I was about done with this thread, but the logic gap in this thought process dragged me back in.
The idea that a larger size limit results in more dead fish is total bunk... and here is why. The number of fish hooked in a trip is not impacted by size limits.
No one stops fishing just because they caught their limit. They can catch their limit in 10 minutes and then they keep fishing and releasing fish all day until the trip is over.
If you catch 10 bass and
(example 1) release all 10 OR
(example 2) release 8 & put 2 in the cooler,
you still have hooked 10 bass.
So, if your hook mortality (fish that unintentionally die due to being hooked) is 10%:
in example 1, you will have statistically sent away 1 floater (killed 1 fish).
In example 2, you will have statistically sent away .8 floaters (gotta treat this as a dead one 'cause your either alive or dead - regardless of what the math might say
) and have 2 dead ones in the box (killed 3 fish - your 2 in the box and 1 due to hook mortality).
The idea that a smaller size limit actually SAVES fish would hold water ONLY if people caught their limit and then had to go sit in the cabin.
