And no I am not a BAIT fisherman, fly-fishing all the way. I just hate it
when people make claims like this but don't back it up with sound reasoning.
Lawrence;
While I have no clue what percentage of bait caught trout die, I do know from experience that most hookups are deep inside the fish. Injuries to that area from a barbed hook must have a high mortality rate. I believe that trout caught on bait should go directly into the creel for eating. Catch and release flyfishing is best done with a short fight using barbless hooks and releasing said fish without much touching. I prefer to guide the fish to me and use hemostats directly on the fly without touching the fish if possible. Larger or spunkier trout require a bit more control but once the hemos have the fly he can flip himself off for all I care.
Murf
