C&R is my objective too and, like you mentioned, it's hard to get a #14 or #16 our of their lip. I'm trying a new idea (at least new to me) tomorrow called a hair rig. I got a bait hook from a guy in Great Britain and the idea is to pull the tail of the hair rig through the Power Egg then insert a bait stop to hold it in place. I'll go barbless on the hooks to make it easier to get them out. We'll see.