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Posts: 582
| I have been doing alot of solo fishing on the weekends and have lost a few fish to netting, while handling the rod. I am looking for a more effective and safe way to land a fish, take a pic and successfully release. This past weekend i #*^@ near buried a large #5 treble in my hand trying to get the hooks out.
I recently saw someone with a set of boga grips in their boat while out musky fishing. I am wondering if any of you use them. If this is ethical for musky fishing. And if so, suggest a good set of these. |
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Posts: 697
Location: Minnetonka | Boga grips can damage the jaws of muskies if they decide to roll or thrash violently after grabbed. They are not ethical at all in my opinion, although they are used by many. A landing net is the most ethical landing tool for a muskie aside from just a pliers in the water. |
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Posts: 53
Location: Tomahawk, WI | Sounds like you just need more practice/patience while netting a fish by yourself. I don't see you boga grips are going to make landing a musky any simpler. Seems to me you'll have to get even closer to the fish while holding the rod and keeping the line tight.
What were you doing when you almost got hooked? You obviously already had it in the net. |
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Posts: 540
Location: MN | Do not use a boga they damage fishes jaws. Here are the 6 tools that every Muskie fisherman needs in the boat.
1. Net
2. Jaw spreader
3. Long plires
4. Short plires
5. Knipix
6. Hook pick
with these 6 tools a guy should be able to handle anything. If you think you'd lose less fish with a boga I'd like to know why? |
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Posts: 582
| Actually, i have been netting alot of fish myself so i do have the experience. Been doing this a while. However, every now and then you get a fish that is going to thrash at the worst possible time.
And holding a 9 foot rod in 22 mph winds over a rock bar near shore, while trying to net a fish isn't the easiest thing to do. |
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| Thrashing fish is a part of landing a Muskie. A Boga would shred a muskies mouth apart. |
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| Net the fish using a lightweight net. For the release, you need an 11 inch bent tip long nose pliers and a Lindy fish handling glove. The glove goes on your left hand if you are right handed. The glove is mostly hook proof, but not 100 percent.
http://www.lindyfishingtackle.com/productdetail.aspx?id=lindyfishha...
Hook cutters and jaw spreaders are needed if you have trouble. When removing hooks, keep the fish's head under water--it minimizes thrashing and the chance of getting a hook in your hand.
Brian
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Posts: 582
| I have never used one, didn't really plan to but wanted to find out if others are using them. As you can see from my original post, i asked about the "Ethical" nature of using the grip. Pretty simple question i thought. and yes, i have all the tools, been musky fishing for many years, usually with a partner in the boat. But getting out more now individually is something i cherish to do regardless of the weather or situation. After almost dropping the rod or the net in the water, at the same time trying to preserve the life of the fish, i was thinking about better ways of making sure of a successful release. Again, pretty simple question. |
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| I used to use one but now have a net. I have landed close to 100 fish using one and never shredded a jaw. I can see the cheaper brands doing so as the head does not swivel like the boga and they will gator roll when you hook them.
The downside is the extra fight time it takes to land one. You will lose fish due to that. As stated you are close to the fish when you land them. The net is still your best option.
What net do you have? I have a frabill big game. I land fish alone with it but i suspect if I had the big kahuna it would be harder to do so by myslef. |
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Posts: 393
Location: Hopefully on the water | I would think of it not being a "ehtical" way to release a fish. My reason for this thinking os 2 things. First being the majority of the time I have seen these used the fished head is out of the water for longer periods of time. Secondly is the stress on the fish being it a lower jaw or if the fish is lifted partial out of the water now you have more a vertical hold on the fish. Just my 2 cents worth but I would opt not for using one of them.
one thing that may help for in these situations is if you could drop a anchor once netted it could help keep you off the rocks while working on the fish. It still could make it challenging to get the fish in the net but one that is done you would have more time to work on a good unhooking and release for the fish. Good luck fishing. |
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Posts: 2687
Location: Hayward, WI | I've never owned a Boga, but don't some people use it just to keep a grip on the fish while unhooking? I don't think they would be good as a "landing"aid, since they fish would have to be played out a lot longer, and you would be aiming for a small target to get the thing clipped in to the fishe's mouth while also trying to keep a bend in the rod, bending over, etc.
I think the net is your best initial bet. After that, would it be bad for the fish to hook a Boga with the swiveling jaw to te fish to keep your hands more out of the way while unhooking? Once unhooked, release the Boga and grab the fish normally? From what I can tell, I wouldn't like the Boga for lifting fish.
Like I said - don't have one, never used one, so I'm not sure how gentle they are on the fish.
curleytail |
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Posts: 4343
Location: Smith Creek | I fish alone a lot and foresight is a solo fisherman's best friend. Always ask yourself "what if I caught a 45" fish right now?" If you're fishing the windy side of a rock reef either position the boat to drift to either side or leave your outboard running or simply don't fish it. I've driven 5 miles to a spot and realized I forgot my headlamp, pliers, jawspreaders, etc. Or gotten to a spot and there were 3 foot waves piling up on the shoreline. If by chance you do catch a fish in those situations you'll realize it's not fun, and then what's the point? |
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Posts: 552
Location: WI | If you're using a boga as a landing tool, I guess the question is how is a boga going to keep your hand further away from the thrashing hooks than a net? Personally, if a fish is going to let you get a boga in its jaw, it's going to let you net it. As far as a release tool, I saw it quite a bit this winter on the fishing shows and they'd clip it on the lower jaw and kind let the fishing hang down into the net w/ it's mouth open. Made me cringe every time. I say use a jaw spreaders. Plus, if you don't get one, you won't ever have to worry about getting your picture taking w/ a fish dangling down from a boga looking like you're afraid to touch it. I fish solo 90% of the time and the one thing I found to help in unhooking a fish in the net by myself is to find a spot in the boat where you will be able to wedge the handle of the net under (one fthe seats in my case) while keeping the bag of the net in the water. Then you can use both hands on the fish and not one to control the net and one to unhook. |
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Posts: 388
| My advice is to use the lightest action rod that you can get away with for the lure that you are using. You can get away with a lot more on the solo net job if you can keep a deep bend in the rod.
I think that you may loose more fish trying to get the boga grip into the mouth of the fish while handling a long rod versus a landing net. From a safety angle, I think that reaching near the mouth of a fish with sharp teeth and hooks close to your free hand is another issue to consider.
Edited by Yake Bait 7/13/2010 5:32 PM
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Posts: 295
Location: Southern Ontario, Detroit River and Lake StClair | pepsiboy - 7/13/2010 5:51 PM
LOL Ask the same question to the guys id st-clair lake
they will tell you boga is something very useful with my big big boat boat,maybe they will kill something like 40+ musky but who cares they have nice boats.i really wonder the kind of giants that lake could produce without all those pro ''charters''
If you've never been there and used one don't yap about it. The man asked for anyone with some experice using one and you obviously don't fall into that category as do some of the others that replied. I've owned a Boga since I first saw one back in trhe early '90's. I've used it on hundereds of fish and never found it to tear or cut a jaw anymore than a 6/0 hook would and the majority of the time its less. Like mentioned already some of the Boga copies that dont have a twisting head can cause some damage if a fish goes crazy but still not much more than a big hook in the underside of the jaw.......BTW way I dont have a big fancy high sided boat either.
Good Fishin'
Tim
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Posts: 512
| I use these for bass sometimes, but never did for muskies.. except for last year..
my nephew got a 51 and it had the bait deep, fish was in the net, just used it to hold its mouth basically, didnt hurt it... i would never hold one with it.
i dont think i would have gotten the rear hook out without doing major damage if i didnt use it..
fish swam away strong
just my 2 cents
Dave |
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| There are some pretty good fisherman landing some pretty large fish out east and use a gaff, it is my preferred method when fishing alone. It is very fish friendly and a quick process for a safe and healthy release. It would be another option as well...BR
Edited by BenR 7/13/2010 9:21 PM
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| Havent used it on a regular basis but I find them to be very valuable for controlling a fish's head in the net. Two weeks ago mu buddy stuck a 52 that was hook bad we were able to hold the fish in the net with a bogo grip and cut the hooks. IMO jaw spreaders are more of a hastle and I would rather use a bogo grip. As a landing tool however it would be very difficult to get it on the fish nets are better. |
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| roughneck is right on! as i posted before- a few key points:
1. you MUST put the wrist strap on, it's easy and comfortable. otherwise that fish can twist from your grip and swim away with it clamped on its jaw. when taking a picture use the boga AND support the fish horizontally.
2. buy a boga or one that has a swiveling head- as stated above if it doesn't swivel, jaw damage is very possible.
3. why aren't you seeing more 'pros' on tv using them? it's called sponsorship, and if boga could divert from the saltwater stronghold they have and concentrate a little more in that aspect on the musky guys more would love the bogas. frabill products are great, but they are also very sharp in their marketing.
the boga is a great tool, that helps keep the fish and fisherman safe. but just as everything else, when used correctly!
steve |
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Landing a musky.. boga grips