Fish Release Gizmo

I'm not a fan of gadgets or gizmos. I'm a firm believer in keeping it simple - A stick, a string and a fly. However for the past two years I have taken to carrying a fly removal gizmo, and as a result have not had to touch a single fish in that time. This thing works like magic. The only limitation, you have to use it over water (i.e. while wading), since the fish falls right off the hook. I think using this gizmo is in the best interest of the angler, and more importantly, the fish. The only downside, in order to make one, you will have to drink a bottle of wine.

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p.s. I didn't invent this, I did see a similar design from which I fabricated the one I use.

Looks awkward & bulky. Just get a Ketchum.

I guess beauty is in the eye of the beholder. I formerly used a Ketchum, at least for me, this design works alot better. The gizmo I pictured works on a slightly different concept than the Ketchum. Of course, everyone should use whatever floats their boat.

For us thickheaded guys, could either of you please explain how to use that gadget? I'm flummoxed by it. Maybe I missed something along the way. ~Paul

I prefer to use a pair of combo scissor clamps. This is what I usually use here but I also have some of these that work well too. I have always eyed the Ketchum Release tool and thought it looks pretty slick (not Dr Slick) but would work well. However the price is ridiculous. Twenty bucks for that little piece of....well plastic? Highway robbery in my opinion.

I assume here is the item pszy22 modeled his tool from and how it works. I'm not at all a fan of hanging a fish by the hook out of the water but this is how it works. I guess if you dunked your hand under the surface and held the fish above in the water column this will work without taking the fish out of the water.

I bought one of the Guide's Choice models to evaluate, but the snow and ice arrived before it did so I haven't tested it yet. I suspect the "how to" video shows the fish out of the water so high and for so long so that the viewer can easily see what is going on. I would not be surprised if you could engage the device on the tippet while the fish is still in the water, like a Ketchum release, and then it might be just a quick slide up to the hook and a jerk sideways to disengage the hook - particularly if you fish with barbless hooks. If Spring ever comes I'll try it out and report back.

Yep, that's the original design I saw http://www.deadwoodtradingpost.com/F...in-Oregon.html


As Chris says, the video is indeed exaggerated, perhaps because they are fishing out of a boat. While wading, there is no need to remove the entire fish out of the water.

Again, personally I much prefer this tool to hemos, to me, this is much easier on both the fish and your fly. I've tried just about every tool out there, this is the one I like. There is no poking, groping or jerking involved. It takes a couple of tries to get the knack, but once you do the process becomes automatic. Engage the tippet, slide it down, gently lift, the fish is gone.

Other than the cost of a bottle of wine, there is no cost and very little time to make one up and give it a try. I think I used a thinner gauge wire on mine than on the original, it works down to a size 18, which is the smallest fly I fish. Not sure if it would work on something as small as a 20, I just don't know. The wire does need to fit inside of the bend of the hook. (edit - I just revisited the above site and it looks like they have a smaller gauged wire model in addition to the original I first saw)

Of course, I guess it might be like pizza, the fact that I like thick crust with green olives doesn't mean you will. Then again, is there anything we all agree on when it comes to fishing?

pszy,

I agree with both you and Chris in that the tool should work just fine without taking the fish out of the water. I mentioned that in my earlier comment and your comment confirms it. One of my friends has one and he says "it's the best". It looks like it's a GOOD gizmo and your price was the right price for me. I think I can spare a few braincells and power down a bottle of Pinot lol. I might even have a cork and wire around the house to DIY and spare the cells. Thanks for sharing.

JD,

Make sure you use a cork from a bottle of white wine. Everyone knows red wine doesn't work well with fish.

Indeed! Gris it is.

Very simple method of creating leverage on the hook. I made something very much like that to open locked doors in the Halbouty Geology building on the Texas A&M campus when I was a grad student there. Ahem... a fellow grad student had locked herself out of her office one evening. But I think they changed the locksets sometime after that.

for the past 15 or so years ive used a wooden dowel, about the size of a pencil with a screw eye in both ends of the dowel. one end is hooked to a zinger on my vest, the other end I open up the screw eye to form a hook. when I catch a fish, I grasp the line, hook the screw eye hook on the bend fish hook, pick the fish up by the crew eye/dowel, and pull downward on the line. this inverts the hook and the fish falls off the hook and into the water. you need to be using barbless hooks for this to work and if the fish is deeply hooked I have to use forceps. cheap, and it works well for me.

John,

That's a good description of the basic process we both use with our respective gizmo.

I'm sure there are many ways to skin a fish -er- I mean cat.

If you want to play with designs, look up "dehooker" on Bing or Google and you will get ton of designs primarily aimed a catfish. Just make one smaller and voila.

I have had one similar to that for a few years, I will have to look up where I saw the design. It is a little simpler - a cup hook in the end of a short (6") length of dowel. I guess if you were fancier you could use deer antler. Because the dowel is hardwood, I pre-drilled the hole and then applied epoxy before threading the hook into the dowel. I put a small screw-eye in the other end of the dowel to attach a zinger easily.
The process of releasing the fish is simple, even if it is in the water - keep tension on the fish and with the cup hook facing up, slide it down the tippet into the bend of the hook - lift up the fish hook (and fish) by the bend and the fish falls off the point.
This is the same lift shown in pszy's comment.

The [FONT='Bookman Old Style', 'Times New Roman', Times, serif]Guides Choice [/FONT]is not a new design and Is a great tool just like the Ketchum . They both work great for barb-less hooks, but for either swallowed or barbed hooks I like the brass tube with a notch cut in it. you pull tight in the line as you slide it down and pull and pus the hook pops out. another good tool is a brass rod with a flattened end that's notched pops the hook right out