and I wanted to get a picture. I spent couple hours actively trying to get it back. Ended up eating it which was OK, however I prefer 5-6 lb fish. This was in Canada where I lived on and off in the 70-80's. My brother and I have handled literally tons of pike and rarely bring them out of the water. Them rapalas are tough to remove sometimes. I also had problems with landing that fish as it kept getting me in heavy weeds and it was played to long. We have had bigger pike on including a couple monsters over the years. Brother had one grab a smallmouth once he swears to this day it was world record class fish. A friend of mine in Canada had one cruise under his boat that was also in that class. I truly believe the next world record Musky will come from there.
 
Most fishermen do not fish bait big enough to entice those big fish myself included. I used to commercial fish the whitefish run in the late fall just before iceup.  6-15 lb whitfish were all over the shoals and the big musky would be on them. My friend whom I used to commercial fish with cut freed one a number of years ago that he told me was monstrous. He and his partner were trying to heave it into the boat to measure then decided to let her go and never brought her in or measured it. Take into mind the day before they boated a 35 lb fish that was dead in the net. We knew an old French Canadian taxidermist who caught two 50 lb musky in one day. He used big flathead suckers for bait.
 
Enough of my ranting I am just spewing cause I haven't been on the water in a couple months.

Dispey I don't quite follow what your trying to say, are you saying a fish is a fish no need to hold ranking on species? Or that every fish caught should be taken home to eat, regardless of Laws?

I'm really interested in what you are trying to say please clarify?