You'll probably get a few responses to this, but here's my go at it.

1. Use gear that is sufficient to bring a fairly large native steelhead to the point of landing in a reasonable time. Using 4# leaders seems fun, but not to the fish that dies after a 25 minute fight.

2. I never use a net, but if you do, use one of the cnr basket type nets, or a cotton or rubber meshed net. The nylon nets are like sandpaper on their scales. If you do use a net, don't pull it out of the water. Dip the fish, then unhook it, then lift it out of the water and net at the same time.

3. Try not to pull the fish out of the water when you beach it. Get it in without even hitting the bottom, if you have a partner who can tail it for you. Wool gloves help immensely in getting a good hold on a steelie's tail.

4. Pull the hook out with pliers or forceps. You can usually get it on the first try, and faster than by hand.

5. If you're going to take a photo, have your buddy get the camera ready to go and point it at you, then pick the fish up for the picture, holding it by the tail with one hand, and the other hand under the body of the fish (see Bob's daily pics). Don't ever pick a fish up by the tail and hold it vertical unless you are taking it home. Their backbones are not designed to carry their weight out of the water.

6. Smile for the picture. You're a big stud that just caught a steelhead. Look happy.

7. Put the fish back in the water ASAP. If you're measuring it for posterity's sake, use a soft tape and measure the fish while it's in the water, not flopping on the bank.

8. Time for the release. Cradling it just like you did for the picture, point its head upstream in fairly slow current. Don't thrash the fish back and forth. At best it does nothing, at worse stresses the hell out of it and fills its gills with sand and silt that you're flushing up off the bottom. Sometimes a slight back and forth rock will liven it up a bit. I usually cradle it until it tries to get away, then don't let it go until it tries a second time. You don't need to shove it back in the river, just let go. It knows how to swim just fine.

9. Jump up and down, yelling "WAHOO!" at the top of your lungs, running up and down the river bank pointing at all the others and talking major smack. (This one is not required, but sometimes feels really good).

10. Start fishing again. No one ever caught a fish running up and down the bank yelling WAHOO.

I was going to say "that's it in a nutshell", but then I realized it's pretty long and not in a nutshell at all. So,...that's my take on it.

Fish on...
Todd