Hohwaiian, no I have never seen footage of salmon attacking a bait ball. I have seen ohter footage of various other species attacking bait. I have also observed a large number of fish in swimming flumes. My conclusions are that aside from billfish which are equipped to slash bait balls to injure and cripple prey and threser sharks which use their tails to herd and stun bait (and probably others I am unaware of) most other species attack with their mouths. From experience I know they will circle back and consume stunned bait fish or a piece of bait left on a hook. Fins and the tail are principally used for propulsion and manuvering rather than as weapons. I believe the occasional baitfish may be stunned as a fish moves through a school of fish but I believe this is coincidental rather intentional. Have you ever noticed how a school of bait moves away from the attack of a predator regrouping behind it? For a salmon to whip its tail with enough force and sidewards movement to stun bait would certainly make for some unusual body positions to say the least.... in my opinion of course. If salmon were using their fins and other body parts a larger proportion of fish would be foul hooked when fishing roe or just about any other lure. I don't think the numbers support your theory. I do agree with you that there is question and doubt about how a fish gets hooked on the side of the head...especially when using floating drift gear. I have hooked numerous steelhead which I know have taken a corkie in its mouth only to find the hook outside its mouth on the gill plate...your explanation is the only one that fits. I still believe that using excessively long leaders is still for one purpose only..lining fish. I have to this day never been able to get a long-leader fisherman give me an explaination on how the long leader improves the presentation. My basic premise is that using a method of fishing in which the greatest proportion of fish taken are foul hooked and trying to justify it as a legitimate method of take is lame. But as the letter of the law typically reads they are legal methods and as such you, I, and anyone else are free to use these techniques until they are legislated out of existence.