fish grippers and lippers

[rookiesmallmouther]

what are some inexpensive low price compact fish grippers? i hate losing fish when i lip them with my fingers and they will thrash around and i end up slipping my fingers or getting hooked by my lure so i think any kind of device that can get a good hold on my fish without hurting them will be great. no boga grips and such as they are to me a new rod and reel or new equipment. i like the orvis grippers cuz they are small but cost 100 bucks! looking for cheap but still works for the averege freshwater game fish

[J Francho]

http://kayakfishinggear.com/thefishgrip-madeintheusa-newcolorspinkandglowinthedark.aspx

[okiefisher8]

either of these might work

http://www.basspro.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/Product_10151_-1_10001_72385_100011000_100000000_100011000_100-11-0

http://www.basspro.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/Product_10151_-1_10001_50327_100011000_100000000_100011000_100-11-0

[.dsaavedra.]

lipping bass shouldn't be a problem at all, they don't even thrash when you have them by the lip. pickerel on the other hand, they thrash more when you have them by the lip.

i use the berkley digital lip grip great for weighing bass or any big fish. it also doubles as a gripper, i use it to land and hold pickerel while i unhook them, and if they are big enough i will take them off the scale for just a second while i turn it on and then put them back on to weigh them.

[Marty]

I have two of the ones that John linked to on the kayak site. They were about $13-15 from Cabela's and I'm very pleased with them. I do use them more for weighing fish than landing them.

There's one minor complaint, which is that they're not spring-loaded so you have to keep it open while gripping it by using your 4th finger to keep one handle away from the other.

[endless]

For bass I use a gripping glove that you can by at bass pro shop. I use to have a pair of grippers that I lost and boy did I need them for my pickerels I caught a while back. I refuse to use pliers to grip fish. My grippers was similar to the first link okiefisher8 listed.

what I want though is thoat dog catcher type tool, you know the pole with the rope at end. Man I could use that for those snapping turtles. I caught some big boys last year.

[mntreeman]

And so what is wrong with a net?  Is lipping bass a macho thing.....hey I can't believe you are all tournament fisherman!  Maybe we should all be concerned about the welfare of the bass and have a non traumatic (for the bass) catch & release.

[Dan:]

And so what is wrong with a net? Is lipping bass a macho thing.....hey I can't believe you are all tournament fisherman! Maybe we should all be concerned about the welfare of the bass and have a non traumatic (for the bass) catch & release.

Everything I've read would suggest a net would be more likely to do damage than holding a fish by the lip.

Besides, it's hard to get a picture of a fish when it's in a net.

[Hooligan]

And so what is wrong with a net? Is lipping bass a macho thing.....hey I can't believe you are all tournament fisherman! Maybe we should all be concerned about the welfare of the bass and have a non traumatic (for the bass) catch & release.

Everything I've read would suggest a net would be more likely to do damage than holding a fish by the lip.

Besides, it's hard to get a picture of a fish when it's in a net.

Yes and no.  Old style nets with knotted bags can remove scales and slime coat.  Newer nets like the Frabill conservation series are far, far less likely to result in problems.

For that matter, when it comes to holding a fish out of water in any capacity, think of it like this.  Run a hard 50 yard dash, hold your breath for as long as you can.  That's about as long as a fish can stand it out of water.  Same concept.

[Dan:]

Sure, there is less chance of removing slime coat with a rubber net, but there is no chance of it with lipping a fish.

[Hooligan]

Sure, there is less chance of removing slime coat with a rubber net, but there is no chance of it with lipping a fish.

No, but other damages can occur...

[J Francho]

I'm still trying to figure out how all these guys saying not to lip a fish get the freaking hooks out.  Someone post a video of this, please.  Otherwise, you're blowing smoke.

[A.Do?]

I'm still trying to figure out how all these guys saying not to lip a fish get the freaking hooks out. Someone post a video of this, please. Otherwise, you're blowing smoke.

Very good question! There have been a bunch of times where lipping is required to get the hook out (for me at least)!

Also, lippers vs lipping with hands are different in my eyes. A lipper can be used with the fish still in the water and requires the smallest amount of contact with a fish.

[J Francho]

The grip keeps your hands away from trebles, especially useful for smallies.  I sometimes net the fish, and use the grip to immobilize the fish.  Allows for a QUICKER RELEASE, which I feel trumps all these other silly lip concerns.

[Big Bass Chaser]

For that matter, when it comes to holding a fish out of water in any capacity, think of it like this. Run a hard 50 yard dash, hold your breath for as long as you can. That's about as long as a fish can stand it out of water. Same concept.

Largemouth bass are a lot more resistant to hypoxia (being deprived of oxygen) than you think.  While I don't advocate holding a bass out of the water any longer than you have to, I've seen studies stating that largemouth can be held out of the water as long as 30 minutes without death after being returned to the water. Google "largemouth bass hypoxia", you'll get a large number of studies on the subject. Smallmouth on the other hand are much more susceptible to hypoxia and should be returned to the water ASAP.