"The key to low hooking mortality is angler behavior. If bait anglers fish with a tight line and set the hook immediately upon detecting a strike, the fish will not be deeply hooked. Deep hooking has been shown to increase mortality."
Been saying this for years. Bait fishing doesn't cause mortality. But it makes it easier for bad angler behavior to do so. I was a bait fisherman for many years before switching to fly gear. Among better bait guys, deep hooking rates are extremely low, as low as fly fishing. Yes, I have had fish take flies rather deep but it's rare. It can be rare in bait fishing too, as is clearly spelled out, by fishing a tight line (drifting) and setting the hook immediately.
The difference is, with bait, the fish don't let go. If you let them, they will swallow it. So all the forked stick types, yeah, the rate is real high. And I've seen a lot of beginners too, upset after missing a few hooksets, say, "I'll let him take it". But there are plenty of good conservation minded sportsmen among the bait crowd as well.
As such, the bait fishing mortality is going to vary WILDLY from one place to another based solely on the type of people who fish there. Spring Creek with wild trout just attracts a different crowd than a trout park does, or a stocked pond does, you're gonna get different results. In a tournament, where I expect most of the anglers to be rather experienced, and hey, they have to turn them in alive or they don't get credit? So they're people who know how not to kill them, and have incentive not to kill them, using a technique where you pretty much have the choice on whether to kill them or not. Absolutely, I'd expect mortality to be low. It's common sense!!!
When wild trout are present, I'm not a "it must be ALO" guy. Base it on the need. If mortality is hurting populations, then yes. If not, then no. But, education is sorely needed for beginners, and anglers of all stripes should be calling out the a-holes who know better.
