Hi everyone,
As I have been gearing up to do some Florida Flyfishing I did some shopping around for boga grips in different sizes and found that Berkley and another manufacturer make products that are sort of similar at much lower prices. I know…you get what you pay for but we are only occassional salt rodders and I have never been hard on my gear. I usually am fanatical about cleaning stuff up after use. What I am wondering is if anyone has tried any of the other brands and can offer opinions. The other part of my question regards pliers. The Van Staals or the Abels are also out of sight price wise but other manufacturers are coming out with similar products and some like the Lippas are new altogether. Would appreciate some feed back on pliers as well as the grips. Thanks in advance for your help.
I wouldn’t use any type of grip that does not allow a fish to spin freely. If the gripper portion can rotate as on the Boga and Rapala models a struggling fish is much less likely to damage its jaws. I have seen posts on other boards from anglers that have given up on some models like the Berkely grips as a result of damage to fish.
I have a Boga Grip (30lb) as well as a Rapala Lock 'n Weigh (20lb). Both units are very well made. I much prefer the Boga for the following reasons:
With the Rapala, to operate the gripper, you have to get a couple of fingers over two trigger tabs that stick out on opposite sides. On the Boga, the trigger encompasses the shaft, so you don’t need to get it aligned with your fingers.
The Boga only makes contact with a small portion of tissue in lower jaw of the fish. The Rapala has two grippers with teeth that can help get a firm hold on the fish, but the teeth can also punch holes in soft tissue.
The grippers on both the Boga and the Rapala appear to open up to the same width, but the Boga is easier to place over the lower jaw due to the much smaller bulk of the gripper. On the Rapala you also need to place the gripper a bit deeper in to the fish’s mouth to ensure that it will grab properly.
With my units, the Boga requires much less finger pressure to open up the gripper.
To me, these differences make the Boga worth the additional cost.
The Rapala Lock 'n Weigh is available in more configurations.
I don’t use the scales on the grips very often. Mostly I just use them to control fish without removing from the water in order to expedite release.
[This message has been edited by tailingloop (edited 26 January 2006).]
Good info Tailingloop, I’ll pick up a Boga.
Thanks
Philip
The only one I can comment on is the Boga Grip.I picked up the small 15lb model and I love it.Its a quality item that has become a part of my gear.I know its kinda pricy but you only have to buy it once as it should last you a long time.Mine gets dunked in the saltwater often and its still good as new.Do yourself a favor and buy the best.Unless you need to weigh large fish the 15lb size is all you need and its half the weight of the 30lb one.