A fishhook remover and method are achieved by a remover tool that has a handle shaped like a pistol stock and a slender shank that extends away from the pistol-grip handle like a barrel. The slender shank terminates in an end substantially configured in a J-shape, but which also includes a fork that flares out in the direction opposite to the handle. In use, the fork of the tool is preferably inserted in an elbow portion of a fishhook to allow a user to push in the elbow and unhook the fish. The handle of the remover tool includes a lateral flange. The flange is arranged so that a user, gripping the handle like a pistol, can reach his or her thumb out and press it firmly against the flange. That way, a user can clamp fishing line between the flange and his or thumb, and thereby keep the elbow of the hook pulled tightly into the fork while maneuvering the tool. The J-shaped portion of the tool allows the user to catch the elbow of the hook like the way two links of chain contact each other. A fish can be unhooked by swinging the fish in an orbit in front of the chest of the user. During the swing of the fish, the fish comes unhooked somewhere past the top of the upswing. A fish can be unhooked by this method without the user ever directly touching the fish with his or her hands.