Fishing:

Getting Started in BTBFF - Part V: Essential Extras

A Cleaner End Game

We were surprised at the number of times that a device to handle the fish at boatside came up. However, if you stop and think about it, it makes sense.

Most of our fish have teeth, and many are large, strong, slimey, or an inconvenient shape (e.g. halibut). If you're not practicing catch-and-release, the usual approach is to stick them with a gaff. But if your intent is to retrieve the fly and let the fish go, you need to find a way to get the fish under control without harming it.

What are your options?

• A "lipper": The standard for a number of years has been the BogaGrip by Eastaboga Tackle. In the last few years, a number of similar lip-gripping devices have surfaced from companies like Berkely and Rapala. We've tried a couple of different types of lippers, and here are some observations:
  • Lippers with thick, bulky gripping jaws are not that useful BTB, as most of our fish don't have a big, bucket-like mouth. Thin, flat steel jaws are the easiest to insert into the tightly-clenched jaws of a tuna or yellowtail trying its best to get the heck out of Dodge.
    
    
  • It's nice to have a lipper that can rotate in the handle. Several species of fish, most notably halibut, spin or thrash when you try to land them. If the lipper can not rotate in the handle, you run the risk of ripping the fish's lower jaw apart.
    
    
  • Integrated scales are nice to have, but keep in mind that it's not a good idea to suspend a fish by the jaw if you intend to release it. You run the risk of damaging the fish's jaw or spine.
    
    
  • A new form of lipper that has appeared is the Lippa4Life from Rising. It is similar to a pair of pliers, but the jaws are smooth and do not quite meet at the tips. This reduces the amount of jaw damage that can result.
    
• A good release net: Under California DFG regs, you have to have a net on board to assist in landing undersized fish. There are several nets with mesh bags designed to protect the fish's slime coat, and / or resist tangling in hooks, and these are highly desirable. However, the problem with most nets is that the hoop usually take up a lot of space. We keep an old Fenwick folding net on board, and have used it to successfully land yellowtail and tuna up to 20 pounds, but it has a regular knotted cord bag, not one of the nice bags made of fish-friendly material. The best folding net we've seen is the Promar Trophy Collapsible Net, which combines a folding frame with a snag-resistant fish-friendly bag, and it floats!
  
  
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  ARC Dehooker
  (Click for larger image)
  
  Business end of
  the ARC Dehooker
  (Click for larger image)
  Another option when releasing fish (and probably the best, from the C&R perspective) is not to pick it up at all! Use a de-hooking device of some sort to unhook the fish while it is still in the water. Not only do you eliminate the trauma of forcibly picking the fish up by the jaw or head, you eliminate the possibility of removing some of the fish's protective slime coating. Pacific barracuda and white sea bass are particularly prone to infection if their slime coating is damaged. (NOTE: If you have to handle these species, be sure to wet your hands before touching them.)
  • The ARC Dehooker is the current hot choice, but there are several "touch free" hook removers on the market. Keep in mind that a hook remover that works simply by pushing backward on the hook bend will not work unless the hooked fish is heavy enough to provide resistance to the force of pushing on the hook. If the fish is too small, you will have to grab the fish anyway.
    
    In the case of the ARC Dehooker, smaller fish hooked on the outside of the mouth can be released by using different angles between the leader and the tool.
    
    
  • Some hook removers consist of a metal "V" or open fork. The "V" has to be placed in the bend of the hook before the device can be used, which can be very difficult to do from the deck of a rocking boat, especially if the fish is struggling a lot. Hook removers such as the ARC Dehooker loop over the line, allowing the hook remover to be slid down the leader to the hook bend.