I usually mash my barbs on my flies. Using the right net is important too. Fish harvest is also very important. Catch and release has created large imbalances in many cases especially with the ongoing western drought. It depends on the species, the environment, time our of water, how long you "work" the fish to land it (shorter is better) and the simple act of wetting your hands before handling. I do Tenkara almost exclusively now and I've noticed the landing techniques are much more complicated with the long rod and you're taught to tire the fish. I'm not comfortable with that. So I try to work them faster and don't focus solely on landing. If I lose a few fish so be it. It can also be really important to keep and eat invasive like brooks, lakes and rainbows.
Great discussion here. But always follow the law of the land. Just makes it hard for the rest of us.
