A better release starts before the bite.

Put the release tools within reach.

NOAA recommends suitable tackle, a soft knotless or rubber landing net, and tools such as pliers, a dehooker and line cutters. Match the tackle to the fish you are targeting so a fight does not drag on to exhaustion. Arrange the tools before casting, with sharp points secured until you need them.

Choose a landing position where you can safely handle and return the fish. If that position is unavailable, reconsider the spot before fishing rather than improvising once a fish is attached.

Keep it wet and support its body.

Where practical, remove an accessible hook while the fish stays in the water. If you must handle it, wet your hands, support its body horizontally and avoid squeezing. Keep fingers away from the eyes and gills. Do not hang the whole fish from its jaw or put it on dry sand, rocks or a hot surface.

Make the photo optional.

Prepare the camera before lifting a fish, keep any photograph brief and return it promptly. There is no universal number of seconds that makes air exposure harmless. If a photograph would mean searching through a bag, changing position or repeatedly lifting the fish, let it go without the picture.

Do not turn hook removal into a struggle.

Use the dehooker or pliers for an accessible hook. If a deeply embedded hook will not come out easily, NOAA advises cutting the line as close to the hook as practical rather than causing further injury. Do not assume every retained hook will dissolve or every released fish will recover.

For bait fishing, inline circle hooks can reduce deep hooking. They are fished differently from a hook that you set with a sharp rod strike; VMRC’s circle-hook guidance explains the distinction.

Let the fish leave under its own power.

Return the fish gently. If it is sluggish, support it upright facing into the current while it regains strength. Avoid throwing it or working it backward through the water. Let it swim away when it is ready, keeping your own footing and safety in mind.

A Virginia striped-bass hook note.

At our November 3, 2026 source check, Virginia’s striped-bass regulation requires non-offset, corrodible, non-stainless-steel circle hooks when recreationally fishing for striped bass with bait. The regulation defines bait to include a whole or part of an aquatic or marine organism, alive or dead. This is a specific requirement, not a blanket rule for every lure or species. Read the current regulation before your trip.