03-03-2025, 06:12 PM
There was a post on the Premium Board which included the 
tale/tail of losing a large fish while trying to get it up through a hole in the ice. Been there, done that. The BFTer who posted that made mention of a post I had made a few years ago about making fish lippers and grabbers from the ubiquitous “reach tools” widely available.
I couldn’t find any of my PDF epistles in my files, but I had kept some pics. So I will just make a new post with pics.
Like most consumer goods on the market, there is a wide range of options in reach tools. There are quite a few different lengths and a lot of difference in quality and strength. The first fish grabber models I made were from some of the cheap blue plastic 36” models from Harbor Freight. The entire handle, body and two end tongs are all made of a lightweight blue plastic. The upside is that by applying some heat…with a small burner, a heat gun or stove top burner you can soften the ends of the tongs and bend them inward to make more of a hook than just a gripper. See the pic.
![[Image: LIP-GRIPPERS.jpg]](https://i.postimg.cc/68x37xsk/LIP-GRIPPERS.jpg)
![[Image: IN-ACTION.jpg]](https://i.postimg.cc/YGT7JQM5/IN-ACTION.jpg)
I used this model successfully on several species. Although I did save a few fish by just doing a quick grab down across the back of the head and into the gills, it worked best when you could get the fish to say a-a-a-a-a-h-h and grip the lower jaw to pull it out of the hole.
But, for bigger and feistier fish I upgraded to using one of the sturdier metal shaft model reach tools with strong hardware and tough, rigid gripper tongs. To increase grabbing efficiency I added a couple of short screws pointing inward…see picture. This model has successfully secured several large fish of several species. And it is great for securely grabbing a large active fish as soon as its head reaches the hole. The best grab is between the eyes and the gills…down across the back of the head. But if the fish opens its mouth, this model works great as a super lip gripper as well.
![[Image: JAWS.jpg]](https://i.postimg.cc/bZMjGQ2s/JAWS.jpg)
![[Image: HANGER.jpg]](https://i.postimg.cc/VSDnBkmr/HANGER.jpg)
Just a couple of additional notes. I also successfully used the heavier model on my float tube on a few trips. Although I generally prefer a net, when you can use a net. It did a fine job of helping control a few large cantankerous fish for hook removal without having to bring them up onto my lap in the float tube.
Another note. If you are using the heavier model…with sharp-pointed screws or nails…don’t use it as a head grip tool for any fish you may wish to release. There can be some tissue damage if the fish starts flopping.
tale/tail of losing a large fish while trying to get it up through a hole in the ice. Been there, done that. The BFTer who posted that made mention of a post I had made a few years ago about making fish lippers and grabbers from the ubiquitous “reach tools” widely available.I couldn’t find any of my PDF epistles in my files, but I had kept some pics. So I will just make a new post with pics.
Like most consumer goods on the market, there is a wide range of options in reach tools. There are quite a few different lengths and a lot of difference in quality and strength. The first fish grabber models I made were from some of the cheap blue plastic 36” models from Harbor Freight. The entire handle, body and two end tongs are all made of a lightweight blue plastic. The upside is that by applying some heat…with a small burner, a heat gun or stove top burner you can soften the ends of the tongs and bend them inward to make more of a hook than just a gripper. See the pic.
I used this model successfully on several species. Although I did save a few fish by just doing a quick grab down across the back of the head and into the gills, it worked best when you could get the fish to say a-a-a-a-a-h-h and grip the lower jaw to pull it out of the hole.
But, for bigger and feistier fish I upgraded to using one of the sturdier metal shaft model reach tools with strong hardware and tough, rigid gripper tongs. To increase grabbing efficiency I added a couple of short screws pointing inward…see picture. This model has successfully secured several large fish of several species. And it is great for securely grabbing a large active fish as soon as its head reaches the hole. The best grab is between the eyes and the gills…down across the back of the head. But if the fish opens its mouth, this model works great as a super lip gripper as well.
Just a couple of additional notes. I also successfully used the heavier model on my float tube on a few trips. Although I generally prefer a net, when you can use a net. It did a fine job of helping control a few large cantankerous fish for hook removal without having to bring them up onto my lap in the float tube.
Another note. If you are using the heavier model…with sharp-pointed screws or nails…don’t use it as a head grip tool for any fish you may wish to release. There can be some tissue damage if the fish starts flopping.
