Mully,
Unless you are looking for a particularly sporting pond, if you catch a CC, eat it. Once they've been caught, they get smart. I fished a pond in AL regularly that had a lot of C & R. I usually had the line lightly in my hand and could feel them messing with the bait. They might take it and move it, but they were just playing with it and often if you try to set the hook too soon, it gets nothing. Or they spit it out and walk away.
