Off Topic Fish gripper/lipper

rastam4n

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I've been using the same fish gripper/lipper for several years, and it has some flaws, mainly the handle is no longer adhered to the shaft, so it can slide off, no amount of glue or adhesive has proven to fix this issue... also if the fish is very angry they sometimes rip their lip open... maybe this model has some sharpe edges that are allowing this to happen... Anyhow, I am in the market for a couple of new ones preferably with no scales.

Suggestions? Which one do you like and why?
 
I use this kind, it's not sharp to puncture the lips but holds well, if I'm to keep the fish then can force trough the soft skin on bottom jaw
Also use it when salmon fishing for revive fish behind the boat just put extra rope on it ,one thing i scared a crap out of my self when forgot the fish was there and leaned over the side to grab the rigger ball 🙄😱, not sure what is called or the brand Screenshot_20230314-194922_Gallery.jpg20200801_061739.jpg
 
Get a Bogagrip. There are lots of imitations but nothing works as securely as the name brand original.
 
Those pictures are of a Boga Grip. I have been using it for over a decade and never lost a fish. Not cheap but after trying the Berkley years years ago I should have spent the money on a Boga in the first place. Mine does have the built in scale and weighs exactly one pound so you can hang in on a digital scale to be more accurate....... just don't forget to minus a pound....not that has ever happened to me in a tournament....... I really like the added security of a heavy rope tied to the Boga, great idea.
 
So I bet I have the Canadian Tire (or similar knockoff) version of this. It looks as though the Boga grip has a foam or neoprene handle and the rest have some sort of formed rubber handle... On mine the formed rubber handle has broken free of the steel shaft under it, I tried gluing it back on, but it just doesn't want to hold. I think the one in the pictures from @Ticker are not a Boga grip as it does not have the external scissor arms.
Knock off on the left and boga grip on the right.

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All Boga Grips have a built-in scale.

I was just thinking to myself about the money I am spending on a new boat and the electronics and outfitting it this year and somehow $160 for a fish gripper is warranting this long discussion with my inner self... WTF is wrong with me...

Thanks for the heads-up on the original gripper, I always buy quality if there's an option to do that.
 
So I bet I have the Canadian Tire (or similar knockoff) version of this. It looks as though the Boga grip has a foam or neoprene handle and the rest have some sort of formed rubber handle... On mine the formed rubber handle has broken free of the steel shaft under it, I tried gluing it back on, but it just doesn't want to hold. I think the one in the pictures from @Ticker are not a Boga grip as it does not have the external scissor arms.
Knock off on the left and boga grip on the right.

View attachment 71136View attachment 71137

All Boga Grips have a built-in scale.

I was just thinking to myself about the money I am spending on a new boat and the electronics and outfitting it this year and somehow $160 for a fish gripper is warranting this long discussion with my inner self... WTF is wrong with me...

Thanks for the heads-up on the original gripper, I always buy quality if there's an option to do that.
I stand corrected, didn't notice the "scissor" action but I do own an original Boga, was just too lazy to go out to garage for a picture.
 
@Ticker... We obviously have the cheapo knock-off gripper... maybe ours have not broken because of what we catch? :p

Who needs a weigh scale anyway? 😂

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I do believe mine is a Berkley product
Had it for 10 years without any problem
Also got one with a built in digital scale, I use that only to weigh the fish not sure submerged in water will be fine, my wife loves theat tool makes it easier for her to hold the fish , here is a picture with the built in scale Screenshot_20230315-102550_Gallery.jpg
 
This is my gripper. Don't know who made it, it's a hand-me-down, handle repaired a few times but it's the best working one of the three on the boat.

gripper.jpg

Have a couple of new ones to test out in 2023. 🌻
 
This is my gripper. Don't know who made it, it's a hand-me-down, handle repaired a few times but it's the best working one of the three on the boat.

View attachment 71146

Have a couple of new ones to test out in 2023. 🌻
I picked up one plastic one at Kitchener tackleshop a couple years ego ,was inexpensive and it was a different design more like a wisegrip style, it let go on the first fish I tried it on , I think it's somewhere in the bottom of the boat compartment or lake Erie 🙄🤷‍♂️
 
An advantage of the Boga over the cheaper knockoffs is that the handle swivels. This is supposed to make it far gentler on the mouth of a thrashing fish and harder for that fish to slip out of the jaws. I don't have any first hand experience with it, though - I use a knockoff too (or my hands).
 
Prior to getting my Boga I had tried the Berkeley and one other one I cant remember. Both eventually failed and I just decided to suck it up and get the Boga. Look for them when you are down south. I grabbed mine at a bass pro saltwater focused store down in the Keys years ago and it was a heck of a lot less than the prices quoted here. The scale is quite accurate in my experience and the swiveling jaws help when dealing with toothy critters thrashing around beside the boat. Buy once, cry once.
 
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