I honestly would have thought slaying big greasers up there during the winter wouldn't be that hard of a task, I guess I'm wrong, lol!! Great report man! Makes me miss that place!
It's a great question to ask. Personally I think if it's still in your possession it counts (No difference then having a freezer stuffed full of fish) shouldn't really matter if it's in a can or not.
I always clean the cork on my rods, character be damned, lol. A little soap/water and some elbow grease. Dirty cork never looks good no matter how many fish you've landed.
Great vid man! Fishing for them with dries on a 4wt is a riot! Like you said, once you find them surfacing, you've pretty much found the motherload. Haven't tried it with my float rig, but it sure sounds like a lot of fun.