Reviving a Sturgeon prior to release in the Columbia River. Larger fish like this cannot be brought into the boat if you want to release them safely.

How To Release Fish

Every time you catch a fish, you have the option of keeping it or releasing it.  I used to keep most of the fish I caught (in accordance with all local regulations, size limits, etc).  However, the older I get the larger of a percentage of the fish I catch get released.  I will sometimes keep some to eat, but I enjoy letting them go to breed and keep populations healthy.

Handling a fish poorly and releasing it to die later is a complete waste.  If you plan to release fish, make sure you plan ahead of time how you are going to do it to maximize their chances of survival.  Here are some tips for doing that:

1. Have a plan ahead of time for how you are going to quickly unhook and release your fish.  Don't try to figure it out after you have landed the fish  If you are planning to take pictures, have the camera ready ahead of time.
2. Minimize the amount of time the fish is out of the water.  Fish are not built to be out of the water, and are usually exhausted by the time they are landed.  You wouldn't want to run wind sprints and then get held underwater for a long time, so keep that in mind when handling fish.
3. If you are going to touch the fish, make sure your hand is wet so that you don't rub off their protective slime.  It does no one any good if the fish swims away and then dies days later from a bacterial infection.
4. Don't let the fish flop around on hard surfaces like the bottom of the boat or rocks on shore.  That can severely injure the fish.
5. If you bring a fish out of water, make sure you support its weight with your hand as shown below.  Fish, especially large ones, are not built to support their whole weight outside of the water.  If you use a fish handling device such as a Bogagrip, which are handy when handling fish with sharp teeth, don't just lift the whole fish with the device without supporting its weight.  That puts a lot of strain on the jaw which is not built to support weight and can break.
6. Hardy species of fish that have not gone through a long and taxing fight can sometimes just be "speared" back in by dropping them head first into the water.  This sudden rush of water through their gills will often revive them and help them swim away.
7. If spearing doesn't work or it is a more delicate species, hold the fish under water and have water pass through its gills either by moving the boat slowly forward or leading it with your hands.  Do not move the fish forward and backward under the water; that is not how fish breathe.  Slowly move it forward until it regains strength and swims off on its own power.  I have spent up to 20 minutes on some fish to get them strong enough to swim off.

Some astute observers may note that there are a number of pictures on this website that do not depict fish being handled in the optimal way.  Some of these were kept to eat, while others may have been taken before I knew what I know now about fish handling.  I hope to always be improving.

Scroll to the bottom to see links to tools that can help you release fish more safely.

Supporting a fish's weight evenly is much better for them than holding them up by the jaw.