Handling a medium/large fish in a yak

[dwkoller]

When C&R fishing I bring the fish along side the kayak and use a de-hooker to release the fish.

When keeping fish for dinner what's the best method for getting the fish under control and in the boat.. Especially when you're handling toothy critters and fish with large sharp spikes for fins. I brought several sheepshead into the cockpit to de-hook and put on a stringer. This fish tend to get pretty angry out of water and have some nasty fins and teeth that can crush gravel. These fish are flopping around and my legs are becoming pin cushions. I have a small towel, I throw that on top of the fish -- helps a little. Get the fish on the stringer and tie it off to the side.
So for fish that are going to be dinner -- its best to use a boga grip to control the fish. Thread the stringer through the gill while the fish is held along side the yak. Once the fish is on the stringer, remove/cut the hook.

I have storage in the yak up front and behind -- both areas are damn near impossible to to reach. How do others handle medium to large fish while kayaking.

Thanks!!!

[ictalurus]

I haven't had the "problem" of dealing with big fish in my yak thus far. :oo However, I've found that ripping out a couple gill arches will slow down a ~20-24" bluefish after a minute or two. I haven't seen a sheepshead in a while, so I don't know how easy that will be to do. I use my gripper to hold it, rip out the arches with pliers (which really ticks them off), then I put them in the footwell and pin them down with my foot until they slow down. Your towel idea would be handy there. Anyway 24" is about as big of a striper or blue that I would keep. I throw stripers right in my cooler bag, and the ice slows them down fast. Once the bluefish stop moving so much, I throw them in, too. The fins on a sheepshead would probably shred my bag if it was moving too much. Another place to bleed fish out fast is to cut the blood vessels near the base of the tail. I haven't tried that one, but I had a waterman buddy that would do that for some fish. Might be worth a shot.

[JoshKaptur]

Small gaff?
Boga + pacifier (mini bat).

After either of the above, put fish in bag/cooler.

[Capt C-Hawk]

Small gaff?
Boga + pacifier (mini bat).

After either of the above, put fish in bag/cooler.

It's against MD law to use a gaff on any striper. Boga and a bat sounds good, but seems the hardest part is hooking the big fish to start with.

[tfrank]

I think using the Boga and bat , then transfering fish to a cooler bag is the best option. Not too sure hanging stringers of fish off the side of a yak is a sound idea if big, large toothed, creatures swim in the area where your fishing!

[grif105]

dw, scroll down towards the bottom of page 1 and read the "Sam's Club freezer tote" thread (last updated on 11-06-2009) for a similar discussion. I found the fish stringer idea was just to much drag for the amount of paddling I have to do at the CBBT where I do most of my fishing. The $10 bag I bought at BJs after ictalurus's recommendation worked great on the one trip (turned out to be the last trip of the season) I tried it on. Looking forward to using it next year and will probably buy another one for my guest kayak.

[surfnsam]

for rock fish i still tend to stick my thumb in it's mouth to get it under control and use a lip gripper to hold it while removing the hook. those plastic vise grip type grippers are great for handling fish and only cost about 10 bucks and they float if dropped overboard.

i've learned old school to grab toothy fish by the back of the head with thumb and finger in the gill plate being careful not to damage the gills until i know it's a keeper or throw back. boga grip are nice but too pricey for my fishing budget.

usually just put keepers on a stringer while drifting and put them in the tank well when its time to move, if the fish is large enough i will return the the dock and put it in the cooler in my truck, no way i can reach the front hatch on the water, not as limber as i used to be;-)

[SALTRODDER]

This summer I bought a plastic lipper that works kinda like a vice-grip. It is light in weight so it doesn't present a problem on the kayak, But it is sturdy enough that I have used it on flounder, stripers and reds. They make several colors including pearl white like mine. (I think that mine glows in the dark, but not sure.)

Anyway, I bought mine at AllTackle and love it! Something like $20 or so. Check it out.

Saltrodder
Annapolis

[surfnsam]

i picked the glo-in the dark 1 so it's easy to find in the dark when launching pre-dawn as i do.

[FFBrent]

I am with saltrodder. I looked at bogas and every lipper I could read about, but I ended up with the plastic one. About 14 bucks is all it will put you out. I like it pretty well so far; I use it on stripers, but i may try it on the flatheads next summer.

I have to look at the cooler bag idea. I didnt think a stringer was the best option, but it has worked up to now. Seems more humane to dispatch the fish and put them in a cooler. Thanks for the tip.

[JoshKaptur]

My "small gaff" recommendation was assuming this was not a striper/rockfish being handled in the yak. See the original post.

My answer for rockfish is just to lip them or grab them by the jig/lure and haul them in on your lap. I've never kept a rock over 40 in the yak, but I have caught several and never had a problem.

[jmadre]

I use the fish grippers, too. While not exactly large fish, I've used them on puppy drum (redfish) and rockfish (striped bass) up to 23" long. I have the white ones that glow in the dark and really like them.

My only complaint is that they can be difficult to get in the fish's mouth if it is closed. With a Boga-type you can turn the jaws sideways and insert into the mouth and pry the lips apart. These jaws are too wide for that.

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