I rarely catch fish that appear diseased either. Definitely catch many fish that show signs of being caught. Some, I am pretty sure that I catch 10-15 minutes after releasing. Not saying this may not happen, but I have to agree with spoonminnow on a wet cloth being better than a dry surface. I plan on trying myself. I don’t take too many photos, since I seem to fish alone often and just too hard. This would definitely help with that.

Parts of my reply was relevant and insightful, especially the clubbing of my woman like a caveman! It is part of what makes fishing enjoyable to me and imagine many others. Hunting is in our instincts as humans. Fishing seems to satisfy this primal urge and like many say, is like therapy. If catching, if not, then it just makes me feel the need to fish again. So does catching fish too…

I've never held a fish by its tail and don't see any reason to. Again, the cloth doesn't rub the surface of the fish; fish are wrapped in it loosely, held for less than 45 seconds and released; most are released immediately once the hook is removed.