Fish lip gripper
 

I recently picked up a lip gripper for the boat. As we are having a great year fishing with lots of walleye and pike coming in the boat . I got it to let my kids work with the fish a bit more. Before they wouldn't hold one for a pic unless I hand it to them. And I found they 'dropped' the fish more often then not.Now with the lip gripper they hold them up with no issues , and no fish slapping around in the bottom of the boat .

What's the thoughts on these lip grips? Are they a ethical way to handle the fish?

Thanks for your opinions

J

They aren't illegal, but they should be in my opinion. I don't like them.

I'm not a fan of hanging a fish by its lip/jaw due to the stress it puts on them, and I've seen too many videos and pictures of fish with severely damaged jaws and lips from people using them.

They are not a proper tool for catch and release fishing *in my opinion*.

X2

I had bought one and was given one but after reading the study that indicated damage to the jaw of the fish I stopped using them.

We used one for the first time this summer. For us they are now a must have to have in the boat when my son is trying to get anything with spikes on it's back that is flopping around out of the livewell. For the kids holding fish with one hand on the gripper and one under the belly, also great for taking pictures. If you use them properly, they are great. There are always going to be people against something you are doing, some folks don't even think fishing should be allowed, some hate catch and release, and some think everything they catch should go home with them. The one we used was my great grandfathers, it is like a long duck bill plier.

The key is using them properly, supporting the fish under the belly with the opposite hand. This unfortunately happens very rarely, and they can cause horrific injuries. As stated they are not appropriate for catch and release fishing in my opinion. People have been handling fish for many years prior to these things being introduced, the key is practice.

Teach your children to handle fish without using them, the odd cut or spike is no different than a scrape on the knee while learning to ride a bike. I think they will thank you in the future for it, as lip grippers cant always be right by your side.

Agree!

There are 2 main issues with lip gripping tools.

1) Fish are not made to hang vertically from a single lip.

This means that if you use a lip gripping tool you need to make sure you are only doing so in order to control the head and your other hand needs to be doing most of the lifting and controlling the body. If at any point you let go of the body of the fish and hang it from the lip gripper while it is thrashing etc you will probably do worse damage to the fish then if you had dropped it.

2) When a fish rotates most grippers do damage.

Pike are the main species people like to use these grips on here but unfortunately they have very fragile jaws and a tendency to try and twist/roll making lip grippers a poor choice for handling them. Boga grips or other grips that rotate freely are the best choice but are not without issue either. Boga grips for example have a very small contact area that often cause punctures/tears.

Learning how to safely and properly handle fish including pike is a much better solution that everyone should do and fish grips should only be used in the odd situations where they are needed. Children are a tricky situation because when they are really young they can't hold a pike properly(which imo is via the gill plate with one hand and body with the other hand) but yet they won't use a grip properly either if the fish starts to flop. In order to make it easier to get a photo etc I can see using them but you should try to minimize these situations and soon as they are old enough put the grips away and teach them how to properly hold them.

Walleye are much better suited to grips as they have thicker stronger mouth/jaw structures. They also behave far better then pike during handling as well so it is a lot less likely of doing damage to them with a grip. Because they behave so well it is usually unnecessary to use grips though since they will usually just sit nicely in your hand if you support their belly.

I can't think of any creature in the world that could be safely lifted via metal clamps to the jaw while thrashing around. I would never use such a contraption.

I avoid the use of lip grippers whenever possible HOWEVER if the choice is ramming your fingers into the gills and trying to do prolonged surgery (as the fish is repeated dropped or smashing into the boat and all over the floor) to remove a deep hook I will use them to control the fish.

99% of the time I leave the fish in the water and use my pliers to set him free (the grippers aren't used at all). The 1% of the time where the situation warrants it, I will lip grip him and do the surgery over the side of the boat with the fish still in the water. It is rare (almost never) would I lift up a fish heavier than a pound or two using the grippers.

Grippers have their place. They can save the life of a fish .......... if used properly. Unfortunately most people use these tools to hold the fish up for a photo or use them to remove hooks when they really aren't necessary. Others use it because they are scared to touch a fish or don't know how to pick a fish up properly.

I am licenced and certified to have common sense in the use of this dangerous device .... I would guess most anglers are not. If you would like to be licensed and certified send me $20 in cash with a self addressed and stamped envelope I will send you the study guide and test.

According to a biologist friend picking a fish up buy the gill covers or lip such as with the lip gripper has the potential to pull the entrails loose inside the fish as they are not built to hang vertically. He says if you feel the need to remove the fish from the water for unhooking and a photo op then you should wet your hands and hold the fish by the shank of the tail with one hand while supporting the belly with the other especially for larger fish.

Makes sense. I think as recreational anglers the only way we're gonna be able to justify bothering and possibly harming these creatures just for enjoyment is if we're very careful about handling them as well as we can.

That method is great in theory but isn't very practical unfortunately. One kick and you won't be able to hold onto anything and the fish is either gonna splash back in the water (bad) or drop several feet to the floor of the boat (bad bad). The chin/gill plate grip with one hand under the belly for support is the only one that really works while causing as little damage as possible IMO. And for proper release of big fish you can just remove your top hand while holding the tail in the other while the fish is in the water, little upright time with water through the gills and she gone.

I do this on species where this seems to work but it has been my experience this is not very effective for pike. For pike I use the operculum belly lift like RavYak described and only do this when needed. Like EZM I release the vast majority of my fish boat side still in the water. One thing I do that some may not do is if handling is required in the water I turn them upside down (belly up). I find they are more cooperative that way and we can then get them on their way quick and easy with out anyone getting hurt.

Picking up a fish by the tail is only practical for getting a picture once they are unhooked. You can't safely remove a hook etc while trying to hold a fish by its tail...

The gill plate grab is the best for pike because it allows you to control their head and it also forces them to open their mouths. A neat trick when trying to remove deeper hooks is to push/hold their mouth open with your middle and ring finger when holding them this way. Once you get good at this you will rarely ever need to use jaw spreaders.

I never fish pike intentionally. If I catch them it's not on purpose and any I do are always released by unhooking them in the water at boatside. You land one in a net and your net stinks for weeks. I can't stand the slimy things.

Hmmmm I use jaw spreaders, single lip holders etc, bottom line is when use properly and for the right reason the fish is effectively and efficiently released with minimal damage and this also includes taking a picture too.
Won't knock anyone's techniques after all the fish just fought for its life, is near exhaustion that's exposure to hard handling enough.

That is the problem though many people use them too often have inferior versions or don't hold them properly.

Same goes for weigh scales. Stupid scales probably kill more big fish then any other piece of equipment.

I've never understood weighing a fish you're going to be releasing. Put em on a tape if you're curious length and girth will get you close enough to its weight for bragging rights

I think the bottom line is simple .......... have every tool available to you that you might need to use in order to get the fish back in the water as quickly as possible without doing any more collateral damage than you have to.

Sometimes you are going to have to use tools that could be harmful to the fish, but the proper use of them is the key.

In my boat I have a assortment of tools, all ready in the rear console storage rack within arms reach ....

1) 2 regular needle nose pliers (medium sized straight)
2) large long straight handle pliers
3) thin long straight needle nose pliers
4) thin long curved needle nose pliers
5) hook / cable cutters (used maybe once or twice)
6) t handle trigger extraction thingy - (rarely used)
7) trigger grip long shaft pincher thing (hardly ever use it)
8) lip grippers
9) tape measure
10) scale
11) split ring pliers
12) knives (probably 2 or 3)
13) scissors
14) nail clippers
15) an old half eaten muffin
16) little flashlight (caked with muffin crumbs and some hair)

I only weight a couple of fish a year now but when I do It's in the net.

I have a very large very fine mesh knotless net with a basket bottom so as to not injure the fish or split the fins.

The net and fish are weighed together. The fish is released and the net alone is weighed and this is subtracted from the combined weight.

From time in water to fish return would be managed in seconds and you don't have to put undue forces on the fish as the pressures are pretty spread out in the large basket.

I could be wrong but I am reasonably confident this is faster than getting BOTH length and girth. I would think if your doing just length we would probably be about the same time out of water.

For what its worth I have long over sized hemostats both straight and curved as well. I found them more useful than some of the things you listed above . I think I got mine at Princess auto.
https://www.princessauto.com/en/deta...mp/A-p8005968e

I am still looking for a good muskey hook cutter though. I find most side cutters really don't handle this job well.

don't use them lip gripper on pike, you'll ruin their jaws and teeth

Ah yes ......... hemostats ...... I have some I use for trout and smaller fish and yes - you are correct they work nicely. They are also in the boat .......... somewhere ....... likely in my over stuffed glove box with the wolverine rings, and other odd tools like exacto knives and other just in case stuff.

As far as cutter .... it took me a long time to find a good set of cutter but I found some that actually will cut the shank of a big thick hook with on simple one handed squeeze. They are unbelievable. Here they are - prepare yourself for sticker shock - this is USD ....

https://www.muskyshop.com/tools-meas...-hook-cutters/

Agreed 100% people hanging fish vertically from a scale makes me cringe! if you want to weigh a large fish, invest in a fish cradle. wet the cradle prior to placing the fish gently in it. I weigh maybe 5% of the fish I catch.

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