berkley digital lip grip

[.dsaavedra.]

http://www.basspro.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/ProductDisplay?storeId=10151&catalogId=10001&langId=-1&partNumber=50327&hvarTarget=search&cmCat=SearchResults

is this product worth the $50?

i have a berkley 50 digital scale (type w/ the hook on it) and it is very nice. it is accurate to within an ounce and i like it alot, but was looking to upgrade to something a little less stressful to the fish (im not the most nimble with that big meat hook on the scale) and easier for me to operate.

is this lip grip just as accurate as the regular berkley digital scales?

thanks

[T-rig]

Yes.

[tennwalkinghorse]

Mine works great scale is very accerate I use it to set the drag on my reels also.  Lip grip is strong really holds fish I like the power down feature  saves the batterys. I would buy other if this one goes.

[broncoboxer]

Bought mine recently and used it for the first time yesterday.

It works great.

Nuff said.

[MaxDal]

I really don't see the point in using a grip for largemouth.

Unless you want to use it for stripers, dave.

IMO, fish grips do damage fish jaws.

I don't like them at all.

Even worse with big fish.... when you do the math, you're putting the whole weight of the fish on a tiny percentage of its body.

I agree with you... that big meat hook on the tournament serie scale does look mean.

I'd suggest using a weight bag or replacing the "meat hook" with a plastic clamp.

[.dsaavedra.]

I really don't see the point in using a grip for largemouth.

Unless you want to use it for stripers, dave.

IMO, fish grips do damage fish jaws.

I don't like them at all.

Even worse with big fish.... when you do the math, you're putting the whole weight of the fish on a tiny percentage of its body.

I agree with you... that big meat hook on the tournament serie scale does look mean.

I'd suggest using a weight bag or replacing the "meat hook" with a plastic clamp.

well when you think about it, lipping a bass with your thumb puts all of its weight on a small percentage of its body too.

i dont wanna use a bag because i dont wanna damage the fish's protective coating.

wouldnt a plastic clamp be pretty much the same as the jaws on the lip grip scale?

[David P]

I really don't see the point in using a grip for largemouth.

Unless you want to use it for stripers, dave.

IMO, fish grips do damage fish jaws.

I don't like them at all.

Even worse with big fish.... when you do the math, you're putting the whole weight of the fish on a tiny percentage of its body.

I agree with you... that big meat hook on the tournament serie scale does look mean.

I'd suggest using a weight bag or replacing the "meat hook" with a plastic clamp.

There's negatives with every single way of weighing a fish. Piercing holes in the mouth, putting into a bag, sticking it near the gills, all can be dangerous or bad.

If using a scale that holds the fish by the lip is bad, I'd think lipping a fish in general and taking a photo of it is bad as well. You're putting all the weight in the same general area.

[Glenn]

I love this scale.  Had mine for a few years now, and had it checked for accuracy through several weight ranges - it 100% accurate.  Easy to use, easy on the fish... by far the best scale I've every had!

[grimlin]

I love this scale.  Had mine for a few years now, and had it checked for accuracy through several weight ranges - it 100% accurate.  Easy to use, easy on the fish... by far the best scale I've every had!

I've been looking for a scale for over a year now....I think i finally figured out which one i'm gonna go with now.

I've been stalking this thread.... ;D

[David P]

I got the XTools scale last week, despite hearing a few bad things. I have a buddy with one, and his is 100% accurate. Not to mention it floats / is water proof. I almost dropped my older scale in the water twice last week alone.

So far, mine seems very accurate, used it with a few things around the house to check.

[MaxDal]

well when you think about it, lipping a bass with your thumb puts all of its weight on a small percentage of its body too.

i dont wanna use a bag because i dont wanna damage the fish's protective coating.

wouldnt a plastic clamp be pretty much the same as the jaws on the lip grip scale?

Hi Dave,

As for the bag, God knows I'm not carp fishermen's best friend, but I have to admit that the bags they use for keeping and weighting fish are very good at not damaging the fish's coating.

You'll find them in every online carp tackle shop.

I actually had this digital scale from berkley, and the one thing I didn't like about it, was that the head would not rotate.

Apart from that, it's a great product.

But I think a rotating head is what makes the Boga grip a very good tool .... and an expensive one too. :

The digital scale was a good product with normal-sized bass (I've never caught a 10pounder)... I don't know how it would fair with a 12 or 15 lbs bass (though I guess you won't see that many double-digit bass in the beautiful Chesapeake State.... but you'll sure find big stripers).

From my personal experience with pikes (we have big ones), it really hurts the bigger fish.

Take a look at this picture :

http://www.casimages.com/img/jpg/0710060724161352265.jpg

and zoom in on the pike's lower jaw.

(it's not me on the pic, another french fisherman.)

I know we're hurting the fish with hooks anyway (that's what PETA would say, ;D) but I think there's a fine line between a hook and the damage you'll see in the pic.

It happened because of the fish moving at the end of the grip and because the grip would not rotate with the fish.

Of course, you can as well hold the grip by the little lanyard, and hope it doesn't break.

To sum it up, if you just want to weigh normal fish, go for it.

I wouldn't advise it for big fish though.

[.dsaavedra.]

ok well im not sure if i will be catching too many 15lbers : ;D so i think i'll be alright.

another reason i want this scale is to handle pickerel. i catch a lot of pickerel but i hate handling them cuz they are so slimy and i have been bit more times than i would like :.

[JigNBig]

The only way to solve to pickerel problem is to not put them back in the lake. We catch gar around here and he snap them in half and throw them back in the water.

[.dsaavedra.]

The only way to solve to pickerel problem is to not put them back in the lake. We catch gar around here and he snap them in half and throw them back in the water.

well thats mean!

pickerel are not a problem either.

i really like catching pickerel!

[David P]

That's a pretty large pike. But also, the clamps on it look to be metal without an guard on them. I can see now how that might damage the fishes mouth. The Xtools scale, is a plastic piece on the end of it, and it's round, not pointed at all.

[broncoboxer]

I love this scale. Had mine for a few years now, and had it checked for accuracy through several weight ranges - it 100% accurate. Easy to use, easy on the fish... by far the best scale I've every had!

If it's good enough for Glenn, it's good enough for me.  

[MaxDal]

That's a pretty large pike. But also, the clamps on it look to be metal without an guard on them. I can see now how that might damage the fishes mouth. The Xtools scale, is a plastic piece on the end of it, and it's round, not pointed at all.

So I see, we actually agree with each other. (I may have a hard time explaining myself sometimes).

I think clamps on Berkley's grips, (on most grips for that matter) are always metal without plastic guard.

And yes, that's why I'd also love to have a Xtools Scale.... maybe soon.

[T-rig]

I actually had this digital scale from berkley, and the one thing I didn't like about it, was that the head would not rotate.

Mine does.

[.dsaavedra.]

I actually had this digital scale from berkley, and the one thing I didn't like about it, was that the head would not rotate.

Mine does.

wow maybe something is wrong with yours cuz every single review i have seen said it doesnt swivel. is there something you have to push/pull to get it to swivel?

[MaxDal]

Yop my mistake !!

Just checked mine after Daniel's response, (or what's left of mine).

It still doesn't rotate, but it looks like it was designed to do so.

Maybe a deffective ball-bearing or something.

My mistake ! :-X

So, I was wrooonng ! Wroooong !

But I still don't like them grips  

[T-rig]

wow maybe something is wrong with yours cuz every single review i have seen said it doesnt swivel. is there something you have to push/pull to get it to swivel?

Just drop it on the ground a couple of times. ;D ;D

Just kidding. I bought mine in Germany, could be a different model.

[broncoboxer]

I actually had this digital scale from berkley, and the one thing I didn't like about it, was that the head would not rotate.

Mine does.

wow maybe something is wrong with yours cuz every single review i have seen said it doesnt swivel. is there something you have to push/pull to get it to swivel?

Mine swivels too.