Does this count? Fish lassoing!

   Mark and I have been up before dawn each morning in hopes of catching a few fish before the sun gets too hot.  Summer has hit the Bayou and it is not playing nicely.  But, the fishing has been "fair to middling" as of late and the best time to cast a line is at daybreak.  Mark heads out in the small skiff to "catch the big ones" while I stay on the pier where I can mend crab traps while watching my lines.  The crab traps have been taking a beating from otters and alligators so my tending them while fishing works well.  If I catch a flounder or trout, it is delightful but even an old hard-head catfish will suffice as those are used as crab bait.  I am forever watchful for that tug on my line.


  Things were going well this morning.  I had repaired one trap and was cutting wires for another when I noticed my line spinning out of the reel.  When I jerked back with the rod, I felt a good tug.  Yep, this fish was pulling hard and perhaps was a bit larger than the previous ones.  Excitement was beginning to build!  Then the fish was hauled onto the pier.  This was no larger than any of the others but it was a lot stranger.  Well, the fish was not too strange but my method of catching it was quite odd!  Even though the catfish had the bait minnow in its mouth, the hook was no where near embedded in the jaw of the fish.  I had, more or less, lassoed my fish!  The line had wrapped around the fish and the hook snagged back on the line making a nice, efficient "slipknot". The more the fish tugged, the tighter the knot became around its tummy.  

  I looked at the poor fish dangling on the end of my line and had to giggle.  You, my fine friend, will live another day.  Go tell your grandkids how you survived the battle with a rod and reel and lived to tell the tale.  I carefully untangled the fish and plopped it back in the water.  Away swam the happy fish none the worse for wear with nary a mark on him!

  My question...does this even count as fishing?  Since I did not actually hook the catfish, can I really say that I caught him or should I just relate the tale of how a fish became entangled in my line.  At least. this is probably the best method ever for catch and release!   Lasso your fish!  There is no need for those sharp, pointy hooks!