59-1 Fish Grabber

Got this to aid in saltwater bass tagging program; I was constantly getting stabbed and scraped by spines and gill plates trying to measure and tag spotted bay bass, sand bass and calico bass. It also keeps the fish from flopping all over, losing their slime. This device is super-handy, easily slipping onto and off of your hand while maintaining a secure grip on the fish and thoroughly protecting your palm and fingers. Works especially well for problem fish such as pacific barracuda ("slimers"), and for securing slippery lizard fish while you hook them up as halibut bait. I bought 2 and am glad I did.

I highly recommend this product!!! It allows you to grab both small and large fish...I'd say up to 5 or 6 pounds (guessing on the weight...I am a girl and only fish recreationally) But I have purchased this product as gifts for avid fishermen and they love it. And because the item is so inexpensive, I recommend that you purchase a couple for your boat so that you don't have to pass the Fish Grabber around and possibly miss that fish nibbling on your bait!

Was so very excited when I stumbled across this product. I live and fish in Southern California and on many occasions, I will go down to the local harbor and yo yo fish for Barracuda. Essentially, I cast out a metal spoon as far out into the harbor as I can, let it sink out, then reel in the spoon as fast as I can. The Barracuda LOVE this action and will attempt to catch up to the spoon and eat it. Well, the nick name for Barracudas are “Snot Logs”. These fish are super slimy and the slime resembles snot once all over your hand. All the Barracuda I catch are released back into the harbor. The problem is, these fish are toothy critters and again are super slimy, hence the purchase of this product.I anxiously awaited the arrival of this product cause it sounds as if it was the perfect fish grabber to help in the release of these Cudas. I have other grabbers that work well for bass and other fish, but those grabbers smash the mouth down of the Barracuda. Not ideal for this fish! This product seemed perfect as I can grab the fish’s body and then unhook them and then toss them back into the water.Problem was, the very first time I opened the package and clamped down on the grabber, the plastic broke on both sides of the grabber. WHAT? What a letdown! I packaged up the product and sent it back to Amazon for replacement in hopes that this was a one off defective product and the majority of them work well. I can tell you that the plastic has a cheap brittle feeling to it. Again, hoping this is an isolated defective product and the replacement turns out to be the product I was hoping on using to safely catch and release these Barracuda.Rated the product a 1 Star. Will update this review upon receiving / analyzing the replacement product.Good luck and Tight Lines!**************************************************************************************** March 17, 2016 **** Update to original review *****************************************************************************************OK, as promised, an update to the first fish grabber that broke.First off, I really appreciate when purchasers write comments on their purchases as it makes it easier for all of us to be informed consumers prior to purchasing. Trying to do my part. Thank you Reviewers!Secondly, I love my Amazon Prime! Returns are easy and I received my replacement fish grabber in 2 days! Thanks Amazon!OK, onto the report update…When I received the Amazon box, I quickly opened up the package and tested my replacement fish grabber.The good? When I clamped down on the Fish Gripper, this time my fingers didn’t crush through both sides of the plastic. Phew! Then again, I was very cognizant about not using too much pressure when clamping down on the grabber with fear of busting through again.The bad? As I was playing with it, the Velcro piece that allows you to keep your hand tethered to the fish grabber totally came undone. Immediate disappointment again! I thought I broke it!I initially assumed it was glued down to the plastic and thought I got ripped off again as I did not see any glue on the Velcro piece. With further inspection, I realized that the elastic Velcro is looped around the side holes of the plastic fish grabber and the tension when looped through the holes is what allows the Velcro to be somewhat secured to the Fish Grabber.After a few failed attempts, I was able to figure out how to loop the elastic Velcro through the holes so that it would stay in its original place.Real world use…As I said in my first review, the Fish Grabber was purchased to help me catch and “safely” release California Barracuda.Had the opportunity to test it over the weekend. I hooked up to a Barracuda and reached for my Fish Grabber.I put my hand under the elastic Velcro of the Fish Grabber and clamped down onto the Barracuda. As soon as I clamped down onto the Barracuda, the damn Velcro came undone and came totally off the fish grabber again. Considering that I knew it wasn’t glued down, I wasn’t exactly surprised the Velcro came undone.Outside of the Velcro coming undone, the Fish Grabber worked as I was hoping it would work. I was able to hold the Barracuda with the Fish Grabber until I unhooked it and tossed it back into the water. My hands stayed snot free and was able to get back to fishing without having to wipe off Barracuda slime from my hands. That’s a win because Barracuda slime is not only tough to get off your hands, but if you don’t get most of it off, you’ll transfer it to your rod/reel and then it becomes snotty slippery.So, all in all, the reality is, you get what you pay for! The Fish Grabber came out to a grand total of $7.81. With that low price point, how much can you really expect? I know… hopefully more than $7.81. It is what it is.My plan is to super glue the Velcro down to the plastic, however I’m concerned with the super glue weakening the plastic. And after a little more thought, I came back to my original thought of, “You get what you pay for and it was only $7.81!… so? So What? Buy another one if it turns out lasting at least one season. If it does? It’ll be money well spent for me. To each his own!See attached pic of the elastic Velcro that came undone and the Fish Grabber securing a Barracuda for release.Upgrading my Review from 1 Star to 3 Stars.Word! Tight Lines!

Works great except the elastic bands do not stay in place, which makes the product worthless. I used some epoxy glue to keep the bands from loosening up. Now the product is excellent.

Fish Grabber makes handling fish easy, clean, and safe. I've used one for two years on Canadian fishing trips where we catch dozens of fish each day. They're particularly effective and handy for norhtherns which are slimy and stinky to handle. I bought a couple for my son and grandson and they love the tool.

Works for me - no more slime, fishy smelling fingers, and getting stabbed by spines. Less fumbling around with the slimy critters, get the fish off the hook quickly, and back to the business of catching more. Purchased additional grabbers, great tool to have in any tackle box.

its the best fish grabber i have bought. works with all fish but is good with cat fish. you can grab them with out worrying about being stuck by their barb. its especially good here in southwest florida where a lot of fish have teeth

...not durable. The elastic band broke on the first fishing trip. Grabbing the fish with this thing is very good. It’s gonna be 5 stars if they make it better quality.