Jiggin

That pike doesn't look so healthy either...

Probably has a lot to do with it being a muskie

I'm as guilty as the next guy of taking a picture of a fish out of water.  I've never "beached" a fish, or left it lying in the dirt, that seems like a really stupid thing to do unless you're going to be eating it.

But I'll pick a bass up by the lip and hold it out for a photo op, then give it a gentle supported release.  I'll set a walleye on my hand for a picture, I'll support a pike horizontally and take a picture.

I don't believe there's anything wrong with that, and you'd be hard pressed to sell me that it's detrimental to the fish to have it out of water for the picture.

That said, I take pictures of maybe 1 in 20 fish I catch.

I prefer to fish for them in morning and evening, trolling in 8 - 10 feet of water, on the shaded side of a lake if possible.

I jig (1/8 - 1/4oz) with live bait and synthetics (gulp) and have also had great success with Mepps Aglia's #2, tipped with leeches.

I always catch Walter just off the bottom.