KSR,

Salmon stacked up in rivers RARELY, if at all, go out of their way to chase corkies with big hunks of yarn and a 5/0 hook.(It's a general statement. I'm not trying to start a debate about salmon taking corkies!) You could justify keeping the fish a million ways, but the bottom line is you know if you're INTENTIONALLY snagging or not. If it's unintentional, release the fish unharmed and try again. If you know that by jerking in the middle of a drift is going to hook a fish and you do it anyway, you're right there with the rest of the snaggers. In saltwater areas like the Redondo pier, those salmon are suspended in the water column, and along comes a buzzbomb ripping up and down with a treble hook attached, and hooks it in the tail. Like you said, it doesn't happen very often, but it does happen. I can pretty much guarantee that the fish wasn't trying to stun the buzzbomb with it's tail.