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Posts: 25
| Gave it my best the last 3 days. Fished pretty hard and covered tons of water. Paid off with a few nice smallies, one of which was over 4 lbs and I missed what I think would have been a 5+ fish that completely sharked the bait.
So anyway I will be doing mostly river and creek fishing from the bank for a while. I’ve been reading through some older threads but wanted to ask this again.
What’s the best way to get a Musky under control if you can’t slide it onto a muddy or sandy bottom? Is it worth investing in a Boga Grip or one of those plastic lip grippers? I won’t be able to carry a net with me all of the time. Will be doing a bit of wading and hiking.
I will need to fit these tools in my backpack. Can’t load it down with tons of stuff.
I think I will be using mostly barbless hooks. Should I still have a Knipex or hook cutter with me at all times? Same thing with a mouth spreader? I have a 11” pliers from Rapala on order. Will this generally be sufficient?
That stuff adds up fast. I’d prefer to spend that money on cool musky baits but seeing a big fish swim away healthy will always make it all worth it to me.
Appreciate all of the suggestions.
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Posts: 343
| I've waded and shore fished muskies a bunch over the years and have had my best luck with a real, not a knock off, 60lb Boga Grip. The Boga allows me to control a fish in the water while I unhook it, and helps control the head while I support the fishes body to raise it up for a photo. Also Bogas swivel which allows the fish to roll without hurting the jaw, unlike many of the copies, which are fixed (a rolling fish can break its own jaw). Another benefit, unlike a net, no split fins. |
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Location: Athens, Ohio | IMHO, a lip grip of any brand is harmful and potentially fatal to the fish. Should the fish twist or roll while you're lipping her, it can be bad. Best to get a lightweight net with a long handle, and wear your waders. I started out muskie fishing small streams like you describe. The net worked best for us. m |
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Posts: 864
Location: NE Ohio | i only fish the early spring from shore so the fish are pretty lethargic from the cold water but i use a hand net with a deep bag. tire them out and then into the bag. they swim away slowly but powerful when ready to go. i bring all the release tools i use regularly. haven't lost one yet. good luck! |
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Posts: 25
| Thanks. Appreciate the comments. Not entirely sure how possible it will be for me to have a big net with me in some of the places i’ll be fishing since I might have to hike through thick brush. Will need to think about that.
I have seen some comments saying the boga grip is really bad for the fish, but if the head is able to rotate like the model suggested by true tiger tamer, would that be ok? |
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Location: 31 | I've actually done quite a bit of fishing from shore many years ago. I used a 5 gallon bucket for baits, extra leaders, and camera, but that bucket wasn't always handy enough to release fish on the spot with, so I kept hook-outs and a full length welders glove shoved in my back pocket. I didn't worry too much about getting pictures (they suck anyway when alone), I would just let them paddle around until I could safely unhook them... keeping them alive and in the water by myself was my #1 goal. Barbless is a great idea, I also used cheap hooks with a heavy-duty leader and line so that when I got snagged *most of the time* I could just bend the hook to get my lure back. |
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| EastCoastSkiis - 3/22/2020 8:04 AM
Thanks. Appreciate the comments. Not entirely sure how possible it will be for me to have a big net with me in some of the places i’ll be fishing since I might have to hike through thick brush. Will need to think about that.
I have seen some comments saying the boga grip is really bad for the fish, but if the head is able to rotate like the model suggested by true tiger tamer, would that be ok?
I have seen the many negative comments about boga grips, and while I would agree if you are lifting the fish from the water it could be quite harmful, I don't see where using it to keep the fish still, in the water, while you unhook is that harmful. Compared to have a fish thrashing around in shallow water, likely getting hooking on the outside while thrashing, I think that would be less harmful. I had a musky guide at a musky seminar tell me he sometimes uses one while the fish is in the net, to stabilize the fish and get the hooks out or cut. He never uses to lift, only to hold it still. The guide was in the audience, not presenting in that session. |
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Posts: 1735
| Having been attached to a hammer handle Pike with a treble hook I would say anything to control the fish from thrashing would be a good thing. |
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Posts: 343
| Boga grips swivel most others don't, I'm pretty confident my releases survive and aren't swimming around with deformed jaws and tore up fins. I caught the same tiger 4 times in the space of about a month, always appeared healthy to me, Boga gripped all 4 times, (fish become harder to grab with the gripper when recaught). |
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| Brian Hoffies - 3/22/2020 4:08 PM
Having been attached to a hammer handle Pike with a treble hook I would say anything to control the fish from thrashing would be a good thing.
Something similar is why I asked the question about the Boga at the musky seminar. I had gotten seriously attached to a musky, probably just under 30" when I tried to unhook without netting or touching. Took long handled pliers and unhooked the treble I could see in its jaw and expected it to swim away. What I had not seen was that a second hook, from another treble was hooked on opposite side, outside the mouth. As I straightened up, fish swung and buried a treble in the joint of my left thumb. Got it out with nothing worse than a sore and bruised thumb but would just as soon avoid that. The guide told me at break that was why he used one from time to time to hold the fish still in the net. He had too many hooks in his hands.
Edited by North of 8 3/23/2020 2:19 PM
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Posts: 25
| Sounds good. Guess I’m ordering a boga soon.
Bronze hooks are the way to go with moving baits for muskies almost all of the time it seems? Makes cutting them out easier? And I will definitely pull the hook ends out of the fish.
I used to try to get rid of those bronze hooks as fast as possible on my bass baits. Kind of funny realizing there’s still a huge niche for them. I’ll have to take a look at a few different models and figure out what will work for me. |
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Posts: 1
| Jerry Newman has it right...Leave the fish in the water. A net is worthless..Use a safety glove and LONG handled pliers. Have hook cutters handy. Take you time and the fish will settle down. If you want a good picture or an exact measurement you need to get back in the boat.been doing this way since 1963.... |
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Posts: 25
| Got long handled pliers, mouth spreaders, a knipex but instead of ordering a Boga (once I saw the 60 lb model was $250 I couldn’t justify it) got a Rapala lip gripper. The head rotates and that seems to be the most important thing. Gotta get a safety glove though. Thanks for all of the advice! Hopefully I get to put it to good use soon!  |
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Posts: 688
Location: Already Gone | I see absolutely no problem with a boga grip...if used correctly like everything else today. I see alot more damage done by guys that don't know how to grip a fish correctly. Especially when they grab into the gills thinking that's correct. If I have a fish over 45 inches that needs to be handled for a picture and a quick release, the Boga is the best tool out there.
I have a 75 yr old partner who just won't learn how to correctly handle Muskies, so the Boga in my boat, and handled by me exclusively, is a permanent and valuable tool.
You have total control over the fishes head, support the body properly, quick pic if they want, and off you go. I've never injured or dropped a fish using the Boga correctly. |
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Posts: 343
| I was unaware that Rapala was making a swivel head grip, it is probably alright. A 30 lb Boga is much cheaper than a 60 lb, unfortunately it has a much shorter handle, or I'd recommend it as well. |
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Location: 31 | 100% agree that a Boga Grip would be a solid release tool when used correctly.
Here's the welders glove I use with the addition of a super fabric thumb that I rubber glued on from a Lindy fish handler glove. The reason I did it this way is because the Lindy glove does not offer the protection for the back of the hand or wrist like a heavy welder’s glove. Although it's not for everyone you can literally lip a muskie like you would a bass with the super fabric thumb, as evidenced from the small cuts in the outer layer (I think there's about 5 layers). It works awesome to help control the head, and when they're deeply hooked it opens up the mouth wide like a mouth spreader.
I started using the welders glove to protect the back of my hand and wrist in the 80s, and it just evolved from there… every once in a while a fish will thrash and stick a hook point into the leather, and you end up with a little scratch or puncture. However, I've never had any fish manage get the barb past the leather, although I suppose it's possible. I cringe when I see guys unhooking fish in the net with bare hands because if you do this enough, we all know what will eventually happen. If you decide to try this method you would need to remove all of the glove lining and cut off most of the welders glove thumb so you can get a better feel and grip on those small front teeth of the lower jaw, it's imperative not to allow your thumb to slide into the large canines.
Edited by Jerry Newman 4/6/2020 10:52 PM
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Posts: 489
Location: Northern Illinois | I’m reviving this old post with some new information. I read with interest an article by Jordan Weeks in Musky Hunter magazine (August-September 2020) that cited a study done on the use of lip gripping mechanical tools on bonefish. The results of the study showed 18 of the 20 fish handled with the grip tool suffered some injury. The injuries ranged from less severe non-perforating injuries to perforation of the skin behind the lower jaw and broken mandibles. The bonefish tested were smaller than typical muskies caught, so it’s not an apples-to-apples comparison. However, it makes me wonder if there is a “safe” way to use these tools. |
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Posts: 66
| Boga Grips can be great tools to use if used properly.
1. You have to have a version that has a spinning shaft so when the fish spins his jaw is not broken. Years ago I bought a Cabelas Brand that does this. When the fish rolls he does not get a bind and break his jaw. I am not sure if the BOGA Brand spins this way. Note: The fish will be injured in most cases if you use a version that does not do this.
2. Do not pick up the fish vertically by the Boga. Reach into the net (or water in your case) and support the fish under the belly and pick him up with the Boga in one hand and the belly of the fish in the other. Quick picture and back in the water she goes.
3. Make sure you buy a version with a Lanyard. If it does not have a lanyard, make one that you either attach to your boat or one that goes around your arm. You do not want to accidentally drop the fish in the water with the boga attached. (would be expensive for you and not good for the fish.)
We encountered a guide last year and he saw us catch a fish and proceeded to tell us his thoughts on Bogas. We are like well thank you for that buddy, but we know what we are doing. What he was saying would have been correct with the type of boga that does not have a spinning shaft. Hope this helps you.
Edited by jase2 8/9/2020 6:50 AM
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Posts: 343
| I recently read the article by Jordan Weeks and I have a question. How many muskies receive hook holes in their mouths from being hooked? Perhaps everyone needs to fish their lures hookless, or not fish at all. Any fish that is hooked receives some damage from the fishing hooks, I see fish handled correctly with a boga sustain less damage from the tool, than the hooks in most situations, though there are exceptions. Every fish that is netted loses some slime and a lot receive split fins. I believe a lot of the two tone muskies and pike that show up on web pages, are the result of being netted and perhaps sliding thru holes, taking off a substantial amount of slime on a section of their bodies. Just my 2 cents. |
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