Thanks for the feedback. I've been planning to update the game with respawning bait to alleviate this problem, just haven't had time yet. Should be done in the next few days :)
I've just released a patch for both of these bugs. Wish I could have done it sooner but Christmas and all. Should be no major progression blockers anymore.
Thanks for playing! Sorry about that I'll look into I and hopefully have an update out soon. Might add a page for hints and solutions for if people get stuck