Fish Lips

[12lblargemouth]

Ok here is a gripe and who is with me in not to contributing to the problem? I am a guy who feels a strong afinity towards taking pride in trying to keep the resource a live and well for eveyone. Yes I could definately do more to help out there, but my complaint is this. I fish tournaments, and fun fish even more, and hate seeing some of the brutality to the fish. The thing that turns my stomach the most is seeing or catching fish that have been the victim of very unfriendly culling systems and scales that you have to punch a hole through the fishes under-jaw. I know it probably does'nt bother the fish as much as I would think, but I hate seeing it. I use clip culling systemsinstead of stringer style, and when using the scale always place it under the fishes last gill plate instead of whole punching. My only hope with this post is that maybe this will help spur more idea's / purchases for fish friendly techniques (scales, culling systems, live wells, nets, weigh in bags), and maybe to plant the seed for the next fish that someone catches they give it some thought. Lets just keep as friendly as we can in general!

[Greg_Cornish]

My next purchase will be the Bocca Grip or equivalent.

[tunaman]

I'm with you 12lb... I try not to punch holes in their lips, and take great care when placing my Cull-M-Rite in the first gill slot. I use Lifetags for tagging my fish, and take great care to not make any more holes than the inital hookset.

I hate to see bass blowing bubbles in my livewell!

Roger

[g-man]

12LB I agree 100000% and I have said this long ago. No poking..CLIP!

If you can catch bass then you can handle them. Take care, and if the clip falls off weigh it again without punching a hole in its face. If more people could do that, I could catch more fish in Franks that don't look so messed up!!

[Steve]

I have a major problem with this as well, any hole is a portal for infection no matter how small. If anglers have to put a clip on a fish they just need to take the time to put it as close to the bone as possible. And nobody needs to poke a hole in a fish to weigh it. Yes, if you put the scale hook between the body and the last gill arch you have to be careful that the fish doesnt shake like hell when weighing, that can cause damage. But if you observe the fish you will know which ones will shake and which ones wont, and you can see it coming such that you can grab the fish before it shakes. It just takes a little more time. Plus, if you weigh the fish immediately upon catching its usually tired enough that it doesnt shake.

Franks is a black hole, once a fish is caught and released there after a tourny it has no chance of escape. It just keeps getting caught, poked with scales, clips and balance beams, weighed in, released, caught........ and on and on. Ive caught more mangled fish in the Franks area by far than any other place Ive ever fished. Ive caught a few fish there that I just should have killed to put them out of their misery.

[Ron Hunnewell]

I got a set of these and they work great.

Ron

http://www.glorybag.com/App_Content/home.aspx

[philip garcia]

I agree with you guys but let me give you the other side of the coin. I fish over 20 tournaments a year and have tried everything because I also care about the fish. But I have found that most of these new ways arent very good. The life tags were ok but when you go to pull them out they hang up on their gills and after time their teeth wear out the tube and they break. In one season I had three of them break and wasted $45.00 . Then came the clips well any fish over 2lbs when you go to pull them out of the livewell they come off and during a tournament time is money. So with that being said the ropes with the clips is the best way in a tournament for me but I have tried other ways and if something else comes out I'll try it and hope it works but till then I'll poke holes. The good thing about fishing franks is someone already did it for me.

[tunaman]

IMHO, the tags/culling ropes/clips aren't intended to hoist the fish out of the well... that's probably half the problem. I use the tag to stabilize the fish so that I can thumb it... works well, best control of your valuable catch, less trauma, and no extra holes.

Roger

[12lblargemouth]

The purspose of the post is not demonize poking but to just have people discuss it in the forum and to discuss it outside the forum as well. This intern will help spur more awareness on all of our parts to just take a second of that tourney time to perhaps think of alternatives or prevent un-needed poking. I hear your comment of not wasting time, and also the statement of in-effectiveness of products on the market. But I agree with Tuna's method and use the same technique when taking my fish out of the live well, I use the clip style cullers and pull the fish to the edge of the well and lip him, and when weighing I just hang the fish not use the cull tag. But who knows maybe this will spur a new invention in culling systems and weighing systems for the future. But anyway, I appreciate you fellas and gals mullin it over, and keep the good ideas and proven practices coming, god knows I have alot to learn!

12lb

[g-man]

The biggest problem with poking holes is people pull the fish outta the LW by the marker, and the fish shakes and tears the hole even bigger. I have seen this over, and over again! i fish about 20 tourney a year, and thats not counting turkey shoots, and I like to use the clip on ones. Yes they do come off sometimes, but I prefer it over poking holes. If you do poke hole just be smart about where you poke, and how you handle the fish.

[philip garcia]

It's always hard to get the right message across on the forum so let me help clarify what I mean. With the life tags I don't pull them out of the livewell with them. I meant at the end of the day when I go to put them in the bag undoing the tag it always gets stuck in the spines on the gill plates and over time the teeth of the fish rub away the rubber tube. THE spring hinged clip comes off when you grab the rope and they start shaking violently before you can get your hand in their mouth. I don't try to pull them out with the spring hinged clip it would never hold. That is why I decided to use the stringer style clips and I must confess I use the rope to get them out. The main reason I do is because it is very secure I can hold that rope without getting my hands all messed up when they start shaking and ripping my hands to shreds.I know some of you wont like to here that but I would have to say that at least 75 percent of tournament anglers do it that way and i would bet that the number is even higher than that. I know caring for the fish is important and like I said I have tried all of the ways but it take me half of the time this way than any other. With that in mind isn't it better to handle the fish the least amount of time.

[g-man]

I choose not to poke them, and I'm not saying cause some one does that its a bad thing. What I'm saying is that if you do try not to yank your fish outta the LW by the marker. I know guys that do poke holes, but don't pull them outta the LW with all the basses weight, and shaking. This is a much better way to handle the fish without causing more damage. I just see so many people holding fish by the marker, and the fish shakes, and it causes more damage. To each his own, but try to take as good care of the fish as you can. Phillip my posts were not derected to you at all. I'm just putting my oppion out! i have caught so many fish with big holes in the faces, and its from guys mishandling there fish when they pull them out.

[biteme]

I choose not to poke them, and I'm not saying cause some one does that its a bad thing. What I'm saying is that if you do try not to yank your fish outta the LW by the marker. I know guys that do poke holes, but don't pull them outta the LW with all the basses weight, and shaking. This is a much better way to handle the fish without causing more damage. I just see so many people holding fish by the marker, and the fish shakes, and it causes more damage. To each his own, but try to take as good care of the fish as you can. Phillip my posts were not derected to you at all. I'm just putting my oppion out! i have caught so many fish with big holes in the faces, and its from guys mishandling there fish when they pull them out.

You've caught lots of fish! HA! J/K bro
I agree nothing wrong with a clip to get the fish ready then lip em!

[12lblargemouth]

I guess it really comes down to how much it means to you as an individual. IMHO, I really think it is worth the time and effort to keep the resource healthy, free of holes, free of viral opprutunities, and post traumatic stress. When it boils down to it how much extra time and effort does it really take, I venture to say a minuscule amount of time in the sceme of things. And judging by a large part of the population of fish caught in our Delta and lakes it is time to start being aware.

12lb