Small fish can be safely unhooked in the hand after being swung in, larger fish should be unhooked while lying on the bank supported on a soft surface such as an unhooking mat.
Be careful when unhooking fish not to grip them too tightly, and only handle them with damp hands to prevent removal of slime.
Most of the time a fish will be hooked in the lip, and the hook can be easily removed by hand. Grip the shank of the hook between finger and thumb and gently pull it out. Barbless hooks will come out easily, but barbed hooks may need to be removed by very gently shaking the hook at the same time as pulling to release the grip of the barb.
If the fish is hooked deeper in the mouth and you cannot reach it with your fingers, you may need to use forceps to grimly grip the hook to remove it using the same technique as above.
Using a Disgorger
When a fish has swallowed the hook and you cannot see it to grip it with forceps you will need to use a disgorger. You should make sure that you have several of these in your fishing kit and jacket so you can quickly lay your hands on one when needed. Some anglers have a disgorger on a piece of string round their neck, or on a cord attached to their jacket so it is close to hand.
A disgorger is simple to use, but takes a little practice. Keep the line under gentle tension by wrapping it around a finger of the hand that is holding the disgorger. Then, slide the disgorger on to the line using the slot in the side, and gently push the disgorger down the line until you feel the resistance of the hook.
A further gentle push should dislodge the hook, and you should then turn the disgorger by about 25 degrees and pull it back out of the fish. It should come out with no resistance, so if it will not come out easily, the hook has not been dislodged and you need to repeat the process.