I read the article by Sam Cook which was in last Sunday paper.  He has been writing for the Duluth News Tribune for about 30 years and has written a number of books.  In Duluth he has a very good reputation and I think most people would say he is an honest writer.  Typically he does not write about the number of fish that were caught, but the fishing experience.  I was personally surprised by the number of fish he said they caught.  Sam Cook is almost an institution in Duluth and he writes on  a number of topics which have nothing to do with fishing or hunting.

As for counting fish, unless you have a paper and pencil and write down each fish as you catch it, you will lose count around 25 fish.  Not withstanding the comment that a true sportsman would not count his fish, I have used a pencil and paper to write down the number of fish, my partner and I have caught.  In one particular lake which has small northerns and bass, my son and I have caught 100 fish in about 7 hours of fishing.  We stopped at 100 fish.  My son has told me that I can't count fish anymore when we go to this lake.  Again unless you mark each fish as you catch it, there is no way a person can keep track of the number of fish unless you keep a running tally on  a piece of paper.

What I find personally surprising is that the whole group used paper and pencil to keep track of their tally of fish.

Westwood