Quote Originally Posted by Craig Johnson View Post
crappiestalker,

I've heard anglers say that their 'legal when boxed' fish had become smaller and dropped below the legal minimum length limit. I'm not aware of and I haven't had a chance to look for any studies on the 'shrinking fish syndrome' (it's been a busy week this week between electrofishing and reservoir fish stockings!!). Losing an inch off of a 16-inch fish seems like quite a bit. Most of the 'losses' I've been told about are usually in the 1/4-inch neighborhood. Being dead for 36 hours between measurements probably had a bigger impact than the cold and ice.
Thanks everyone for the feedback!!