R - I agree with your issue re/ releasing kings. My practice is this - No nets, ever! I attempt to beat the fish quickly, with one hand I grab the leader and swing the fish along site the boat and tail it with the other hand. Once tailed, they seem to always lay quietly. With a xtra long pair of needle nose I quickly remomve the hooks. Any deep or gill hooks are left in the fish to rot out. Once de-hooked, I tilt the fish with a push towords the bottom. The fish never leaves the water. If you need to revive this fish significantly, you are taking too long to land it.

Netting them I belive does the most damage. I also witnessed several time last year a charter boat net a king, pass it around for pictures, then release it.