Topic: The Best Fish Grippers of 2022 (Read 48 times)
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Weight: 6 ounces
Materials: ABS frame, TPR-coated grip.
Weight Capacity: 110 pounds
This inexpensive package offers a wide range of features not found even in some much more expensive grippers and scales. It precludes the need to buy multiple tools.
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Relatively new fishing industry entrant KastKing makes a splash with this sub-$30 multi-tool that takes the guesswork out of measuring your fish while also subduing it. The heart of the operation is a digital scale which has a memory function allowing you to store up to nine weights. It co*es standard with a J-shaped hook for quick weights, but you’ll want to replace that with the included heavy-duty gripper via the attached split ring.
It makes handling big fish safer for you and the fish, and the non-puncturing gripper floats if dropped, so you won’t lose it. This product co*es with the necessary two AAA batteries and has an auto-shutoff function so it’ll retain sufficient power even if you forget to turn it off. The scale also includes a hook in case the gripper portion is not needed.
Weight: 2 ounces
Materials: Plastic and stainless steel
Simple design with few parts to fail and three different sizes means you can choose one most suited to the species you chase — even if they range in size.
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The bright orange exterior of this simple locking grip (other colors are available) means that if you drop it overboard not only will it float, but it will remain highly visible from a distance or in a slight chop. That’s a huge advantage for anglers’ whose hands may still be slippery from the slime of a trophy catch, or after cleaning that night’s dinner. While its construction looks rudimentary, the fish grip locks in place to secure your grip on a fish or to remain snapped shut in your pocket. It co*es in three sizes — Original, Junior and Mini — to account for the size of the fish you expect to catch or want to catch. There’s also a lanyard to further secure your hold on a flopping fish of any size.
These are the gold standard for inexpensive fish grippers. They’re inexpensive and they just work. Every boat, kayak, and tackle box should have one.
Weight: 2 ounces
Materials: Injection molded from durable high-impact resin
Distinctive design offers an alternative for anglers who constantly fear that their treasured catches will slip from a hanging-style gripper.
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If a fish is hanging from a vertical gripper, a mechanical failure or operator error can result in watching it co*e loose and sink away. Unlike most other fish grippers. The Amazing FishLifter does not clamp onto the jaw of the fish, but instead has a handle with a “spike” that runs up through the fish’s gill to immobilize it. That may not be great for conservation, and it may exclude really small fish (but you’re only after giants, right?), but beyond that it provides a fail-proof way to lift about as many pounds of fish as you can handle. It’s made in the USA and floats in case you inadvertently drop it overboard. To further prevent loss there’s a hole drilled through the base that allows installation of rope or lanyard.
This is the gripper for holding onto big fish you don’t want to lose and don’t plant to release. The design is ideal for fish that are difficult to hang on to like flounder.
Weight: 4 ounces
Materials: Aluminum alloy
Tools for cleaning fish are no place to skimp and the rock solid grip of this Cuda tool means protection for your fingers and eyes.
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While catch and release is ultra popular, and should be, there’s nothing wrong with eating a few of your favorite gamefish. If your fish has been appropriately dispatched and now it’s time to get it ready to eat, that doesn’t mean it’s no longer slippery. As you clean a fish, if it shifts you can lose not only a portion of your meal, but also a finger, so it pays to stabilize it. Cuda’s gripper can be used in two different handle positions, depending on whether you want to hold the fish from the top or from the side, and is highly corrosion resistant.
The aluminum extends throughout the entire handle to maximize strength and the scale pattern on the gripper provides further insurance that it will remain locked in your palm.
Just as no two rods or reels have a one-size-fits-all application, in order to find the right gripper for your day-to-day use, you have to realistically assess your needs and expectations.
We defined the term “gripper” broadly, to include anything that holds or immobilizes a fish — dead or alive — for the safety or convenience of the angler. Our primary goals were assessing ease of use, transportability, weight, durability and, where appropriate, conservation impacts.
If you plan to release a fish after using a gripper on it, a non-puncturing model is best. Furthermore, the same slime coat that makes them so hard to hold also protects them when returned to their home environment, so endeavor to wet down your gripper and your hands before handling the fish, and don’t let it thrash around in the grass, in the sand, or on the deck of your boat.
Perhaps most importantly, remember that if you are dangling a heavy fish from a gripper, or from a scale that includes a gripper, you may be putting a tremendous amount of strain on its jaws. That fish may swim away, but with a broken jaw its feeding abilities will be inhibited which may result in delayed mortality. Do your best to support a fish with a second hand — if you must weigh it vertically, try to minimize the time that process takes.
Clear-cut answers to your fish gripper questions.
Some fish grippers have a harmful effect on fish and may result in damage or mortality. If you intend to release fish, be sure to get one that has a conservation benefit.
A fish lip gripper immobilizes a fish when you want to hold it in place for a picture or to remove a hook. That prevents the fish from falling to the ground or injuring you and your friends.
By properly using a fish gripper, you can maintain a hold on your quarry, saving further damage to the fish, harm to you, or a slipped grip at an inopportune time.
Outdoor Life editors don’t just enjoy hunting and fishing as hobbies, the pursuit of these passions make us who we are. Our writers are diehard outdoors people, too. For more than a century OL, has been evaluating the latest and greatest outdoor gear and providing our readers with no-B.S. reviews. We test products in the field under real-world conditions. We write about the pros and cons of every product we review so that you know exactly what you’re getting if you decide to purchase the gear we cover. Only the best hunting, fishing, backpacking, camping, and survival gear will make the cut in our reviews and roundups. If we’re covering it, you know it’s legit.
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