if your fly fishing, i doubt youl ever have a fish swallow the hook, unlike bait, the fish will quickly spit a fly.  Your goal should be to get the fish back in the water as soon as possible, for that matter, keeping it in the water the entire time is even better (so a net can aid this...rubber nets are easier on the fish), barbless hooks also help with the release time.  Also, always wet your hands before you handle the fish, so you dont remove the fish's slime coat.

-- Edited by drifter at 22:43, 2008-12-14

Hey Richard ... You ask good questions, and you got solid answers.

I think a lot of folks who first start looking into catch and release get a skewed version of what's happening.  It helps if you kind of understand what's going on.

When you hook a pig, the fight that ensues is like having that critter run a marathon.  These fish are both sturdier than you think, and more fragile than you think.  As you read thru this site, you'll find commentary about size, age, and life cycle of the fish. As well as how their physiological responses may be different depending on the circumstances they are hooked under.

These 'dudes' are "fighting for their lives", and they sometimes take a few minutes to recover.

You should know if you don't, that they breath by having water run over thier gills. The simple act of pointing them upstream, and holding them upright, helps their recovery time immensly.

Bottom line, hook em, have fun, keep the battle as brief as you can realistically, practice basic handling skills (ie.,wet hands) learn how to "recesitate" a fish to increase their survivability, and then teach others to do the same.

Kudos to you for caring enough to ask the question!

Ed.

Thanks guys i was up late last night /this morning looking around And was reading on fishing Etiquette and found some really good info on catch and release thanks keith bigelow. ill print that link out for further ref

And if the fish does happen to swallow your offering then yes definetly cut the tippet off and leave fly in fish. The only "fly" I have had a trout swallow is a globug.

O.k., you guys answered the question right, but the advice is a bit scattered, and while the theory is correct, the techniques haven't been fully covered. Here is a step by step, nothing new here, just how to practically implement everything.

1. Play your fish as quickly as possible. The shorter the fight, the more energy the fish will have in reserve.

2. Land your fish. There are two acceptable methods. The absolute best method is to remove the hook without removing the fish from the water by hand. Turning the fish upside down can render it more docile, but I pull my fish in with a little kick left usually, and my clumsy hands and heavy grip seem to do more harm than good. The second method is to use a net specially designed for catch and release. This is what I do, and while its not as good its still pretty effective. Net the fish but do not lift it out of the water. Keep the rim of the net so the fish is just below the water line. Wet your hands then grab your tippet and follow it down to where you have the fish hooked and remove the hook underwater by touch. Since it is barbless (required by law on Putah this time if year if I remember correct) it will come right out. You should always use barbless hooks for C&R, it makes unhooking fish much easier, and hasn't really effected my catch rate. If it dosen't come right out briefly raise the head above the water and try to determine the problem. Keep a hemostat on hand to aid you if necessary. Everything is about speed. If you want to take a picture get used to your camera, have it setup and ready to take a photo, get the shot as quickly as possible. The best idea is to photograph your fish in the net, or raise it briefly out of the water. Avoid grassing your fish. If you can't resist pick a soft area to lie it on, not rocks.

3. Remove the fish from the net, but do not allow it to drift away. If it makes any serious effort to escape its got some juice in the tank so let it go, but prevent it from escaping if its attempt is lackluster. Hold the fish so that its head faces upstream to allow water to flow over its gills. Try to grip it gently, and by the tail with one hand under the head just to guide it. Rock the fish back and forth slowly until it makes a serious attempt to escape your grasp. This can take awhile, and the bigger the fish the more fight it will put up so the longer it will need to be revived. If the fish swims out of your hands, but then stops, attempt to gently recapture it. If it is actually revived it will not let you and if it is not you can continue the process. Most of the time they'll swim a few feet away, and when you move to recapture it, the fish will jet away.

Here are some rules
Handle a fish as little as possible. Do not put pressure on the body cavities such as the abdomen

Always wet your hand before touching a fish to prevent damage to the slime membrane

Avoid allowing the fish contact with hard surfaces

Do not grip the fish by the gills or insert anything into the gills. This will usually kill any species of fish even if they initially swim away. There is one guy who has a show where he catches and releases muskie, and he always picks em up by sticking his finger inside the gill plate. A good portion of his fish probably die within 12 hours of being caught by him.

Do not grip trout by the lower jaw like a bass. They have fragile teeth and jaws.

Using this technique I released every one of the 127 trout I caught in 2008 without seeing a single floater or having any indication that a fish I caught had died. Statistically speaking the technique I described is said to have a 95% survival rate.