Any of you bait guys use stinger hooks?  We had a bunch of run offs and chewed up bait this weekend using shiners and alwives lip hooked.  Wondering if putting a small treble stinger is the way to go.  And a couple of side questions along with that:
 
- does the stinger screw the bait up enough that you don't get as many hits?  not looking natural, etc
- if a cat (or even a walleye I guess) eats the bait are you ever unhooking them or do you pretty much have to cut the hook all the time?
 
We're mostly targeting channels, and they aren't exactly tackle shy so I don't think that'll be an issue.  But unhooking them has to be a bear.  
 
Thoughts?

Pliers and a solid foot on 'em usually solves any problems on getting the hook out.

A stinger hook is usually the way to go if your getting short strikes.Keep the bait moving especially since the water is warming. That should solve your tackle issue.

I usually do when fishing the rivers, seems I get more short hits in the current. Got many eyes an cats in the river on 1 hook of the stinger treble. I do as needed in the lakes, if I get 2 short strikes or notice a trend I put em on

Do you always use a treble as a stinger? What knots do you like Snell the single Palomar the trailer? Snell both if both are single?

Usually a treble off a jig, lots of times a snap or slip on northland stinger. If using plain hooks I snell the lead hook an tie on the treble stinger with the excess, for live bait. I double snell single hooks for cutbait or strips

Y'no... I learned a few new knots this spring: palomar and dropper loop (that one I'm real proud of) but I'll be ****ed if I can snell a fricking hook.  I even have that cheater tool.  I gave up and just palomar everything.  Super easy to tie even in low light and I've yet to have one break.  
 
I figured I'd use the stinger here:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XS2TGNen1qo  Pretty sure I have all the necessaries for that in my kit.  Will report back if it works.

Snell a hook is as easy as this. Run line their hook, make a loop hold with left hand. Make 8 wraps send tag end back through loop DONE!

I twist up 75 worm harnesses a year using this method. You get good at it after a few years.

Small hooks and light line make snelling tricky. I normally just Snell my catfish hooks(5/0 and up with 40#+ leader). But can do the small ones easier now with practice.

We used stingers all the time on harnesses trolling in erie....used the northlands for awhile (the ones with the rubber dip) but they were on light line and didn't last long and we started breaking off fish near the net.  Started tying our own with trebles and using the rubberized paint to make the loops just like the northlands.
 
Countless eyes came in on just the stingers.
 
I also use them occasionally when jigging but if there are a lot of snags, they seem to cause more of a headache.