Any thoughts on fish grips?

[Bass assassin]

I came across this fish grip on Ebay. Any thoughts on if they help/hurt landing fish? I would use it mostly when fishing for pike.
http://cgi.ebay.ca/Lipper-Fish-Gripper- ... dZViewItem
Thanks.
BA

[BBRich]

I gotta say I am against these fish grippers! We all talk about proper holds on our fish then we see guys on TV using Boga grips or whatever they're called.. You really have to think "can the fish's jaw support it's body weight"? Chances are with a musky, pike, walleye or big bass the answer is NO! If it doesn't have the swivel so the fish can spin it will simply break their jaw when they try to roll, and let's face it as soon as a toothy critter gets locked in one of those things it rolls like crazy.

IMO, buy a big net. Those Bogas can't be good for fish, no matter what TV fisherman promotes them.

[muskymatt]

Any vertical hold on a large fish is not good, potential death sentence, The fish grips I've seen do nothing but rip the mouth when they struggle.

The cartiledge in a fishes mouth and neck aren't made to support their full weight.

Too many times I've seen lower jaws split down the middle, a tell tale sigh of grips.

Maybe I'm a little anal with C.P.R in the last ten years , but fish health and a good release have become a prioriety with me.

Good net, keep em in the water as long as possible and quicker back in , is sort of my theory

[Lookinforlunkers]

I goota agree with BigBassRich and MuskyMatt on this one. Man when I see fish thrashing around on those things it kills me. If a fish is held properly generally it will relax or calm down somewhat. When they are thrashing around like that it should tell ya something. Put a Walleye in the palm of your hand it sit there cool as a cucumber.

[Spence Scout]

Why use them? How can it possibly be an advantage to using a net besides it being smaller and compact and easier to fit in your box or soft bag. Seriously think about it metal prongs clamping on a fishes mouth while its hooked and lifting by its lip into the boat. If the fish is heavy its likely dead!!!

Nets still the best innovative way to go even though they can be big or bulky go with a tangle free or rubber net. Cheaper then a good quality lip grip anyway!

[Bass assassin]

Thanks fellas. Some great points made that confirmed my suspicions with these things. I too have seen them used on shows. One host said they were best thing to use, but the points made here make a lot of sense. I have decided against the grip.
Cheers!
BA

[Lucannus]

Another point to consider.

I use one! Have used it for 5 years now.

Any tool improperly used can lead to damage but consider this.

Small fish, no problem.

Larger animals and such of course you need a net to bring it into the boat, but by using a lip gripper I do not have to put my hand in or around the fish's mouth, teeth and gills.

Of course large fish are going to be suppported in a vertical hold One hand holding the lip gripper and head and the other the body. Not only am I not putting my hand into their gills with potential hurt to me and the fish but I am minimizing the contact ( Protective slime removal) I can control the head while I remove a lure while ensuring all my fingers stay on my hand.

Second opinion, loyal user of the lip gripper.

[sparky]

Thank you, lucannus, for a point of view that needed to be told. These grippers are a pike or walleye's best friend IF they are used properly. If you have a gripper and use it properly, you don't have to squeeze the fish, fumble around in its gills, lose your hold and drop the poor thing, or remove its slime and split its fins in a net. You do have to support the critter's body at all times. Dangling a fish by the jaw is not using the gripper properly, and I can't believe the idiot TV anglers who do it. I use mine mostly for kayak fishing, where a net would be impossibly awkward to use. The lip gripper lets you control the fish IN THE WATER while you're unhooking it. It may be the best catch-and-release tool you can buy. Nets can kill.

[muskymatt]

Thank you, lucannus, for a point of view that needed to be told. These grippers are a pike or walleye's best friend IF they are used properly. If you have a gripper and use it properly, you don't have to squeeze the fish, fumble around in its gills, lose your hold and drop the poor thing, or remove its slime and split its fins in a net. You do have to support the critter's body at all times. Dangling a fish by the jaw is not using the gripper properly, and I can't believe the idiot TV anglers who do it. I use mine mostly for kayak fishing, where a net would be impossibly awkward to use. The lip gripper lets you control the fish IN THE WATER while you're unhooking it. It may be the best catch-and-release tool you can buy. Nets can kill.

Good points Sparky

Some nets can KILL
But then This is now realized based on the new net technology

But The point I got from your post is it's almost always human error , being over anxious or just plain neglectful

So I guess it doesn't matter what you use ,if you use it wrong you will have an undesireable outcome.

Being that I fish mostly big fish, I choose not to use the grips!

[DaveH]

I'm a big believer in nets, and keeping the fish in the water as long as possible...

but...

I DO see the advantage of the grips when ice-fishing. In fact last time I was out FishrJay and I missed two really nice pike because we were either slow or reluctant to put our hands near those big teeth!!

I mean, for ice fishing you pretty much HAVE to bring them up vertically, at least until they are out far enough that you can drag them onto the ice.

I'd much rather be carefully using grips like that to pull them out of the ice than pulling them out by the hook they are attached to!!

And again, properly used, especially with a big girl on the side of a boat, I think it makes it a lot easier to keep them in the water the entire time you're trying to get a hook out.

But just lifting them up vertically by the gripper...bad bad!!

Actually going back to ice fishing, I think the grips would be an even better way of controlling the fish on the ice while trying to get the hook out...again no contact with gill plates or anything, and better than squeezing them while tryin to pin them down on the ice!

My two cents!

[CCLad]

Berkley filleting gloves are outstanding. You can easily tail a fish, with a no slip grip and it does minimal harm to the fish. It's all my brother and I use for pike and musky. Tail em, cradle em, release me.