Jim, good question! Do as you usually do...don't catch them in the first place they are alot of ways to do this, and every body has their own way. Maybe this we can discuss at the G-meeting for all to get in on...but wait a day or two and this site will be full of ideas.
   One way I do it in the winter and fun fishing is to tie a small rope to the bottom of a plastic milk box with the box upside down put the fish back in the water with the crate over the top of him and lower it down. The crate will push the fish down, being that it will want to float. Keep lowering it down and when the fish is ready and recouperated it will swim out from underneith the crate. Just alil time consuming, but fish will live.
    Now for a more thrilling way. If it's a fish you can spare (perch) and there are Eagles in the trees, just toss em out and watch the fish and the Eagle. Pat S and I feed an Eagle a 13 inch perch on the tournie, although I do this alot on other lakes this was the first time pat saw this act of nature so up close. it's awesome watching them put their landing gear down and snag lunch. VW

I heard from somewhere, I believe Bassmaster Mag. that you can take a Barbless hook.......rigged on a heavy Dropshot....20 lb test with a 3-5 lb ball weight and hook the fish on the OUTSIDE of the nose........and lower him down.....when you pop the line the fish just swims off...I would like to see this and how it works with a Camera first though and maybe we can tape it to show at a meeting....Hmmmmmmmmm....

HAHA, Glenn  And, I just started going to school again for those stupid fishes. I still have a ton to learn!!! I keep asking the fish questions, and they never talk back... You will also notice that there are hardly ever any biologists that become excellent fishermen. The only one I know off the top of my head is Ken Cook. I am DOOMED FOR LIFE!

Hey Chris there might be hope for you yet in school.  Roland is a fish biologest and he might have won a tourny or two in his day. FYI

As you know, Larry G. and I have been winter fishing for years and caught hundreds of bass down to 60 feet.  We had the same fears too when we started fishing deep, but we've watched fish after fish return straight to the bottom on the sonar.  The trick is to use a little tougher line than usual and get them to the surface ASAP!!!  If you sit around and try to finesse them up - you'll create all kinds of problems.  Get em up fast - and they go down fast!

It's true about the perch - they're gull food most of the time from that depth.  That's why we only troll for the big boys - away from the schools of little guys.   Use larger lures (rapalas) so only big mouths can swallow the treble.  Look for arches near the bottom - not the clouds that represent a thousand little guys. Those hump-backed bruisers are loners (or in pairs) and don't go to school any more.  Bring them to the surface and they're headed for the pan anyway!