Releasing fish with the dowel and cup hook takes a little practice but is really the least intrusive method of the ones described above. A friend of mine gave me a home made version of the dowel and hook He made this from the butt end of an old trout rod..He epoxied a hook in the hollow end and made a longer fish releaser with a nice foam handle. Pliers are the rule most often but some boats like mine for example are far enough off the water than you could fall overboard if you left the fish entirely in the water. The hook on the stick is worth a try for all you old dogs who won't try a new trick.

By the way the gaff hook works on the same principle but WDFW enforcement may get excited if they see you with a gaff near a salmon....not good.