09-05-2003, 11:15 AM
[cool]Anytime you hook a fish with spines or sharp gill covers, you put your air chambers at risk if you do not keep the fish in the water and under control. I have had to make an unscheduled return to the bank more than once when a flopping fish got a spine in my craft. The absolute worst is to have a small perch or sunfish come off the hook while you are lifting them from the water...and then make one bounce off the air chamber and escape...but not before leaving behind a "souvenir" of their visit. One dinky spine can deflate your ego and your tube.
Salt water fishes almost all have the potential for doing damage. A net is the universal tool for helping subdue stickery fish and keep them out of contact with the flotation system. Skilled use of a net not only protects the tube, but helps neutralize the fish without undue stress on them, if you do practice the C&R thing.
Increasingly, you find folks using the mechanical lip grippers. The one sold by Berkeley...without a scale...is just under $30...and can handle some big fish with complete safety and control. They also have a bigger model for about twice as much.
![[Image: i014820sq02.jpg]](http://a1460.g.akamai.net/f/1460/1339/6h/www.cabelas.com/cabelas/en/content/Item/01/48/20/i014820sq02.jpg)
Cabelas is offering a new plastic gripper for about $10 that looks like a good lightweight item for tubers. I plan to pick one up myself on my next order. I have used several different models, and they all serve to help control fish, with a minimum of damage to your hands, your tube and the fish.
![[Image: i013780sq01.jpg]](http://a1460.g.akamai.net/f/1460/1339/6h/www.cabelas.com/cabelas/en/content/Item/01/37/80/i013780sq01.jpg)
These things are ideal to use in conjunction with a net. Use the net to scoop the fish and hold it steady while you grab the lip. Then, you can get the net out of the way while you remove the hook.
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Salt water fishes almost all have the potential for doing damage. A net is the universal tool for helping subdue stickery fish and keep them out of contact with the flotation system. Skilled use of a net not only protects the tube, but helps neutralize the fish without undue stress on them, if you do practice the C&R thing.
Increasingly, you find folks using the mechanical lip grippers. The one sold by Berkeley...without a scale...is just under $30...and can handle some big fish with complete safety and control. They also have a bigger model for about twice as much.
Cabelas is offering a new plastic gripper for about $10 that looks like a good lightweight item for tubers. I plan to pick one up myself on my next order. I have used several different models, and they all serve to help control fish, with a minimum of damage to your hands, your tube and the fish.
These things are ideal to use in conjunction with a net. Use the net to scoop the fish and hold it steady while you grab the lip. Then, you can get the net out of the way while you remove the hook.
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