I think you guys are taking this bait thing a little too seriously. Ive got a pond next to my house that i purchase trout for every year. I primarily fly fish with single barbless, and after hooking darn near every fish in the pond throughout the winter and spring i did not lose one fish from CNR. Note* Pond is 6 feet deep and bottom is rarely out of sight. I then switched to bait fishing for a week using nightcrawlers/eggs/PB and after hooking 30-40, only two fish died. Most fish swallowed bait and long needlenose pliers helped gently twist hook free without removing them from water or touching them.

Trout caught in cold/cool water are extremely resiliant if handled the right way. If you deep hook a fish with bait and net it then let it flop in the boat after squeezing it and ripping half its guts out, then sure, the fish will probably croak.

i think our fisheries need to be tailored to the amount of pressure a lake receives, wild fish present, location, and the size of the lake. If there are no wild fish left in a lake, then hatchery plants can sustain a put/take fishery. If a lake has a good population of wild fish, then selective rules need to be placed or total CNR. There should be enough different kinds of fisheries to make everyone happy.....just my .02
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"I have a fair idea of what to expect from the river, and usually, because I fish it that way, the river gives me approximately what I expect of it. But sooner or later something always comes up to change the set of my ways..."
- Roderick Haig-Brown