Boca Grip use...

[Dave LeGear]

I had a interesting E-mail chat with my friend and local radio personality Captain Mel and Ron Taylor of the Florida Wildlife Research Institute (FWRI) about Boca Grip use... Now I have heard and read from Ron in the past, about how using such can kill some fish when held up for a quick weight check (Hey I am guilty of such) by breaking the isthmus which is the muscle that connects the lower jaw to the body and they slowly starve to death...

So I asked about grabbing the fish (mostly Snook in my case) by the top jaw instead? Thinking that would help lower the mortality rate and here is his answer to Mel and myself that I thought you may like to review

----- Original Message -----​

To: Capt. Mel​

Sent: Thursday, May 11, 2006 6:57 PM​

Subject: Boca Grip use questions.​

​

Now I have not tried this myself, but I was wondering... and something you may want to ask Ron Taylor (The Snook Doctor) "if" it would be better / safer to use a Boca Grip on a Snook's Top Jaw so that the Isumus (think that is spelled correct?) is not broken that way you can still get a weight of a fish?​

​

Now granted it is still being held in a vertical position which is not all that great on their gut track I hear, but here again, they do jump around a lot out of the water and the same laws of physics apply. So I would think that using a Boca Grip in that matter may save a few of the larger females while still allowing the guys to get a quick weight at the same time ​

​

Just Wondering?​

​

Dave​

​

----- Original Message -----​

From: Capt. Mel Berman​

Sent: Tuesday, May 16, 2006 5:02 PM​

Subject: Re: Boca Grip use questions.​

​

​

I agree Dave that using a Boga Grip can definitely assist with the catch and release -- IF the fish is supported and held in a horizontal position. There is no doubt that when one hangs a fish -- especially the larger ones -- vertically, we can do great harm to the critter.​

​

Mel​

​

----- Original Message -----​

To: Capt. Mel Berman​

Sent: Tuesday, May 16, 2006 5:13 PM​

Subject: Re: Boca Grip use questions.​

​

​

Hanging one vertically though, is the only fast way to get a accurate weight measurement and would only be for a few seconds. That is why I was wondering IF grabbing them from the "upper jaw" would be less harmful? Maybe Ron Taylor could secure us a scientific answer as to "if" it would do less harm in that manner instead of using the lower jaw as most people do?​

​

Thanks again!​

Dave​

​

​

From: Capt. Mel Berman ​

​

​

Sent: 05 16, 06 5:31 PM

​

To: Taylor, Ron

​

Cc: Dave

​

Subject: Fw: Boca Grip use questions.

​

Dear Ron:​

​

​

When you get a chance -- see email thread. Would love your take on those issues.

​

​

Thanks,

Mel​

​

​

From: Ron Taylor

Cc: Dave ​

Subject: Fw: Boca Grip use questions.​

​

​

morn mel, i have mixed feeling about boga grips and their use. let's be honest, there has been no research on this implement and the only study comes from Australia and barramundi. the researcher captured 50 barra with a net, held them vertically long enough to weigh and measure them and then placed them in a holding pen. within 48 hours all of them had died. their carcasses were taken to a hospital and x-rayed. the films revealed that many vertebrae had separated by as much as 2 millimeters and that the internal connective tissue was damaged. a boga was not used, nor were the barra suspended by the top jaw, but by the lower jaw. so i have no observations on which to base an answer to dave's question. i can only tell you what seems logical to me.

​

​

by holding any large fish vertically leaves the fish vulnerable to injury. certainly by grasping the upper jaw removes the possibility of injuring the isthmus but does nothing to prevent lumbar separation or internal damage. but let me say something here- not every fish that is 'boga-ed' will be suffer injuries. here's the dilemma: having not used a boga in our mortality study back in 1998-2000, we had a 2.13% mortality rate from catch-and-release fishing on snook. if we use 2.13% as a minimum rate, then we have lost about 38% of the total snook harvest in 2004 just from hooking injury. now add the possibility of additional injury caused by a boga and you understand the problem. so it behooves each and every angler to treat each and every fish caught with the utmost care so not to damage the fish. as our population grows and catch and release becomes more popular, we must conserve and preserve as many of our fish as possible. otherwise, our future fisheries are in danger of collapse and not supporting our fantastic hobby of fishing.

​

​

now what can be done?? we here at fwri are about to enter into a large 5-yr research program to find some answers to just this problem of catch and release fishing. when this program goes into full swing, we will determine the best practices for proper catch-and-release. will it be 'circle' hooks, larger sizes of hooks, to use lip-hooking devices or not, to hold a fish vertically or not, just how long can a fish be held out of water before it becomes detrimental. we will answer those questions!!! but we will need help from the angling public to fish in our experiments and donate their catch to our study. and this is where you can help us capt mel- to dessiminate the call for assistance. i already have a list of anglers who have volunteered to tag fish, which probably means they will help in other ways. ultimately, it will be the florida anglers that benefit from this research so hopefully they will help us. long answer to a short questioni know, but i thought you should know what we as an agency, have planned as future research. thks mel and go well. rt

​

​

​

So there you have it and you be the best judge... I say that if you are not interested in getting a weight or a few quick pictures, then don't even bring the fish into the boat if at all possible. If you do need to secure a weight, either take tape measurements and do the math while keeping the fish flat OR you can "try" grabbing them by the top jaw (lesser of the 2 evils) and do it both smoothly and quickly to (hopefully) not kill your prize fish at the same time... Keeping them flat and in the water, still is the best bet so our kids will have something to fight when they grow up

​

​

​

​

​

 

[Genelie]

Thats good info, I personally grab between the gill plates, I hate those tiny teeth, they cut you and you do not realize it untill the next day.

 

[k9reno]

Dave I just read an article in the June Saltwater sportsman on that topic. Maybe some one can devise a horizontal sling or weigh bag to use with larter fisn as to not fatally injure them.
You can do that right mister marketing...

 

[cagrove]

Dave I just read an article in the June Saltwater sportsman on that topic. Maybe some one can devise a horizontal sling or weigh bag to use with larter fisn as to not fatally injure them.
You can do that right mister marketing...

Muskie fishermen have had cradles for years...don't see why it wouldn't work on other fishes as well.

 

[LittleCasino]

Good read Dave,

This has been a concern of mine this spring with the striped bass. We use cradles on muskies when we want to get a weight (Frabill makes a cushion coated cradle thats fish friendly)

We have started using the cradle on some of the larger striped bass.

 

[MolarBoater]

OK, I'll let the cat out of the bag and give up my million dollar idea to you guys.

A landing net with a "Boga" style handle.
Just net, grab the handle close to the net on the grip and hold verticle like a Boga.

Done, no fish harm and same accuracy yet fish gets the posh hammick treatment.

I expect to see this item for sale in the back of FS or SW soon on a 1/8 page ad.

 

[jergofish]

Molar, you can pretty much do that now if you want. Just hang your net and fish on your digital scale and then weigh just the net. You can get waterproof digital scales from a number of manufacturers you local bait and tackle stores. I have a Berkeley at less than $20 that stores weights, gives total bag weight, etc.

 

[MolarBoater]

Had a Rapala one but didn't last the first trip. Maybe just a dud but went back to the Rapala 60lb Boga syle.
I only wish it didn't weigh so much, you would have to attach an anchor buoy to the thing to keep it from sinking if you dropped it overboard!

 

[Jan from Humboldt]

Removing a fish from the water isn't good for it.

I fish a lot of halibut here and what we've found is the very best thing is do not handle the fish at all unless you plan to kill it.

With halibut when you net them you break the slime coat and sometimes also split the fins and tail a fungus rot sets in and the fish is as good as dead.

I use carbon steel hooks and I release the fish in the water next to the boat, if the hook is too deep to safely (For me as well as the fish) I just snip the line as close to the mouth as possible the hook will disolve in less than a week.

To haul a fish out like you see on TV is a good way to kill them, you just don't see them die right away.