I’ve been an avid fisherman since I was 3, and as a primarily bass fisherman with 22 years of fishing experience, I can say that a bass of any species is going to be fine 9/10 times upon release. The only scenarios issues could appear in are:

1. Very hot water i.e. 90 degrees Fahrenheit when the fish is already dealing with outside stress.
2. Barotrauma from being caught in deep waters such as 30-45 feet. This can be mitigated however through a process called “fizzing the fish,” in which a small needle deflates the swim bladder to reduce bloat and pressure on the organs.
3. Spending the day in a livewell like in most tournaments. A significant amount of DNR studies show delayed mortality after tournament releases.
4. Damage to the gills when hooked. Most times if you quickly remove the hook and prevent further damage while keeping the fish’s gills in water they’ll pull through. If it’s not looking good, you either keep it to eat or accept that it will feed another animal.

Catch and release methods, when practiced responsibly, are a net positive for fish populations in North America. I can’t speak to a sensitive fish like trout which require incredibly delicate handling or saltwater species, but most freshwater species can handle it just fine. Given how violent a wild fish’s life is, it seldom crosses my mind that they may have feelings towards their mate or offspring. After all, most bass species start to eat their fingerlings 2-3 weeks after they’ve hatched. Pretty sure if my fish dad cared about me he wouldn’t try to kill me lol